Personal Coaching and the Growth of Post Survival Services

By Cybèle Elaine Werts  
CybeleW@aol.com

Self improvement has always been a goal of American life, but Vermont residents now have more options in making their lives what they want. With the challenges of family, work, personal time, and technology, many people are losing site of what makes them truly happy. "People have more choices now than fifty years ago," says Professional Coach Suzen Larsen King. "In the 90’s, people are strapped by the multiple demand of family and money and time. They need help in focusing on what is important and making a plan for their future." This is where personal coaches come in.

The word coach is a term traditionally associated with sport, however this is no longer the case, as generic coaching principles are increasingly applied to enhance performance in many other walks of life. A professional coach is someone who has the ability to work with an individual to maximize that individual’s full potential in a chosen field, be it sport, career development, or life itself. Their approach will differ from person to person reflecting the fact that everyone is unique, and what can work for one may not for another. "Coaching doesn’t work if people need therapy," says King. "They need to be highly functioning, because coaching transitions them very rapidly to the next level. It’s not about being friends, but really about having someone to run by your bicycle as long as you need them."

The Nuts and Bolts of Job Hunting

The needs for a personal coach are particularly noticeable in the career world, where changing times are often ahead of the mindset of a workforce. No where is this more pronounced than in technological careers, where aging baby boomers have to deal with rapidly changing skill needs as well as companies that no longer hire for life. "Many baby boomers were brought up to believe that their technical skills are the critical part of their career path," says Dominic Abbondanza, a recruiter and career coach specializing in technological and engineering positions. "Unfortunately, around when they get to their mid 30’s or so, they find out that not only have their college skills become obsolete, but that skills in human relations can often be equally important to their career progress."

While decades ago many large companies like IBM and Xerox had formal mentoring programs to guide newcomers up the career ladder, this is no longer the case. With employees moving from one company to another in rapid lateral movements, employees now need to find mentors outside the organization. This is where someone like Abbondanza can help. "One of the biggest things I do is educate employees about the importance of human relations," adds Abbondanza. "That is, how they get along with their co-workers, how they motivate other employees, how to lead, how to listen." These "soft" skills are often minimized by technological people, but in fact, they are the skills that give one employee the edge over another, and the promotion. "It’s tougher for men because they often have no background in these kind of social skills," says Abbondanza. "Women have a small edge here since they were socialized a little differently." In addition to the human relations skills, employees in the computer trades also have to face retraining far more often than other careers. "A degree in computer science is the first phase of maybe twenty-five phases of an employees’ career. The life cycle of that knowledge is much shorter, and re-training is a fact of life." He adds.

Joan Palmer, owner of Palmer & Associates where Abbondanza works, agrees with this view. After six years as a career counselor, she’s on the front lines of helping people find their right careers. "The company used to train people and focus them on moving up the ladder." Says Palmer. "Now people need to think about teaching themselves what they need to know, not just technical skills, but in knowing how to get where they want to be." In addition to a full schedule counseling job seekers, Palmer also teaches a two day course at UVM on managing careers for generation X employees. "May people just fell into their careers, and often don’t know how they got there." Palmer adds. "I help them look at their career objectively, so that they don’t get locked into something that isn’t right for them." Palmer uses standard assessment tools like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as well as personalized counseling, and also includes guidance on resumes and cover letters. "I generally give job-seekers two pieces of advice," she adds, "The first is to be clear about what you want to do, and the second is to be persistent!"

Corporate and Small Business Coaching

While some career counselors focus on the nuts and bolts of job hunting, Judith Joyce is a business coach who specializes in helping people make the most of their work life. While the coaching principles are the same, she focuses on career development, particularly in the corporate world. While her educational background is in elementary education, she has spent twenty years in human resources departments. "For years the vital part of successful sports athletes was that one-on-one attention," says Joyce. "Now as people move into leadership roles at work, their youth and inexperience often leave them unprepared to be effective managers. This is even more true with the technical areas, where competence was always valued higher than ‘getting-along’ skills. But today, there are many competent technical people and they need to learn how to be team players, real team players."

She adds that many companies hire teams of MBA students fresh out of school, but don’t realize that these same students were successful at these same business schools because they are so fiercely competitive. This same trait are often counterproductive in today’s workplace, because they alienate co-workers and destroys team cohesiveness. "Part of my job as a coach is to teach people to undo these belief systems," adds Joyce. "Working with the team moves everyone up, and no one gets stepped on."

With a similar background, but a different approach, Business Coach Suzen Larsen King specializes in small businesses and entrepreneurs. "In the last fifteen years there has been a phenomenal growth in new business start-ups." Says King. "Owning your own business is the American Dream, but it's a nerve-wracking way to make a living. These owners need someone to be their sounding board, and that’s where coaching comes in because this is not a function for a spouse, friend, consultant or therapist."

"The challenges that small business owners have are very different than those of big corporations," King continues. "I have a special understanding of the entrepreneur because I have been one." Her focus is on helping business owners capitalize on their strengths. "The traditional approach is to find out people’s weaknesses and try to eliminate them. With the small business, I focus on coaching the owner’s gifts to the next level, and find ways to delegate the weaknesses." King helps business owners learn to grow the business in a planned way that can’t happen when they are trying to wear all the hats. "Why teach a fish to ride a horse?" She asks. "They are excellent at swimming and that's where they belong!"

Like the other personal coaches, King has long been a friendly ear for friends and family to tell their problems to. "One of the things most coaches have in common is that people come to us for advice," adds King. "So coaching becomes a natural progression out of that people orientation. The difference is that I am not a ‘friend’ to my client, I am an objective observer who can help them achieve their goals."

King is finishing her course at Coach University this year, but plans to continue her education as an ongoing process throughout her life. She also has a Bachelors degree from the University of Vermont in English and Anthropology. "The English part was communication," Says King, "and the anthropology part was about studying people. When you put them together, you get coaching!" She is also certified to lead Coach University teleclasses, and is developing four new classes, including Money Mastery, Irresistible Attraction, Extreme Self Care, and Becoming the Wicked Stepmother (a course to assist step-parents in the special challenges of adopting a whole family). She also started a local chapter of a coach support organization. "One of the great things about coaching is that we are not in competition with each other. The spiritual underpinning of this career supports the fact that there are sufficient clients for all of us." She adds.

Personal and Family Coaching

Many of the coaches note that a person’s private life and their work life are more intertwined than ever, meaning the problems in one or the other area tend to leak into the other area. One local coach is Linda Des Lauriers of Colchester, a coach who focuses on family issues, and who has recently opened a consulting business, R.E.A.C.H. Now, which stands for "Realize Every Adult And Child’s Happiness. "One of the focuses of my courses is quality time between parents and children," says Des Lauriers. "It was kind of ironic that sometimes while parents were in my parenting class, the kids were at home with the babysitter." "What I do is more like coaching than therapy," adds Des Lauriers. Her teaching focuses on teaching families to have "genuine" encounters with each other, time when phone calls are not taken and children receive undivided attention. "Being in the same room doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s quality time," says Des Lauriers. "A parent needs to pay attention and make eye contact with their kids." Another local coach Jeanne Millett, a Williston resident, gravitated to coaching a few years ago after going through a transition in her personal life. To Millett, every situation is an opportunity to grow, and she helps people see how they can learn from what’s happening in their lives, even when things are going badly. "The greatest gift I give my clients is to help them face challenges with the knowledge that I will not judge them" she says.

In addition to career and personal coaching, other types of coaching and support networks abound. For those looking for a stronger body as well as a stronger mind, workout coaches will help build those muscles. "The body and mind are intimately connected," says Lynn Sinkula, a workout coach in Williston. "So when I help my clients become strong, they also become more confident and strong as human beings." Sinkula offers a flexible workout schedule in her home exercise studio to clients, who can use free weights, an industrial Total Gym, or aerobic training. She also teaches aerobics boxing, step, slide, and kick boxing classes at the Raquet’s Edge and Olympiad. "When people are in good shape, they become more comfortable with their body movements." Says Sinkula. "They show their confidence in the way that they carry themselves, in the way they walk." She adds that physical workouts are an easy proving ground to see progress, so clients feel a boost right away. "I focus on women’s fitness and health," she adds, "women don’t all need to be skinny. What’s important is that you are fit and at your best!"

Another well-known coaching group is Toastmasters, an international group that helps people overcome their fear of public speaking. "There is an enormous amount of power that comes when a person speaks to a group," says Jeff Olsen, president of the local Toastmasters chapter. "But that power can translate to crippling fear. Public speaking is more scary to many people than death!" As a volunteer group, Toastmasters offers people "a comfortable place to fail," where there is support and encouragement for every effort. "What’s great about getting over the fear of speaking, is that that you also become confident in other areas of your life, like asking for a raise, or speaking up at a meeting. It’s something that really teaches you to think on your feet." He adds.

Coaching Federation Certifications

Although coaching as a profession is fairly new, many coaches are certified by the International Coaching Federation (IFC), which provides clear guidelines for training and client work-hours. They are a non-profit, professional organization of personal and business coaches. Their goal is to build, support, and preserve the integrity of the coaching profession and they are actively involved in researching and developing programs in the legal, regulatory, and credential areas. The ICF offers certification s for the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) or a Master Certified Coach (MCC), titles which can be somewhat fluid due to the wide variety in coaching styles and abilities. Requirements for the Professional Certified Coach include 750 client contact hours and Master Certified Coach include 2500 client contact hours.

Coaching Schools

Of the many coaching schools now open, one of the most popular is Coach University, an international coaching school that teaches classes primarily by group phone calls and via a large and informational web site. Personal Coach Jeanne Millett jumpstarted her own career by taking Coach University’s free Coach 1-2-3 class which allowed her to find out if she had the right stuff. "Much of being a good coach isn’t about what you learn in school, as being a dentist or a lawyer would be." Millett says. "Good coaches already have the basic skills. What the school gives us are specific measurable tools to help people reach their goals." The students learn to be a coach partly through their classes at Coach University and also through doing actual coaching as they go, in a kind of internship.

"A coach is not a miracle worker, but he or she does have a large toolkit to help clients identify what they really want in their lives and then decide how to get it," says Coach University founder Thomas Leonard. "It's human nature for people to always want more of something -- money, meaning, love -- and coaching helps people cut through all the extraneous issues and make it happen. Coaches develop a personal partnership with their clients that is very different from the relationship people have with a therapist, a consultant or even a friend." The client uses the coach to set goals, grow, get a great life and make changes, and one of the reasons it works is that a coach helps a client stay in action. "a coach is like a still small voice saying, ‘are you really doing what you want to do? What have you done this week to accomplish your goal?’ it keeps them on track," adds Leonard.

The school offers several different options for the new student, from the free introductory class to a two-year certification program. The curriculum includes 36 four-week classes conducted during weekly conference calls with a trainer and five to twenty coach trainees. The student and staff mix includes former and current attorneys, accountants, CEOs, actors, educators, consultants, small business owners and even therapists and ministers.

Students are also encouraged to get their own life squared away before assisting others. "a good coach believes in lifelong learning," says Coach University president sandy Vilas, "and part of this is being able to offer grace, love, and wisdom to our clients." This kind of coaching is more than just goal setting; it encompasses a broad approach to personal goals that includes planning, as well as support on emotional and spiritual levels. "people today are tired of waiting to get what they want," adds Vilas, "having a coach helps them achieve their goals quicker and easier."

Coaching as a profession is so new that it didn't even have a name when Leonard unwittingly started practicing it in the early 1980s. Leonard had been a successful accountant and certified financial planner in the san Francisco bay area for a decade. Several of his "yuppie" clients started simultaneously bending his ear about issues such as how many children they wanted, what kind of lifestyle was important to them and when they wanted to retire. And Leonard discovered there was no one to help them make the big decisions that would shape the quality of their lives. These people were reasonably well-adjusted emotionally, they had happy families, and they were successful in their business and careers, so they didn't need therapists or even business consultants, Leonard says. "What they needed was some kind of objective alter ego who could listen to what they were saying, help them set priorities and then act as a sort of compass to steer them on whatever course they chose," he adds.

Leonard was uniquely equipped to fill the role. As the son of a child psychologist, he had developed acute listening skills and an openness to different ways of thinking at an early age. As a financial planner, he was accustomed to helping people look at the big picture as well as assisting them in getting there. So he used his financial clients as a testing ground for what he originally called life planning.

Today, Leonard is in the vanguard of the fledgling profession known as coaching. He is the founder of Colorado springs, Colorado-based Coach University and a mentor to hundreds of coaches both through the training program and through an elaborate coaches' network he has established over the internet. "we are watching the birth of a new breed of counselor who will help people get more out of life." Adds Leonard.

Another coaching school is Lifeboat UK and Europe, which offers individually tailored programs to help coaches develop and establish their own practice. Once the program is completed, they become an associate of Lifeboat UK & Europe and enjoy the many benefits including a website listing, and free use of their referral service. Certification is in accordance with International Coaching Federation requirements.

"What really makes it for me is watching a client move through a difficult situation, and get the life that they want at the end of it." Says Suzen Larsen King. "That’s a real joy for me, and I learn so much from them as well!"

Personal Coach Linda Des Lauriers can be reached at 878-2557. Business Coach Judith Joyce can be reached at 496-9327. Business coach Suzen Larsen King can be reached at 985-2715. Personal Coach Jeanne Millett can be reached at 872-9197. Joan Palmer and Dominic Abbondanza of Palmer & Associates can be reached at 863-4478. Workout coach Lynn Sinkula can be reached at 872-8239.

Copyright 2000