Would you pay $300 a month to increase your productivity so that you can make multiple of that amount?

This is what Steve Pavlina says he did in his post Life Coaching. As a business owner, the amount of money he would make was dependent on his performance, and his coach helped him work smarter. Christine O’Kelly, another entrepreneur, also claims she tripled her sales leads by working with her coach.

If you are facing difficult situations at work or in life, a coach may be the sidekick you need for the breakthrough. It is an investment in yourself. And the changes you make in your life with the help of a coach are yours to keep, benefiting you even after you stop working with the coach.

The objective of this post is not necessarily to promote my coaching business (Update: I don’t offer the regular life coaching any more.  My Akashic Record Reading has grown to be my main work) but rather to inform you of a good way to choose a coach if and when you are interested. No one knows coaches like professional coaches, you know.

Just a cautionary disclaimer. . .

The most important point to understand in hiring a coach (and in life in general) is to understand you are the owner of your life. You have the free will, and what you choose to do is what brings in results. Steve and Christine took actions after they talked with their coaches, and that is what brought their successes.

If you are still playing the victim game and not yet up to the responsibilities of your own life, it is probably not a good time to hire a coach.

When would you benefit most from hiring a coach?

I think there are two major situations in life that you would benefit so much from working with a coach:

1. When you want to make a big positive change in your life.
   Like starting and growing your business, as Steve says. Or when you want to make a career change that better suit your values. Or when you are changing your lifestyle. In such situations, a coach can offer a good perspective and guide the way so that you can achieve the goal efficiently without getting into dead ends.
2. When you are faced with a big question in life and your existing support system is not enough.
   For example, you may have lived as atheist but are feeling more and more interested in spirituality. You, however, find it uncomfortable to just go to a church and talk to a priest . . . you don’t want to be taken in by the organized religion. Even talking to your friends who have certain faith may not feel right. In such a case, a caring but detached spiritual coach can be a great person to talk to.Another example is when you need to make a decision that can affect your family so much that they are not the most appropriate people to talk first. Maybe you want to quit working for your family business and move to the other side of the continent to pursue your dream. Maybe you want to go back to school, which will affect the family finance seriously.

Once you (not your coach, but YOU) make the decision, you might find your coach helpful in your effort to implement the change, as explained above.

How to choose the coach who is right for YOU

One of the best ways is referral. If your friend has worked with a coach and he or she is happy with that coach, ask for that coach’s name and check if they offer a trial session.

If you don’t know anyone, here are four steps to find the coach that best matches your needs:

1. Search by the niche.

Each coach has a niche that he or she specializes in. For instance, if you want to start your own business, search for entrepreneurship or small business coach. There are all kinds of coaches – career coach, relationship coach, mid-life crisis coach, grief coach. . . You can just Google, or use the coach referral services.

2. Pre-Qualify the coach by checking their websites.

Most coaches have websites, some write blogs, too. So while you are doing the online search, read what they have to say, and see if you feel affinity with them. Person-to-person chemistry is important for successful coaching.

3. Choose the coach who thinks differently.

For example, some of us are good at analytical thinking , others are at creative thinking, technical thinking, or people thinking. It is easy to surround yourself with people who think in similar ways. You agree on a lot of things. When it comes to hiring a coach, however, intentionally choose the one whose brain circuit is different from yours.

Steve emphasizes this point in his aforementioned post this way:

“When I first came to him, I was extremely left-brained, and he helped me integrate more right-brained qualities into my decision making. In the long run, this was very beneficial to me.”

This step may sound contradictory to step #2 above. It does not. Affinity is about the deeper level of personality. Your gut feeling will direct you to the coach with the personality makeup you feel most comfortable with. Your brain should choose the coach who challenges you to grow further.

4. Ask how the coach keeps learning and growing.

The best coach is the one who is committed to the personal growth themselves. Ask what kind of books they read, if they are taking any classes or workshops, and if they have a coach themselves. Many of these points are probably addressed in their websites, but if not, don’t hesitate to ask before you sign up.

Take charge of your coaching relationship.

It is critical to understand that you are in charge of the coaching relationship. It is you who present your challenges and determine your goals. Further, your will get the most from your coaching sessions by bringing in the topic of discussion. And you are responsible for taking actions. Your coach will hold you accountable, and many clients find this invaluable in achieving their goals, but ultimately, you are the one who does the work! And this is wonderful – you deserve the credits to your success.

The value of having your coach is the value you seek in your life by clarifying the issues and implementing the changes. I hope you all find joy and contentment, as well as worldly success, in your life.

Update on Oct 19, 2008: Steve Pavlina now offers coaching himself. The last time I checked, he was asking for $500 per hour. The most expensive coach I know so far is Steve Hardison. He charges $150,000 for 100 hours, so it’s $1500 per hour, but it must be paid in full upfront and it’s non-refundable for whatever reason.