Why You Should Work with a Coach
Listening to podcasts, reading, and attending training and conferences are great ways to sharpen your skills. When you need personalized guidance on a challenge or goal that’s specific to you, though, it’s most effective to work with a coach. Your coach can work with your individual needs, hold you accountable to achieve your goals, bring a different perspective to your situation, and ask you questions you hadn’t considered.
When might a coach help you?
There are a wide variety of situations in which professional coaching can be of assistance. Here are a few:
- You’re feeling stuck and not sure how to move up or out of your current role
- You need personalized assistance in a certain area, like delegation, time management, or team building
- You’re looking for a new role that’s outside of your current skillset
How can you get your boss to pay for a coach?
If you want coaching to be part of your learning and development plan, you’ll need to get your boss on board. Here are some ideas for convincing them it’s worth the investment.
Show some vulnerability. Tell your boss you’re working to improve and want to be a stronger team member. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness!
Be a high performer. Show determination, do your best, and make a commitment to improve. Your organization will be more likely to support you.
Frame it as a follow up to a training program. You might say something like, “I recently attended training on conflict management. I learned a lot, but also realized that I have a lot more to learn. Working with a coach will help me.”
Frame it as an opportunity to reach a goal. For example, you might tell your boss, “I set an aggressive goal this year and I’m seeing improvement. Working with a coach will help me improve even faster.”
Be specific. What exactly do you need help with, why, and who do you think might be a good coach for you? For example, “I’ve grown a lot as a manager this past year, and my results show it. One particular area I still want to improve on is time management, and I have found a coach who can help me with this.”
Have a plan and know the costs. Reach out to a coach and find out what might be a reasonable budget. Know how you’ll recoup that cost; for example, will coaching increase your productivity?
Are you looking for personalized guidance and development? Learn more about our professional coaching services here! Or send us a message here, and we’ll guide you to the right path.