One-on-One Coaching is Not Always a Perfect Fit

Posted by on Feb 17, 2010 in Business Tips | 14 comments

Let me present you one of my most recent case studies.

I’ve always said (screamed aloud?) that one-on-one coaching without implementation was a complete waste of time and money.  It seems though that everyone and their brother is still rushing to hire expensive coaches that give them a lot of direction, a lot to think about but very little follow through.  Sure, they might give you a pretend spanking (ooo la la, let me grab my whip!) if / when you don’t do your “homework” but in all reality, does that kickstart you into action?  I’m betting that it doesn’t.

So, I tried it.

Yep.  I created some one-one-one time with Erin and I made it available to a select group of people — ten to be exact. I wanted to see what the experience was like from the coach / strategist side and how I could finally prove that one-on-one work without implementation was crap.

I’m going to be admitting to you what some people may call failure but what I call a success.

However, before I continue, let me make something really, really, really clear.  I have A LOT of great information, guidance, strategy, ideas, etc. to give to people. Throughout these experiences, I did and continue to provide really great service.  However, it was clear to me that there were two groups of people.  #1 — The strategy implementers and #2 — The strategy non-implementers.

A handful of these people aligned our strategy calls with direct implementation to my team.  For these people, the results paid off instantly and it became a really fun way to spend our time.  We’d dream up the next big thing and my team would make it all happen.  Just like that.

The rest of the group would get fired up on the call, be really into everything we’d discuss but they’d walk away and implement nothing.  Then, they would show up on the next call either providing a reason why they didn’t do it or they would tell me the coaching style just wasn’t working for them.  Totally cool… I didn’t take offense.  When they asked to discontinue their coaching with me, I agreed with them 100%.

Why?

The coaching style had nothing to do with it. The client was excited on the phone, I gave them fabulous ideas, I told them what they needed to do but when it came time to pass the torch to them, the torch sizzled out and died.  They didn’t do any follow through, didn’t want to hire a team to implement so therefore nothing got accomplished.  My guess is that they’ll go and hire another coach to learn the exact same thing.

What the coaching client missed was that they were firing themselves.  They had failed in their part of the bargain.  I had provided the strategy but there was zero implementation being done. No one is going to run your business for you unless you specifically hire for THAT position. Hiring a coach or a strategist is getting someone to give you ideas, tell you what to do next but the actually leaping (or walking / running / jogging) is up to YOU.  If you need ACTION, hire someone who can do a combination of both strategy and action or hire a team to work on outsourcing in your company.

So, I lost two coaching clients.  I am not at all upset or embarassed by it because I wanted to learn whether coaching on its own was effective or not and in this particular case, it was not.  It was actually highly ineffective and led to the breakdown of a potentially great scenario.  It also made me realize that I have to be really clear up front with people that I have zero interest in working with non-implementors.

What do you think?  Is coaching one-on-one without aligned action or implementation a waste of time?

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  • http://twitter.com/startupcoach Alain Theriault

    It is true, some people CAN'T be coached, because they don't want to. In this case it's a very knowledgable consultant (you) using a coaching approach. As long as people are into the “how-to” mode, you'll have very important breakthroughs and success Erin. As you well know, implementation is a step-by-step process. If you want to weed out those who won't implement your strategies, just give them simple tasks to do right off the bat or even before they join you online, to set themselves up for success with you. You'll know right away. They'll have results…or excuses and won't show up.

    But coaching (even business coaching) casts a wider net, into the realm of attitude (which could have been the case here) and habits (either get rid or gain) necessary to have thriving business. That might mean kickin butt along the way, keeping the client out of his comfort zone and that takes a little time.

    Hope this helps.

  • http://www.bsetc.com Erin Blaskie

    Alain, your comment has been one of the most helpful things I have read in this area! Seriously! I love this idea you had:

    “If you want to weed out those who won't implement your strategies, just give them simple tasks to do right off the bat or even before they join you online, to set themselves up for success with you. You'll know right away. They'll have results…or excuses and won't show up.”

    It's such a great way to weed them out in the beginning. I think that had the coaching clients I had given the process a bit more time, they may have had some business altering experiences. It was a very interesting experience to go through and the coaching clients I still have are helping me to perfect the process along the way. :)

  • angelawills

    As you know I coached with you Erin years ago now. To me coaching is motivation. It's a different perspective from an experienced professional but it's never a replacement for my own business sense and motivation. That I've got to find within me and take action myself as you suggested (or hire someone to do it if I don't have time).

    Your post reminds me of this quote I heard on Being Erica, it's so true:

    “You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him discover it in himself.”
    Galileo Galilei

    On another note: Are you speaking at Wordcamp this year?

  • thereseprentice

    Wow Erin, I couldn't have said it better!! One on One coaching has to be packed with Implementation and the cost associated with it needs to be clear upfront. Most people in my experience spend their entire budget on the strategy/coaching and leave nothing in their budget for implementation.

    The magic question I would love clients to get clear on is “What do you want and by when do you want it? Do you have a budget for what you want?”

  • rairaye

    I ABSOLUTELY AGREE! One-on-one coaching without aligned action or implementation has been a tremendous waste of my time.

  • Ted Corea

    “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” ~Confucius

  • http://www.bsetc.com Erin Blaskie

    Hi Ted! I love that quote – thank you for sharing :)

  • http://www.bsetc.com Erin Blaskie

    Thank you for commenting! I believe that aligned action is so important because without implementation, you can run the risk of just staying stagnant and spending a lot of money before seeing results. :)

  • http://www.bsetc.com Erin Blaskie

    Thanks Therese for your insights! I do think your questions are very helpful for anyone in this scenario.

  • http://www.bsetc.com Erin Blaskie

    Angela – great points! Your coach / mentor / guide / etc. can help you find your way or suggest ideas but ultimately, the decision and the action comes back to the business owner.

    I am not sure if I will be speaking at WordCamp but I'm definitely on the agenda to speak at WebCom Toronto on April 7. :)

  • http://www.stephaniewatson-va.com/ Stephanie Watson

    I agree with you completely. I also agree this is not a failure on your part. It is a failure on the person who did not act.

    Some people are addicted to information and never act. A good example is Article Marketing. I tell clients all the time that article marketing is a good way to get traffic to their site. But many just do not see the point and do not want to do it. I don't feel like a failure that they do not do it. It's their choice.

    When I have a client who is a non implementer I have been letting them go. At first I was afraid to do that, but it has worked out wonderfully. I just feel too bad taking money from people who aren't going to do what needs to be done, so I stopped.

  • http://www.wordstolivebyllc.com/ Denise

    Hi Erin,

    Thanks for sharing your experiences with giving 1-on-1 coaching a try. Of course coaching someone who is not yet prepared to implement is going to be utterly ineffective. Whether it's coaching or teaching or training, if the student is not ready to fly they won't get off the ground no matter how many tricks of the trade a great coach shows them. It can be really frustrating to coach someone unwilling to practice implementation. However, in my experience there can be honest and real disconnections when it comes to coaching style and our clients. Some people like collaborative coaches, some like to be told exactly what to do, some like it when the coach rides them to get things done… the list goes on and on. That's why I believe that the ideal client for a coach is much more than someone who can pay for one's services. I agree with Alan, giving a client small tasks first to see if they're actually ready for implementation on their own is key. Also, some folks are well served by progressing from one kind of coach to the next.

    It sounds like you've discovered that your ideal 1-on-1 client is someone who's ready to hit the ground running and knock all obstales out of the way!

    Best to you in your continued success! ~ Denise

  • http://twitter.com/AdamHaroun Adam Haroun

    *hops onto soapbox*

    RIGHT ON, Erin!

    First things first, having had the pleasure of coaching with you; I can tell you first-hand that you are an awesome coach and anyone would be lucky to work with you :)

    Now, here's my take on coaching – you can get guidance and mentorship until you turn blue in the face, but to me so many people seem outright stubborn and downright UNTEACHABLE – taking the advice they often pay good money for and tossing it right out the window, opting to do things their own way!

    That's not to say a business owner shouldn't think for themselves and what best suits their business (they absolutely should); but rather so often it seems people downright ignore their coaches and go along on their merry way with big egos (and tiny, stagnant little businesses!)…where's the use in THAT?

    What's worse; like you said, so many business owners (and I've been guilty of it at times) seem to think THROWING MONEY at their business is going to solve problems – finding that “magic pill”…be it coaching, a high-ticket event, that flashy new infoproduct, piece of software…and so forth. Money doesn't make things happen, ACTION makes things happen!

    *hops off soapbox*

  • Coachescoach

    Wow. I have always found that, as a coach, when clients don't implement and produce real, tangible results with my coaching – something was missing in MY coaching….not in them. I have found this perspective to be illuminating for me, useful for my clients, and, lucrative for all.