During a conference call of a mastermind group of 30 professional business coaches and consultants, who had all been coaches for over 5 years, the discussion turned to the "coaching certification" process for coaches. What was interesting to note is that this mastermind group was unusual in that everyone had surpassed the industry average of making more than $20,000, exceeded 10 paying clients and 1/3 made more than $100,000. (Source: Stephen Fairley, author of Getting Started in Personal and Executive Coaching) And the real kicker was not one of those on the call had ever been asked for their coaching credentials by their clients. If the subject of credentials came up, it was always by another certified coach. Interesting given that no one within this group was a "certified coach."

With the continued growth of this billion dollar plus industry, it appears that innovative individuals have decided to provide opportunities for those who wish to become coaches and by offering a certification process. NOTE: A recent quick Google search of the Internet revealed 215 coaching schools (Source: http://www.peer.ca/coachingschools.htm

Good for them! After all being certified automatically means that you are more credible and can deliver better results? Of course if this was true, then why do most coaches (53%) make less than $20,000 a year?

Possibly, the answer is a lack of a proven process not to mention some poor small business practices. Certification programs may offer the techniques and some tools, but do they have a proven history that consistently demonstrates securing results for their clients? I doubt it given that the majority of coaching schools are relatively new and even established traditional universities that offer executive coaching programs are new to this field.

If you are thinking about becoming an executive coach, do your research. Before you spend thousands of dollars on that coaching certification program, ask the following questions:

1. Do over 60% of your certified coaches make more than $50,000? (Note: For this mastermind group, this is anywhere from 10 to 15 minimum clients per year.)
2. What type of results do their clients receive? (Note: The process that this mastermind group uses generally doubles results in 30 to 90 days.)
3. Can the same process be used in a variety of industries? (Note: This mastermind group has coached individuals including a U.S. Senator, Fortune 500 executives, high school and college students, small business owners and housewives. The industries range from manufacturing to high technology.)
4. Do proven, high quality tools support the process?
5. Are testimonials available from both graduates and clients?
6. How long have has the coaching school or company been in business? (Note: This mastermind group uses a company with a 25 year proven history.)

Executive coaching is a rewarding career. Just be careful that you don't reward others before you understand the dynamics within the explosive field. You just may be paying for something that is not necessary and putting your hard earned dollars in someone else's pocket.

Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Good Day. Thanks for visiting. I hope that you have enjoyed my articles. In 1999, I founded ADVANCED SYSTEMS because I saw that performance could and should be doubled in warp time. Individuals, small and large businesses could not afford expensive solutions that may or may not deliver improved results in 12 months.

From my corporate, small business and education experiences, I recognized the individuals must have opportunities for connecting their passion to their purpose to secure the desired performance results, but many lacked the necessary skills, strategies and tools.

With over 20 years in sales management and 10 years in education, I understand how to unite productivity with profitability by developing a proactive working culture. My previous experiences resulted in cost savings through one of the first implementations of a computer software in a wholesaler distributor to the creation of a vendor performance assessment.

Since facilitating over 500 sessions, developing and editing over 25 training programs and writing numerous articles focusing on performance improvement, I bring a results focused approach to my clients. Also, I am proud to be one of the first five nationally certified facilitators of America?s Rising Stars (a Student Leadership developmental curriculum).

My passion is to help others connect their passion to their purpose to double performance. As The small business coach in Chicago, my clients have easily doubled their performance. Since our greatest resource is our young people, I am now working with large urban schools to generate the same results.

Education Background

• Graduated with honors from Purdue University with a B.A. in Education
• Earned M.S. from Purdue University in Instructional Design and Curriculum
• Published in the national trade journal, The Supply House Times, and numerous national newsletters
• Developed seminars and training on diversity, communication, leadership, sales, effective trade show behavior, networking, knowledge management, goal setting and improved educational outcomes
• Co-authored M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential: 7 Capicities for Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement, to be available in 2006
• Working a another book focusing on performance in public education
• Speaker in a national bureau - Resource Associates Corporation