Thursday, July 19, 2007

Before You Hire That Coach

If you're considering hiring a coach to help you with your career, take a breath, suggests Robbie Miller Kaplan in this month's Ask the Expert.

Before you consider hiring a coach, you should conduct a personal assessment. Have you articulated your goal and created an action plan for achievement? Do you have milestones and perform periodic assessments of your progress? Have you communicated your interest to your manager and solicited support and feedback? If you've taken these steps and are still having difficulty, it's probably a good time to make an appointment with your boss.

I think this is good advice. I know a lot of people who've used coaches and swear by them, and I know many coaches who are extremely smart people. But before you commit to spending a few thousand dollars over the course of six months, it's important you understand the challenges you face, and to think through whether or not you'd benefit from the investment of money, and time.

Last year, Suzanne Barlyn looked at coaching from another angle, sketching out five situations where a coach could be valuable. That article's here.

Ask the Expert: A Coach or Not a Coach? [JITM]
Considering Coaching? Consider This [JITM]

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