2012 - Inner Firewalking

Philip Cohen on Pursuing Certification

The following is taken from David’s interview with Philip Cohen in 10 Super Coaches.

Would you advise coaches to pursue certification? If so, at what stage in their practice, and through which accrediting body?

I believe strongly in certification. Having a certification or being on the path to one, sends a strong message to my prospects and clients. It says I’m serious about what I bring to our relationship because I’ve gone through training and been willing to prove myself. I believe certification gives me a competitive edge over other people who call themselves coaches, but they are that in name only. I also believe certification is important to give credibility to the profession in the eyes of the public.

The certification process starts on the day a person decides to become a coach. The process starts with a mental attitude. A person who decides to purse certification is saying this is a serious process and they are committed to being the best they can be.

Marcia Reynolds on Coaching Niches

The following is taken from David’s interview with Marcia Reynolds in 10 Super Coaches.

What are your coaching niche(s)? How did you discover this?

Technical corporations. It is important to build your practice on your past experiences, at least at first. Many of my clients are engineers, scientists and researchers since I speak their language (I spent 11 years working for technical organizations).

Emotional intelligence. It is also important to begin to define an area of expertise early on. I am passionate about researching and teaching the latest techniques in emotional intelligence. I also speak and write on the subject, which has helped me to become known as an expert in the field.

Government. I do a lot of work for local, state and national government agencies. This niche found me.

I also mentor coach new coaches, sharing my ups and downs to help them build their practices avoiding the mistakes I made.

Anna Dargitz on Coaching Schools

The following is taken from David’s interview with Anna Dargitz in 10 Super Coaches.

Are there any particular school(s) you would recommend?

I have a few biases about coaching schools. Go to any school you like. Ask yourself, “What is easy to integrate into my lifestyle, what fits with the values I want to enhance in my life? What makes my pocketbook feel respected?” Go there. And then finish your training at The Schools of Coaching (SOC).

Your training (and here comes a bias) will never be complete if you don’t finish it at the Schools of Coaching. My formal training for coaching began at the University of Maine with a BA in psychology in 1972. It took me through all kinds of other trainings including Coach U. And because SOC promises a lifetime of training, I plan to live the remainder of my days taking the latest and greatest classes as a student of SOC. You could just start there too – they have beginner and intermediate training. The choice is yours. In my opinion, if you aren’t learning throughout your life, you aren’t living all of your life.

Get Clear on What You Will Make Happen.

The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.

Time Frame

I suggest a time frame of 3 or 6 months. If you’re working with this time frame, write the date 3 or 6 months from now. Target Date: ______.

Target Clients

Pick a target number of clients to have at the end of that period (suggest 2-10 for 3 months): ____________.

Target Income

Now write down the monthly income you would like to be aiming for (suggest $150pm to $3,000pm, or £100 to £1,000). Pick something that feels like a stretch, but realistic. It will depend on your experience and training, confidence, network, commitment, and mentor coach: $____________.

Supporting Structures

Now, write down the supporting structure(s) you will use to keep you in action (e.g., mentor coach, buddy doing this with you, regular time scheduled in the diary, registering in coach training program): ____________.

Web Programmers – The Hiring Process

The following is taken from Get Paid University.

Once you’ve placed your ad, you’ll start to receive responses. Review the resumes and work samples and make a pile of your top ten. Be sure to check that the estimates are within your budget range; building a simple, three-page website should take no more than 10 hours ($100 to $200 total) for most designers.

Schedule a 15-minute interview to talk with the top five candidates. Talk about his or her work experience, get a feel for who they are, and establish a personal connection. Your job in the interview is to be honest about what you need, find out if the person is qualified, and sense if you trust this person.

One of the questions I like to ask during an interview is, “What will your references say when I talk to them and ask what is your biggest strength? And what will they say is your biggest weakness?” Ask them if they are willing to undertake a short, unpaid test so you can see how they work. If they are unwilling, you might negotiate a small fee.

Invite the top five to take a test that would take no more than an hour (you can do it unpaid or for a small fee). I have includ- ed a sample test below that you can tweak. Many won’t want to do it for free, which is understandable, but you may find a gem in the few that do, and you’ll be all set.

Choosing a Mentor Coach

The following is an excerpt from the CoachStart Manual.

If you’re lucky, your training program — should you choose that path — will provide a mentor coach at no extra charge. If it doesn’t or if you want to leave training aside for now, you’ll need to find your own mentor coach.

Look for someone with experience in getting new coaches started. Anything from A$400 to A$800 is reasonable, providing they can demonstrate results and have testimonials.

You can do a search for “mentor coach” at any internet search engine e.g. www.google.com

You might try the coach referral service at coachfederation.org — which allows you to limit your search to the coaches who offer mentor coaching (note — this does not mean they have experience in this) or even are certified mentor coaches. And if that isn’t enough, you can try coachreferral.com.

Archive

Yearly Archive for 2012