For the past 18 years, WJM Associates has provided executive training to more than 3,000 executives in more than 400 organizations around the world. We have seen tremendous success stories from coaching, as well as cases in which it has not been able to meet expectations. So why do coaching initiatives sometimes fall short? It's hard to know if coaching is helping an executive achieve their goals if those goals are ill-defined or if they change every two weeks. An effective training process starts with the coach and client working together to clearly identify a limited list of development goals (think 2) and then work hard to achieve them.
While it is essential for the boss to weigh the selection of these goals, the client must passionately accept that these are the right objectives to ensure the effort. Findings in the field of neuroscience tell us that continuous and repeated attention to the desired change strengthens the wiring of newly created habits. Over time, new behaviors develop with regular reminders and frequent comments. This kind of sustained approach, on the part of the coachee and those around him, is impossible if the goals are fuzzy or fuzzy to begin with. While some coaches go bankrupt, others run out.
They get a lot of customers and they work really hard and eventually they run out of strength because it's so difficult to scale. The more customers they have, the less time they have. It's really difficult to negotiate time for long-term clients, so they either go broke or run out. By far, the most common answer to the question of why some business coaches fail can be found in a lack of attention to sales and marketing. A coaching practice is a business and, like any other business, you need to invest in sales and marketing to win customers. For any company-wide coaching initiative to be effective and lasting within your organization, there are significant obstacles that an internal sales manager or coach must address.
Rather than delving into each of these 10 points, leverage this as a checklist for you to use before implementing your training program. Launching a consulting or training practice is a coveted goal for many professionals, and the rewards can be substantial. If you avoid the most common mistakes and instead focus on accumulating social proof from the start, actively contact previous colleagues who know you and trust your work, and keep a strong focus on the results that matter to your customers, you have the ability to develop a thriving business and achieve greater impact. Once you've answered this question, you'll know if your needs are best served by a mentor or coach. Very often, business coaches compare themselves to others, pursue a training style that doesn't work for them, or lack the self-confidence to guide clients with clarity and assertiveness. As a manager, there are many things to consider when implementing a training program for your team that leads to a successful initiative, a mediocre one, or a training program that will burn down. Similarly, the Boston Turner Group notes that unsuccessful coaches often “didn't focus on their true experience and experience and strayed too far from the best value they could offer.
Compare this to the model in which a coach enters to work on a specific topic and never leaves the organization. When the coach gives advice, no matter how brilliant, it will most likely make a slight impression, give rise to resistance or defensive attitude, or give rise to a sense of dependence. This is invaluable for developing accurate and increased self-awareness, fundamental to successful coaching. Many coaches noted that the practice of giving away too much work for free was an important factor in coaches undervaluing their work. In fact, if things get too welcoming, the coach risks inappropriately advocating for the executive in the organization. In an industry without solid and established price benchmarks, many coaches end up selling their work for less than what it's worth or less than what clients would be willing to pay. In fact, research suggests that the main criteria for successful participation are levels of trust, respect and relationship between coach and client. Successful coaches free up most of their time for marketing and training, and automate processes that can be automated.
Combining that approach with ensuring that you are fairly compensated for the value you bring will position you and your training practice for success today and in the future. For example, if you tell your customers to promote their services through social media, you should also use Facebook posts to spread the word about your training. Normally, this is positive; it's hard to imagine someone who is a successful coach who doesn't have an innate desire to help others reach their potential or solve their problems. To ensure success in coaching initiatives it is essential that clear goals are established from day one; that there is an adequate investment in sales and marketing; that there is an understanding of what value is being offered; that there is an appropriate level of trust between coach and client; that processes are automated where possible; that social proof is accumulated; that previous colleagues are contacted; that results are focused on; and finally that there is an understanding of when it is appropriate for a coach to advocate for an executive within an organization.
