Want to Keep Your New Years Resolutions? Look to a Coach

Successful people looking to make 2004 an even better year are hiring life and business coaches in record numbers. In fact, coaching is the second fastest growing profession today*. Why? A skilled coach can be the catalyst in making the necessary changes for success. *according to Money Magazine

January 7 2004--Who hires coaches? Laura Hendershot, founder of Consummate Coaching in North County San Diego (www.consummatecoaching.com), is working with a variety of individuals, for various reasons:

Two of her clients are professional writers that need that extra push to get books written and published. These are highly creative people, and as is often the case, are very sensitive. Together, we push through procrastination and fear. The writing process starts to flow.

Many of her clients are highly educated professionals who are starting their own businesses. These are people with advanced degrees, at the top of their professions. But they want something more. They are creating businesses that express their own talents and creativity. At the same time, they are creating financial freedom and a legacy for their families.

Several clients are working with Laura to advance their careers. One Client in particular comes to mind here, she says. This woman is enormously intelligent and talented. But she is in a technical field, and as such, has been involved in many downsizings over the years. We began working on her leadership skills, and top management took notice. She went from being a programmer, to supervising four, to managing a group of 16. With executive managements support, she just enrolled in an Executive MBA program.

Other clients have hired Laura to increase their sales performance. One of her clients didnt see how he could possibly keep his job because he had fallen so far behind, and meeting his years quota looked impossible. We began to focus on the possibilities and to manage his time better, she says, and not only did he keep his job and meet his quota for the year, but he was also rewarded with a bigger territory. Next years income goal? $500,000 in commissions.

But businesses are hiring coaches as well. "I was recently retained by a medium sized firm with multiple locations nationwide for leadership development. The newly minted VP who hired me knew that unless he developed the managers below him, he had reached his own apex". And today's executives are simply too pressed for time to do the development themselves.

With the advent of the internet, and wide availability of teleconferencing and web conferencing, coaches are able to deliver coaching and training to employees at scattered locations without the need to travel to each one. "We can deliver a uniform message to a large group of managers in an extremely cost effective manner", says Hendershot. "And the results are immediate and measurable".

By using assessments, such as online 360 degree evaluations, where subordinates, peers, superiors, and possibly, customers anonymously rate performance, the success of a given coaching program can be reliably evaluated. And the return on investment is nothing short of spectacular. In fact, when estimating the monetary payoff from the coaching, managers described an average return of more than six times what the coaching had cost their companies.**

But people dont stop with their work lives when they hire a coach. Just about every one of my clients has health issues to address, whether its losing weight or exercising or simply taking more time for self care and relaxation. Usually, its all three. My clients success rate for weight loss and improved fitness is very high, because when people make a commitment to coaching, they are really making a commitment to themselves. And by collaborating with a coach, theyve multiplied their chances of success.

We also work with improving relationships and in achieving work-life balance. It's nearly impossible to get lasting job performance improvements without addressing the whole person" . And its interesting to note that when one area of life improves, the others seem to as well.

**Fortune, 2/19/01, "Executive Coaching -- With Returns a CFO Could Love"

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