"Coaching is an art, and it’s far easier said than done. It takes courage to ask a question rather than offer up advice, provide an answer, or unleash a solution."
–Brene Brown, Author
What? You expected VIM Executive Coaching to start this post by saying that career coaching is so fantastic, everyone is standing in line, clamoring for their turn at coaching sessions. The truth is there’s a lot of skepticism about the process. And, while it may sound like heresy, we totally understand the skeptical sentiment.
Seven Reasons for Skepticism
As career and business coaches, we have identified at least seven reasons why everyone might be skeptical about the coaching process, whether they are unpaid interns or experienced CEOs. Let’s discuss those seven reasons and how VIM strives to be different and how we would hope we offer convincing alternatives.
- Disengaged guidance. It is so easy to serve up advice. Often unqualified career coaches, having no specific experience will offer generic, generalized solutions. What does this do? It makes the problems worse. Why, for example, would any financial or healthcare or consumer products professional want to listen to a coach with no expertise in those areas? Our coaches are specialists in specific career areas as well as career coaches.
- Hard to justify the cost. The career coaching industry is filled with all sorts of fancy terms, but the one term they run away from is “return on investment.” There are numerous ways to measure the effectiveness of career coaching, but imposing a dollar value is near impossible. Promises of greater ROI have never worked. We prefer to frame the outputs within a different set of results: overall career satisfaction, authenticity, increased mindfulness, greater effectiveness, reputation and similar results. We believe measurables will follow effective career coaching, however, inadequate career coaching will neither deliver specific nor “softer” management skills.
- Easy in, easy out. Sadly, the market has been flooded by ineffective career coaching programs and authorities without credentials, who read from AI-produced programs of dubious value. Those types of firms and coaches display constant turnover. As the quote at the top of this page advises, good coaches ask tough questions. Good coaches probe, challenge, cheer and nurture the best in everyone who comes for executive coaching assistance. All of our career coaches have experience in the fields of our clients. We strive to create partnerships, not an in-and-out transaction.
- No polyester sportscoats. Career coaching does bring pressure to do better and be better, BUT it should always be compassionate, caring and never antagonistic. In this day and age, where it seems the loudest voices and most aggressive sales tactics are programmed to gain business, VIM likes to treat prospective coaching candidates like adults. Ask us questions, hear our professional approach, weigh and measure our commitment to excellence.
- Nothing wrong with your organization. Over time, we’ve found that the most successful organizations work with coaches who help refine, tweak and elevate executive leaders. It is never a “softness” to want to be better and more effective. Career coaching is a continuing partnership, not a weakness.
- The fear of helplessness. There are those executive leaders who believe that to work with a career coach is a sign of helplessness. It is, in fact, the opposite. By all measures great leaders and their careers are made through evolving; continuous improvement, continuous commitment, and asking for what is needed. Nothing is automatic. Beware of any leader who feels they are above improvement.
- Nothing succeeds in the echo chamber. When an organization’s upper management is resistant to career coaching, the attitude tends to seep down into the lower ranks. It is easy to play a blame-game. Career coaching shouldn’t be perceived as a threat to change values, but as gift to the organization to enhance all of the good values inherent to the culture.
We understand the skepticism and the resistance to career coaching, and we treat those who doubt with understanding and respect. What drives us is our belief that we succeed at the art of coaching.