Their Winning Strategies; Career and Business Coaches Help Clients Succeed in Work and Life
By Bernard Chanliau, Wednesday 15 August, 2007
Newark Star-Ledger (NJ) (08/05/07) , P. 1; Fitzgerald, Beth
There are around 30,000 executive coaches globally, producing yearly revenue of almost $1.5 billion, the International Coach Federation reports. The federation has 12,000 members in 81 nations, compared to 2,122 North American members in 1999. Experts claim coaching is a byproduct of the "positive psychology" evolution, and that the Internet has spurred the sector's growth by making it simpler for coaches to meet electronically with their customers. Coaching's "basic philosophy is that the client knows the answers, and the coach is there to facilitate and provide structure, support and accountability," explains Saddle River, N.J., coach David Matthew Prior. Kevin Murphy hired a coach, and has since gotten a new job at Lucent Technologies in Whippany, N.J., and begun writing short stories to expand his creative side. He stresses that his coach helped motivate him to get those plans in motion. New Jersey Professional Coaches Association president Richard Allan Canter cautions, however, that coaching is not a regulated profession. Therefore, it is important to talk with the potential coach, go over the client's agenda, and request references.
