What difference does a coach really make?

How many people are simply unaware of what coaching is and what coaches do? How can a coach share information that clarifies the value of the service provided?

As a coach, or someone thinking about hiring a coach, run a Google search and you will find lots of statistics show the value of coaching:

* Training = 22% improvement; Training and Coaching = 86% improvement.
* ROI = over 500%
* 60% of North American companies hire coaches.
Now consider the personal reality for a potential client. What do they want to know? Will this make a difference in their job? How will it help them advance their career? How much will it change their life?

Look at the bottom line of what coaching means to the individual, and the outcome is powerful. How many people really take time to consider and explore their goals? How many people create effective action plans? How many people follow through with their plan? For most people, a coach is the difference between thinking or talking about it and making it happen.

A coach starts with a client by exploring and choosing goals – really exploring. Coaches ask questions, then ask questions about the answers to create the space for the client to dig deep, consider possibilities, and experience what is important to them in their life.

Next the coach works with the client to create a specific, measurable action plan by looking at obstacles and resources then detailing out specific steps to take and when.

Accountability to the plan is significant – many have New Year’s resolutions that fall by the wayside, other goals or plans that may get started and then seem to fade away. The coach is the accountability partner that explores outcomes so that the client gets back on track and stays on track

What is the outcome? Here are a few I have heard from clients:
* I published my book.
* I gave a great speech.
* I feel confident now.
* I got the job I want.
* Now I get along with my boss.
* My business turned a profit.
* I am doing what I always wanted to do.

What have you heard from clients?

Cathy Liska

For content specific to coach training and coaching, guest blog posts are welcome.

Most blog posts here are written or curated by Cathy Liska, Guide from the Side®, CDP, MCC.

Cathy is CEO/Founder of the Center for Coaching Certification, CCC. As Guide from the Side®, she is a sought-after trainer and coach with over 30 years of experience in business management and ownership. Cathy built her diverse team at CCC that includes trainers, customer service, and coaches. She was Co-Leader for ICF’s Ethics Community of Practice, on the Leadership Team for the review and updating of the Code of Ethics in 2024, and active in the Ethics Water Cooler. To ensure she stays current in related areas of expertise, Cathy has earned the following: ICF’s Master Certified Coach (MCC), Certified Coach Trainer, Certified Consumer Credit Counselor, Certificate of Excellence in Nonprofit Leadership and Management, Grief Support Group Facilitator, Certified in the Drucker Self-Assessment Tool, Certified Apartment Manager, Certified Civil and Family Mediator, and Certified in DISC.

Cathy’s clients range from attorneys to corporate executives, government to nonprofit, entrepreneurs to children, under or unemployed to newly retired. She specializes in communication, management, conflict, and leadership. Her personal mission statement is “People.” Cathy is known for her passion to serve others so they achieve the results they want.

Podcast: https://www.coachcert.com/podcast.html

Publications: Coaching Perspectives (a series of books with chapters by coach training graduates) https://www.coachcert.com/resources/recommended-reading/coaching-perspectives-series-by-the-center-for-coaching-certification-and-more.html

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