Coaching is a high leverage activity that enables clients to achieve remarkable progress towards their desired future in as little as and hour or two per month. Many practices in coaching call for between two and four sessions per month that last 20-60 minutes. (A sweet spot for many coaches seems to be 3 sessions per month 20-45 minutes.) You may ask yourself who would want to pay $25 to $500 for a one-hour session with a coach? The fact is a lot of people would. Bottom-line, coaching is an investment that can produce monetary rewards beyond it’s cost. With many personal coaches charging between $300-$2,000 per month, either there is a lot of stupid people out there wasting their time and money on coaching each month or they are getting results worth at least the cost of their coaching. Who’s to define the true worth of fulfillment, peace of mind, and results through the forward action in accountability of coaching? Results seem to speak of the value behind the industry.

A desire for change; make no mistake, change is challenging and hard work. A good match between client/coachee and coach. Personalities matter as does the credentials, and abilities of both the client/coachee and the coach. Clear goals that match personal values and create a form of measurable movement forward. This element creates a sense of fulfillment in the daily difficulties in the realities of life. A desire by the client/coachee to be held accountable to the actions you commit to and a safe space by the coach to have freedom to make your own decisions and be yourself in truth and understanding.

One big advantage of coaching by phone is that it can be very intense. The client/ coachee is highly focused and concentrated on the coaching, which leads to very good results. Many clients say after experiencing a trial session that coaching by phone made it easier to be even more open with the coach and focus on deepening the learning and forward the action in their life. A practical component to coaching by phone, Skype, or ZOOM is that it is a cost-effective and practical time-saving approach, since it can be done from any location and in any time zone. Coaching via phone, Skype, or ZOOM is already very established globally. While for many clients, coaching by phone is still new and raises doubts, the best way to judge is to try it. I can alternate or combine phone coaching with personal meetings in some cases on request.

Therapy focuses on problems, and typically uses a style of problem solving often concentrating on finding the origin of the problem in the past. In mentoring, someone who has a background, expertise–special knowledge in the area of focus or has been in a similar situation can share knowledge about the focused issue and communicate this to the client/trainee and help you achieve success. In many companies there are mentoring programs, such as a manager mentoring another employee through training in current position or advancement to a new position, project, or assignment. Coaching differs from these in that coaching comes from the idea that people are naturally creative, resourceful and whole. Coaching supports you in getting clarity and direction through helping you set goals that are in alignment with your values and builds up your own abilities. Coaching allows you to overcome your own barriers and opens your eyes to new perspectives and stretch in ways you wouldn’t on your own. The focus of coaching is on the future and your ability to create the future you desire based on your goals and values.

The certification is the highest international degree available for coaching and gives insight to the coach’s level of experience. A certified coach has proven his/her skills through a defined number of coaching hours. The Coaches Training Institute, CTI offers additional quality control in the form of supervision and scoring of a set number of coaching sessions. Moreover, every coach takes a written and oral exam in English after training several months.

CTI, with headquarters in San Francisco, is the international market leader in the education and certification of coaches, and has trained the highest number of coaches worldwide for over 20 years. The CTI curriculum is recognized by the International Coach Federation, ICF. CTI developed co-active coaching more than 20 years ago and is training coaches worldwide with this unique approach.

Since anybody can legally call themselves a coach, and with so many life coaches littered all over the internet, it is more important that ever to be selective and aware of who you choose. An entire life coaching industry has been growing for the past 20+ years and industry regulations have been set in place through agencies like the International Coach Federation ICF. The ICF provides independent certification as the benchmark for the professional coaching industry and not just anybody can meet their requirements. Here are a few tips: A good coach has proper training in coaching including a certificate by an accredited coaching school. Is someone you can connect with and someone you can connect to; someone you feel safe to expand as well as fall down and be weak without judgment. Is someone who emphasizes discovering your passions and potentials helping you walk your talk, and discover who and what you really want; someone who can take you into a place of more resonation with your deepest values.

No. Your coach may be friendly, but your coach is not your best friend. Your coach is your advocate. Your coach wants the best from you. They will work with you to help you reach your goals and succeed. Your coach will hold you accountable and challenge you to grow and do more than you think you can do. Your coach may push, pull and stretch you in ways that may feel uncomfortable. Unlike a friendship, the coaching relationship is unilateral –it’s exclusively focused on you and your goals, not the coach, his/her family, his/her interest or what he/she did over the weekend.