Here are the four most common reasons most people never try a work coach or professional coaching,
- I’m fine without it
- It’s mainly for top executives
- I like doing things my way even if it’s not the perfect way
- It’s too expensive
Let’s see if we can’t shed some light on this subject.
I’m fine without coaching
Yes, you are. You are excellent and perfect without coaching, but that’s not the point. Work coach is not like vitamins or training; It’s not a supplement.
Good coaching enables you to change your perspective – and often, unexpectedly. Some people hire coaches to help them solve specific problems, but the overwhelming majority are interested in seeing what has been invisible to them. A coach, however, doesn’t show you what is invisible.
A coach enables you to address your biases and opinions; gain new perspectives and angles and clean your lens. When that happens, you see the world differently, allowing you to respond in ways you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. You’re surely fine without coaching but you’ll be more empowered and content with it.
It’s mainly for executives
While I can agree that a larger percentage of executives than non-executives receive coaching, coaching is for anyone who has the courage and desire to improve themselves in ways that they cannot do by themselves. It’s not a top or middle management level thing. It’s a “want to get more out of life” type of thing. So even if you’re not an executive (or perhaps because you want to be one), coaching can be tremendously impactful both personally and professionally.
I like to do things my way, even if it’s not the perfect way
Your way is the only way. Mentors might occasionally offer ways in which you could modify your behavior (and I do when I mentor), but a coach works on helping you become aware of who you are and how you’re currently behaving, which includes seeing how you do things from a different perspective. Your coach relies upon awareness as the main driver of change — not pushing you to mend your ways.
It’s too expensive
Naturally, the time of an expert coach is often, but not always, expensive if you’re just looking at the cost. However, if you include return on your investment in your price/value calculation, then you also need to think of the outcome of receiving coaching — opening the doors to your personal and professional success that have hitherto been inaccessible.
The truth is, even high-flying executives don’t throw away their money or flitter away their time. They stay with a coach because they know the tremendous value that coaching brings. Also, many if not most coaches have sliding scales, so cost is a non-issue.
The one reason to try personal coaching
The bottom line is that you’re never going to know whether coaching is for you or not — until you actually try it, and most coaches give you an initial session for free, so ask yourself, “What, if anything, is stopping me from giving coaching a go?” If nothing immediately comes to mind, click here to find out more.
