Businesses and individuals are finding that guidance from a business or personal coach goes a long way.
People are hiring coaches to figure out everything from how to move up from a director level to vice president, get out of a career rut or move their business to the next level. The demand for personal and business coaching has led to a boom in the coaching industry.
The International Coach Federation, the coaching industry's nonprofit trade association, has grown from about 2,100 members in 1999 to 10,700 this year. Special interest groups, like the Coach to Coach Network, a peer-to-peer community of over 1,375 personal and business coaches worldwide at www.Coach2Coach.info, are providing forums for this new and growing profession.
Coaches and other industry experts put forth lots of theories as to why the industry is steadily growing. One theory: the "stigma'' is gone. People like Dr. Phil and others have made it OK to talk about problems and seek help. Coaches will tell you that the main reason the industry is on the fast track is that coaching works. It's direct, personalized and effective.
For the complete story in the Ann Arbor News, November 5, 2006, go to: http://www.mlive.com/business/aanews/index.ssf?/base/business-4/1162714284249280.xml&coll=2