What a Mentor Can Really Do For Your Personal and Professional Development?

A life or business coach can help you set goals, make decisions, and get you moving forward on the path to success.

Hiring a coach may seem like a frivolous idea when it comes to advancing your personal and professional life. However, a coach is so much more than someone who throws motivational quotes at you when you need guidance. A good coach can be a mentor, a confidant, a sounding board, a teacher, and a friend, all rolled into one. Many people, both in their personal and professional lives, have hired a coach at one time or another as a guide.

Could it be time you did?

Who will benefit from a coach?

People who have the most to gain from adding a personal coach into their lives are those in transitional periods, regardless of whether that transition is professional or personal. Perhaps you’re at a crossroads in your career, and you’re unsure what direction to take. Maybe you’ve been searching for the right business path for a long time and feel like you’ve hit the proverbial wall. You might even have just come through a rough divorce and are looking for ways to move on, but have no idea where to start.

If you’re thinking of hiring a coach, there’s already a good reason in your life that you’re considering it; you may even think you’ve hit a ceiling and just want to break through because though you’ve seen a great deal of success, you know there is always more.

Write down the things in your life that are unclear to you and that you feel you could use help with. If you’re not sure what direction you need to take with the items on your list, the unbiased eye of a personal coach could be just the ticket to overcoming these obstacles.

What will a coach do for you?

Coaches act as mentors, either across all aspects of your life, or in specific areas in which they are experts, such as business. A coach will take your list and help you drill down into it, help you set clear cut goals, and work with you to create a list of actionable items that will allow you to work toward achieving them. A coach is an expert in personal and professional growth, and knows what it takes to help you reach the next steps in your life or career.

Typically, you’ll meet with a coach on a weekly basis, either in person or via phone or video chat. They help you remain on task, stay goal oriented, and accountable for what you have (or haven’t) accomplished. Think about how much more you accomplish when you use a personal trainer in the gym; the same idea applies to what a life or career coach can do for you.

What are the benefits?

A good life coach will work with you every step of the way along the process to achieving your goals. Coaches will teach you how to take the right actions, keep your momentum going (when otherwise you may fall off track, as people often do), and keep you focused. They can also help you to set more detailed, realistic goals instead of broad, ambiguous ones, and to actively work to achieve them.

How much will it cost?

Typically, a life or career coach will meet with you from two to four times a month, for about an hour each time. Depending on the coach, their area of expertise, certifications they may have obtained, and field of specialty, you may pay as little as $50 an hour or as much as $300 per hour (or more!) for a coaching session. Corporate coaching, which takes place on a much larger level, also comes with a larger price tag: you’ll be looking at roughly $500 an hour, and up, for that.

Consider a coach if you’re feeling unfocused, unsure, or if you need a nudge to get started or keep going in the right direction. You’ll be more likely to reach your goals, and at a quicker clip than you would should you decide to go it alone.