Do You Need a Coach or a Consultant?

A coach and a consultant must share the same client-centric attitude, and willingly invest their time, whenever needed, to help the client succeed.

The coach is a mentor. They bring out the best that is inside of you. Business and executive coaches strive to bring strengthen your weaknesses, capitalize on your strengths, reveal reasons why you are not succeeding, and motivate you to reach your goals. They should be willing to talk on the phone weekly, and answer unlimited emails.

The consultant is an industry expert who has succeeded, understands the aspects of success, and communicates well enough they can teach others how to succeed.

Here is a non-technical explanation of both fields:
The coach helps you understand your strengths and weaknesses, determines why you are not reaching your goals, and walk beside you to prevent old behavior patterns from sabotaging your success.

The consultant explains the aspects of success, teaches you how to succeed, and if necessary, do the work for you.

A problem arises when people seek help without understanding what each professional provides. 'Ignorance is bliss,' should not be the mantra of someone willing to spend $200 - $1000 a month for professional help. In truth, a good coach should make a great consultant, and a high-quality consultant should make a superior coach.

Life Coach

A coach should be an industry expert. They should have experienced both success and failure. They need to be well educated or have years of practical experience. The problem is, there are only 16 000 certified, or working toward certification, coaches in the world. Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of professionals call themselves coaches without any background, mentoring, or education in the coaching field. Does it matter? Yes. Would you hire a high-school student to rewire your house? The untrained person may have a level of success. However, it takes their clients longer to succeed, even though un-trained and certified coaches charge the same fees.

Consultant

A consultant teaches and explains, but they must willingly involve themselves in their client's lives on a daily basis. A large consulting firm, who run seminars, and conducts telephone sessions, actually fits the definition of a business training company, not a consulting firm.

When we compare both professions equally, the decision to choose a coach or consultant depends on the individual seeking help.

Answer yes or no to the following questions.
Are you an independent person who likes to work alone?

Are you struggling in your career, you have the education, but always seem to miss the mark?

Do people misunderstand you, or stereotype you as someone you are not?

Do people understand your presentations, instructions, and speeches, or do they often do the wrong thing, do not complete their work the way you asked?

Do you have an education, or experience, but not the high paying job you expected?

If you answered yes to most of these questions, then you need a coach. If you answered no, you need a consultant.

People hire unqualified consultants and coaches every day, wasting millions of dollars each year. Following these guidelines will help you choose a qualified professional.

Accreditation

The coach must be associated with the International Coach Federation. It takes years to achieve true credentials with this organization, so hiring a coach in training is acceptable. A social worker or other degree does not prepare a person to be a coach. There are other organizations offering certification, but like any industry, they cater to people who are unable to meet the ICF's standard of excellence. A good coach will talk with you weekly, and accept unlimited emails. They will have years of practical experience behind them. There are several types of coaching niche's life, success, business, relationship, leadership, executive, and personal. Beware the coach who claims to be qualified to deal with several categories. Two or three related categories are acceptable, but the coach who claims to have expertise in all field has worn their credibility a little too thin.

Unlike coaching, there are several good consultant-certifying organizations. Look for a consultant who does not consider one-on-one attention as an extra billing service. A consultant should offer individual help, when needed, but have many venues for their clients to learn independently.

What to Expect

Both professionals should offer a free session. Both coaches and consultants should conduct themselves as professionals. It is acceptable, and in some cases preferable, for these professionals to work from home. It is wise to avoid the ones who do not join industry organizations, and business organizations like the Chamber of Commerce. The 'lone wolf' or self-made wonder does not belong in either of these careers. I have worked with many coaches and consultants, and believe the defining elements for each profession are continually blurring together.

Last tip: Take your time. The results, good or bad, will last for years. Enter into a coaching or consulting relationship like you would any relationship: take a look, introduce, have a few dates, and if the other person makes you smile, commit.