Why Career Coaches Fail to Bring Results

Career Management, Job Search

Ever wonder why most coaches fail to achieve transformational results for their clients and build a thriving practice?

I’ve been around a lot of coaches and consultants in my career. Coming up in HR and building my career in the learning and development field, there were constantly coaches and consultants pitching me every week.

I’ve gone through so many training programs, certifications, coaches, and consulting programs that I’ve seen some of the most effective coaches and those that end up failing their clients and their business.

Most coach’s methodologies, programs, and practices do not go deep enough to produce meaningful outcomes.

I am not saying coaching is not powerful and transformational. I think everyone should have a coach to be a high performer (I have one). Most of them don’t reach the level of success because of their approach.

If you are considering a coach to help you break through the barriers between you and the results you are seeking, then you will want to make sure they have these top 3 critical skills:

They don’t understand how to create programs that bring lasting change.

Most people think coaching is about asking you a bunch of questions or sharing their experiences with you. Others will give simple advice or guidance.

Neither of these approaches alone is effective in changing behavior. Many coaches miss the key ingredient of addressing the internal changes that need to happen in order to change behavior.

There are many factors that go into changing behavior to get results. Many coaches ignore the rigor that must go into this process in order to help you achieve your goals.

They MUST have business chops

To bring you results through coaching, they must understand the economical environment, business context, and political factors that influence results.

Without a keen understanding of the current employment trends, their advice could quickly become dated or irrelevant given the context of the situation.

They can’t assume that every situation yields the same tactics and strategies. The strategy must be agile to the conditions.

They need to be a savvy marketer

Your coach needs to understand how to identify your unique value proposition and craft a message that will catch fire in the market.

This is not about formatting resumes and tweaking bullet points on a cover letter. A deep understanding of branding and messaging are critical to yield in your career.

Coaching is a transformational experience when practiced with these three critical areas in mind you can truly experience significant life changes.

Pricing is a quick way to filter

 You may be wondering how to quickly filter out this stuff to make a decision.

The easiest way is based on price. While there are some coaches who over-charge, most under charge.

What that means for them is they have to compensate for that decision with more volume.

What that means for you is that you cannot remain top of mind for them.

What is meant to be a high-touch experience ends up feeling disconnected as if you’re not making progress and, many times rushed.

 The unfortunate thing is the coach is experiencing the same thing.

Coaching can be a transformational experience that can quickly accelerate your success.

Just make sure you’re getting the value by assessing these critical competencies before you invest.

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