Private Coaching

That's hard to say exactly. However, if you find yourself continuously in a quandary about how to move forward, and are seeking the "fast track" to problem resolution, performance enhancement, and/or career advancement, private coaching may be just what you need.

BEWARE! Private coaching is for those who are fully committed to making a change in their career and their lives — it is not for the casually interested. A coaching relationship doesn't have to be hard work, but a lot of what happens in a coaching relationship depends on you and how committed you are.

Your coach is not a "magician" who, with a wave of his or her wand, makes everything perfect in your world (although amazing things have been known to happen in a very short amount of time). Instead, your coach will first assist you in defining your direction, help you devise a plan to achieve the desired outcome(s), and then provide encouragement, support, and accountability every step of the way (or as long as needed) along your evolutionary journey.

Some prospective clients have expressed a concern about whether or not they could afford to work privately with a coach — both in terms of time commitment and cost. All we can tell you is that private coaching is, with the right coach, an investment in your future in the same way that education and long experience have been for millions of people through the centuries. However, you'll notice the phrase "...with the right coach."

No coach is perfect for everyone, nor can every coach meet every need. (if someone tells you they can...they're misleading you.) That's not to say that any good coach won't be able to help you at all, but think of it this way — you're not likely to call a plumber to fix a serious problem with the electrical system in your car, even though that plumber may be an amateur mechanic. Coaches generally specialize in a particular focus area. For instance, The Techie Leadership Coach works primarily with technical people who want to move into a leadership role, or are already in such a role. She also helps such individuals map out a plan for taking their career to the next level (career development and evolution).

It's important that you interview different coaches to determine which coach may be right for you. To help facilitate this decision, Yvonne has provided links here to two documents (in Adobe PDF format) to assist you. The first document, Are You the Coach for Me?», includes a checklist of ten questions adapted from Michele Lisenbury Christensen (1998) which Yvonne recommends asking your candidate coaches — including her. The second document, Getting the Most from Coaching», adapted from "Top 10 Ways to Get the Most from Your Coaching," by Thomas J. Leonard (1998), gives you more insight into what your coaching experience should be and how to ensure that it is.

Interested? Contact us»

You'll be glad you did!