There are many reasons someone may decide to hire a coach. Sometimes a company will hire a coach for an executive or manager, sometimes the individual will hire a coach independently and sometimes a business owner feels the need to hire a coach to help them reach a specific business goal.

Coaching experts note there are three main reasons why they are engaged.

1. To develop high potentials within an organization or facilitate a transition
2. To act as a sounding board
3. To address derailing behavior

The cost can range from as low as $200 an hour to a high of $3,500 an hour.  The experts say that most of their assignments last seven to twelve months depending on the goals that need to be accomplished.
Coaches indicate they are not frequently hired to address a personal issue but have assisted executives they coach for business with personal issues. We have to face it; our professional lives are intertwined with our personal lives.

If you or your organization decides you need a coach you many want someone with a coaching certificate.  If you are okay with a coach not being certified, make sure they are an expert in the area you are seeking help for and be sure to ask for references. Most people interview several coaches to determine who they feel most comfortable with.

Sherpa Coaching states that “true success comes from positive skills and positive behavior. These create a positive impact on business. People know to call a doctor when they are sick and take their car in for service when it is not operating correctly. But when a team or organization is not doing well, they don’t always know they are supposed to call in a coach for help.

“For seven years Sherpa Coaching has surveyed numerous coaches and human resource professionals as to the reasons people use coaching. In 2012 the overwhelming reason for engaging a coach was for leadership development. Whereas in 2006 it was to help people fix a specific problem.

You may or may not need a coach to help you reach a goal or succeed in running your business. If you’d like to find out if a career coach could be helpful to you, please take our Career Self Assessment to determine if you should consider working with a coach. No one will see your results. But the bigger question is do you have the courage to answer the questions honestly? If so as an added bonus you could be pleasantly surprised at how quickly you reach your dreams if you engage a coach.