How To Ask For Coaching

Are you hoping to work with a leadership coach, but not sure how to ask? It’s very normal to feel uncomfortable advocating for yourself, especially when it involves requests that cost money.  However, good companies want to understand how to support their people in continued growth and development.

First, we recommend thinking about why you want to work with a coach.  Perhaps you’ve just been placed in a new role, and you need to learn a new skillset.  Maybe you’ve been struggling with an aspect of your job, and you feel you need support to improve.  Any workplace challenge, new or existing, can be a great reason to work with a leadership coach.

Once you understand why you want to seek coaching, do a little research on who’s out there that you might work with.  Understand the total cost request, comparable services, and decide how many sessions you’re hoping to get.  For example, if you work with a leadership coach that charges $300/session, and you want to work with them twice a month for one quarter, that’s a cost of $2600.  That amount is comparable to the cost of conference fees or a week of business travel.

With a good understanding of your why as well as the actual investment you’re looking for, talk to your management, HR team, or whoever in your company typically handles training & continuing education requests. Coaching is personalized training and education. Have a frank and clear conversation where you state what you’re hoping to get from coaching and request the training funding to do so. Remember, companies who want to invest in their employees have training budgets for a reason.

Working with the right leadership coach is a win-win. You get new skills, support, and knowledge that are completely tailored to your needs and challenges of the moment. For companies, one of the biggest issues in today’s market is personnel disengagement and turnover. HR teams are focused on ways to ensure that employees stay engaged and stay at the company. If you’re a high performer, they are likely looking for ways to ensure that you feel supported. Not only will your company get the benefit of what you gain from coaching in your work, they also gain an opportunity to show they are invested in your growth and want to keep you around.

We understand that even with these tips, you may still feel uncomfortable or unsure of what to do. We are happy to help you understand more about the best ways to talk to your company about coaching (even if you don’t end up working with Cressana). If you want more help and support with preparing your case, reach out with the contact form here.