Do "work coaches" actually - work?
Do "work coaches" actually - work?
The difference between winging it and calling in reinforcements.
There’s a female CEO and founder I admire greatly. I admire her for many reasons, one being she has offered workplace and executive coaching to her entire 200+ person employee base for years.
Even at the most economical rate, this is not a small amount of money to spend on a perk. (And don’t get me started on the exorbitant rates charged by the dime-a-dozen, grifter-New Age-Instagram 💪Work Coach💪 type either).
Now, it’s easy to be Devil’s Advocate (if you like being that guy) and say:
“Well, it actually saves her money because executives and employees who can work together well and communicate better and solve conflicts and problem-solve actually deliver more value and therefore it’s actually a very capitalist thing for her to do so it’s not THAT admirable.”
I counter with:
Given how rare of a perk it seems to be, and how few proper coaches there are out there vs. those 💪Work Coaches💪, and how much easier it is in general to do nothing than do something, especially if that something gives your employees skills they can leave with to another job…
…it’s still admirable.
And that’s why I brought executive coaching into my company.
There’s a lot of people who can give advice. But it mattered to us that this was a accredited, professional, confidential, wholly individualised programme, run by a stellar and qualified nonprofit organisation. Basically: I wanted the opposite of a 💪Work Coach💪 .
And that’s — well, definitely what we got. I started last year, and I thought it would be fun, in the way I find reading business non-fiction fun.
Then, she gave me my first exercise - to complete this assessment. Oof.
What is the difference between a proper coach and a 💪Work Coach💪?
Well, it’s like an ex-competitive swimmer walking next to your lane barking out corrections to your form vs. someone who swam in a summer league once telling you to swim 10000 metres butterfly every day to get swole.
It’s like Bob Ross walking you through a landscape painting vs. a grifter blindfolding you and “helping” you through a paint by numbers kit.
What they both have is confidence. What only one of them offers is results.
When deciding whether the coach in your life is, indeed, a coach, ask yourself:
Do I feel capable on my own, or do I feel less capable alone?
Am I more knowledgeable about this than I was before?
Was I given the tools - literally, the knowledge and processes - to improve myself on my own? Or is the only way to improve dependent on continued advice?
And perhaps most importantly:
Do they call me on my bullshit? Or is agreeing with my self-deception better for their long-term revenue stream? 🫠
I fully advocate for professional executive coaching. Like therapy, it’s something I think is worth paying for even if a larger party (like your insurance provider or your employer) won’t cover it.
It’s an amazing feeling, being a Padawan again. Oh, the freedom to ask dumb questions! To make mistakes! To be full of unearned confidence so you can be knocked down a peg!
TL;DR: None of us are born good leaders or good managers. It’s more than ok to call in reinforcements. Just make sure the person you call knows what they’re doing.
xRachel
PS. Read this Harvard Business Review article on finding/deciding on a career coach (including which certifications to look for to make sure you don’t end up with a grifter.)