The following is an excerpt of one of David’s coaching sessions in Top Coaching Techniques.
See, there’s a lot of confrontational stuff in the world – I was going to use the word energy, and I thought that was a bit to airy-fairy – but there’s a lot of confrontation happening, and I don’t think that’s the best or most fulfilling way to go about it. I would suggest partnering with your boss in some way and working out what you think you’re worth. Then ask your boss’s honest opinion.
Now, that may not work, and there may come a time when you need to draw a line and you say, You know, if I am worth more than this, and if I don’t get paid more than this, than I respect your decision but I need to go elsewhere.’ Which brings me to point two. I said there were two or three different ways that I think would be obvious to get a pay raise.
One would be going and saying, ‘I’d like a pay raise now.’ Another great idea would be to go to your boss and say, ‘Look, I want a pay raise. I’d like to be earning fifty percent more than I’m earning and I’d like to get it within a reasonable time frame. Now who do I have to be and what do I have to contribute to this company to be worth that to you?’ So there you can partner with your boss and your boss can reach out to take a look. ‘Well, if you achieve these targets, that might be worth it. If you got this training that might be worth it.’ You can actually create a career plan together.
The following is taken from David’s interview in 10 Super Coaches.
What words of advice would you give to a coach starting out?
I would say, make sure you’ve got some good guidance. Whether that’s through a school or through a mentor coach or a good circle of support around you that also has good business sense.
And, you need to coach. You can’t just wait for it to happen, you can’t just wait to get confident and you can’t just wait for people to float through your door at $300 or $400 a month.
You need to coach fifty people, I’d say, even if it’s just one session, so that you can develop some confidence as a coach and that’s when your career can really take off. When you know that you’ve got the skills, when you know that people are getting results, that’s what’s got to happen and it won’t happen until you actually coach.
What do you think new coaches need to be reminded of?
New coaches starting out may forget that once they’ve done fifty sessions, they’re going to be a lot more confident. And once they’ve got ten clients and they’ve got several testimonials under their belt and some really grateful clients, your confidence does increase a lot.
The other thing that I think helps is realizing that you don’t have to be a guru. You really don’t have to be any kind of incredible mystic that has the answers to everything, you’re simply there for support and to coach them as best you know how. It’s up to the client what they do with that.
That’s a major, major shift and all coaches go through it, or need to go through it, at some point.
The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.
3. Once you’ve decided to go ahead, consider professional coach training. This will give you resources, insights, tools, and support. It will also help you to build your coach network — other coaches you can call on for help and advice. You should pick a school which has happy, successful coaches. Do you require face-to-face training, want the flexibility of teleclass (phone conference calls) training, the multidimensional impact of online learning, or a combination of these? And shop around — prices vary. For a list of training schools and the specials we’ve negotiated, visit: http://www.becomeacoach.com
4. Work with a coach to build your practice. Some people skip Step 3 and jump straight to working with a coach to enter the industry. People in this category are usually those with existing transferable skills (e.g. counselling, or a lot of personal development training). Or, they are people short on cash, who want to generate some revenue from coaching before they invest in a proper training course. A coach can help you avoid common mistakes, and build your practice faster, with less effort than you would on your own. What business systems do you need in place? Where will you find clients? How will you keep your clients? And how do you keep your chin up if you lose three in one day!?
Some new coaches like to combine Steps 3 and 4 by finding a training program which supplies them with a coach.
The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.
Here is a list of things you might consider including in your biography:
- Your passion to help people
- The way in which you have already been helping people (e.g., unofficial coaching, mentoring, shoulder to lean on, teaching, training, managing)
- Specifically WHAT you provide for people
- Your successes (e.g., promotion, career, financially, health, relationship/marriage)
- Your adventures (e.g., climbing a mountain, travel to different countries)
- Challenges that you have overcome (e.g. divorce, a death, bankruptcy, health issue)
- Anything unique or interesting (e.g., scuba dive)
- What you love; what you hate (e.g., kids, flowery e-mail signatures, poetry)
- Your training (e.g., communication, corporate experience, people skills, self-study such as books and courses, business, any diplomas or degrees or certificates that are relevant or show you have accomplished something, or on-the-job training)
- Membership of any relevant associations e.g., National Speakers Association, International Coach Federation, Toastmasters, Chamber of Commerce, any volunteer positions on industry committees
- Any current coach training course you are undertaking.
Two to three paragraphs should suffice. Don’t include anything that does not give you credibility or a reason why you might be a good coach for them i.e., keep every word relevant. Two powerful lines are better than half a page of waffle. Oh – and of course keep it honest! For example, no saying “Gina coaches executives from major organisations” until you have at least one, or “Bill is a professional speaker” if you’re not yet. As always, you decide what is authentic and what isn’t.
The following is taken from David’s Independent Report on Coaching Training and Certification.
While certification is not necessary for a full practice, we do believe it is important for the development of your skill and for the development of the coaching profession. The more certified coaches the stronger the profession, and the better for all of us. If every coach decided to skip certification, we would have lower standards, which might invite public mistrust, and eventually tight Government regulation.
