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Investing in Yourself

Investing. This word seems to be one we hear a lot about in today’s economy—and at the core, isn’t investing all about identifying and choosing those things that have worth? Things that are meaningful, important…things we cherish?

There are many areas of life that fall into this category – family, community, education, etc. One that rises to the top of my list as a professional is developing myself as a coach. I first became a coach in 2004, and it didn’t take long to realize the importance of continued study and intentional goals for developing my abilities. The more I knew, the more I saw there was to know…and the more I wanted to know. Yet the benefits of investment don’t come without sacrifice, time, and yes, even a price tag.

As I consider potential investments for 2012, I am personally aiming to reach the ICF Master Coach credential. To accomplish this, my investment includes these steps:

200 hours of coach-specific training. This is complete and I can celebrate it, but hold on because there is still…
2500 hours of client coaching. That’s a lot of asking, What do you want to do talk about today?
10 hours of mentor coaching. Wouldn’t you think 2500 coaching hours would do the job? But the beauty of this is that I will get to learn from a Master level coach!
3 reference letters. This is the easy part of the requirements.
And a 3-part exam. Guess if CCE expects our trainees to take exams, I shouldn’t be exempt.

To sustain my certification once achieved, I will continue to invest 40 hours of CEUs every three years. Is it worth it? I would contend the answer is, “Yes.” So what makes this true?

The demand for professional coaching is growing, the importance of representing the coaching professional well is at stake, and making a marked difference in the lives of people and organizations is what coaching is all about. Being “masterful” in coaching is key. And to be the best, to be masterful takes sacrifice, time, and a price tag.

Here are a few facts we can add to the value of investing in our coaching skills. Let’s take a peek at the recent preliminary Sherpa Coaching Survey Report...

Demand for Coaching

More, more, more. Last, year, most coaches were optimistic about demand for their services. This year, clients are joining in their optimism. Seven out of ten executive coaches and those who hire them say demand is going up. Life and personal coaches are optimistic, eight to two. In early returns, every buyer of coaching services sees demand going up in the next year.

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Coaching As A Way of Life

In recent years, managers and executives have been learning coaching skills. The philosophy of coaching is spreading in scope and becoming part of many leadership training programs. Over one third of respondents already have significant programs in place to teach coaching skills to managers and executives, while another one in five have programs in startup or design mode. More than one in four have coaching-based programs in place for teams, while an additional one in five have programs in startup or design mode.

In Sherpa’s full report, they will be breaking this out across company size, type, geographic location, and will present any significant findings.

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Two years ago, the number of people who received coaching as part of routine leadership development constituted a majority for the very first time. This year, the trend continues, as the majority of coaching is designed for improvement rather than correction or transition. Those who receive coaching for a specific problem or to ease a transition stand even, at around twenty percent each.

The Value of Coaching

In recent years, HR, training and business professionals have come to believe in coaching. Those who rate the value of coaching as “very high” has jumped by fifteen percent. Today, more than nine in ten professionals see the value of coaching as “high” or “very high.” Over eighty percent see the credibility of coaching as “high” or “very high.”

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I hope you you've enjoyed this information by Sherpa. You may have assessed at this point, that as the profession continues to advance, becoming a masterful coach will be important part of our portfolios.

Let’s invest together. Let’s make a commitment together, whether it is a small step or a major step to expand our coaching abilities! One step may mean taking a refresher coaching course, learning a tool such as Myers Briggs, or taking an advanced coaching course. Let’s be in the middle of the coaching demand, ready to coach, and ready to deliver top-notch coaching.

Three action steps:

Ask: What development will increase my knowledge, understanding, and application of coaching skills? Click the PDF icon to download your Self-Assessment. This assessment will be very familiar to you if you completed Essential Coach Training (ECT). Coach Self-Assessment
Plan: What will I do in 2012 to develop those coaching skills?
Call: Set a date to call the CCE office to discuss your plan for added development of your coaching skills--612-246-4787.