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But who are the individuals who make up this field? What do they really do and what are their credentials? And most importantly, how can you benefit from working with one? The focus of this article is to shed light on the real role of a personal coach and offer concrete steps for selecting the right one. I recently had the opportunity to discuss the personal coaching phenomenon with Dr. Anneli Driessen, Ph.D., Ph.D., MCC. Dr. Driessen is a Master Certified Coach (MCC) who was a nominee and finalist for the Canadian Coach of the Year Award in 2005. She is the President of AnneliCoach.com, an executive coaching, counseling and consulting service and author of the book Spiritually-Based Leadership: 7 Keys to High Performance. Dr. Driessen has had a successful private counseling practice in Victoria, BC since 1978, specializing in individual therapy and relationships. She currently coaches executives and CEOs of large corporations worldwide. Despite the increasing popularity and use of coaches in many aspects of life, many people still don't fully understand what personal coaching is or what it entails. Dr. Driessen offers an excellent description she once heard: "Coaching is like having a personal trainer for your soul." It's her belief that coaching is a service; a one-to-one relationship between an individual and a professional coach (mentor, consultant) who assists in clarifying, articulating, prioritizing and achieving personal or professional goals. As a result, coaching helps to increase the results the client wants in life, work, spirit and relationships and to overcome obstacles, circumstances and resistance. Often, however, there's a perceived blurring of the roles of a coach and therapist. Coaching is clearly not a substitute for therapy nor is it intended for people with emotional problems. It's about creating results and moving forward rather than analyzing the past and dealing with crisis. I asked Dr. Driessen why she thinks coaching has become so popular. She has researched several trends in the psychology and therapy fields and noticed that both professions have been losing business over the last 20 years. Why? She believes people perceive that there is more readily accessible help available. (Just consider the popularity of self-help gurus like Dr. Phil and Dr. Laura.) She also cites the negative connotation associated with therapy that isn't associated with coaching. This may be because coaching is rooted in sports and is geared for enhancing specific skills and reaching the often-cited state of "peak performance". Some people want coaching in very specific areas (dealing with employees, handling a merger, etc.) and the results can be quick and dramatic. Coaching provides a more cost-effective way of maintaining a sense of balance. Considering that most coaching is done primarily on the phone, it's very time efficient. Additionally, with the aid of technology, clients don't have to travel to their coach's office because they can receive very effective advice via email, text message and video conferencing. Although Dr. Driessen often works with executives, she believes coaching isn't exclusive. Anyone truly desiring personal and professional growth with specific results can benefit. Coaching clients range from entry-level professionals wanting to chart a quick ascent within their company to the veteran executive wanting to give back to the community. Regardless of age or whether it's personal or career improvements that are desired, an effective coach can help. It's important to remember, however that coaches don't fix things - they enhance things. The decision to seek out and work with a coach is very personal. Unfortunately, according to Dr. Driessen, anyone can call himself or herself a "coach". Consequently, there's an increasing amount of "flakes" doing just that with the hope of cashing in on the recent growth explosion. She says the most important step you can take to ensure you're working with a coaching professional is to thoroughly check a coach's credentials. The next step is to trust your intuition. The whole basis for the relationship is one of trust. Most credible coaches offer complimentary engagement conversations, which last approximately 30 minutes. During this time you get to know one another and can better determine whether your working together will generate the desired outcome. Lastly, she recommends working with a Master Certified Coach (MCC) who's certified by the International Coach Federation (ICF). The ICF's purpose is to assure the public that officially certified coaches meet or exceed clearly defined standards and competencies. They do this by offering the MCC designation. A MCC pledges to operate within the ICF Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct, can document at least 200 hours of coaching-specific training, 20 hours of individual mentoring, supply at least 10 client references, document at least 2,500 coaching client hours and must have passed a written and oral exam, to name several of the requirements. The decision to work with a personal coach is very personal and has a tremendous upside in terms of life and career improvement. This article serves as an introduction to the possibility and I encourage you to learn more at Dr. Driessen's site: www.annelicoach.com and the ICF's site: www.coachfederation.org. Roy Chitwood is an author and consultant on sales and customer service. He is the former president and chairman of Sales & Marketing Executives International and is president of Max Sacks International, Seattle, 800-488-4629, www.maxsacks.com. If you would like to subscribe to his free Tip of the Week, You're on Track, please e-mail contact@maxsacks.com
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