In comparison, coaching is more like prodding the client to use the yarn to craft a work of art, and it lacks the stigma often associated with mental health counseling. Some psychiatrists and psychologists who are fed up with managed care are packing up their diagnostic manuals and donning their coaching hats. Coaching is not beholden to the medical model. Once the client is on board, a second session establishes clear ground rules and goals. So assessing whether the client is serious about the change and struggle needed to reach a goal is key.
Most coaches ask for the first month's fee upfront, and some ask for a three-month commitment.
Liz Sanford sought out Nancy Gerber as a coach when she launched her own city and transportation planning firm in Decatur. Though she'd been competitive and focused as an employee working for others, she ran into a wall when it came to assuming the mantle of boss. Once I had people working for me, I felt this pressure to be a perfect figurehead and it was burning me out. Sanford says Gerber pushed her to build a non-traditional business style where she could be herself and still be the boss. Now Sanford says she no longer worries about having all the answers, being the first one to the office, or wearing the right suits.