What Kind of Consultant or Coach Do You Need?

Over the weekend after I hosted a women's retreat in Seattle one of the participants, and a dear friend, talked to me about a business conference she attended a few weeks ago. One of the speakers is a business coach who gets paid in the six figures to work with each of his clients. He boasted that he will only take on clients who have bodacious dreams and how only he can get them to where they want to go. 

I found this information--both how it was said and the implications behind it--troubling. Like Jen Sincero , of Bad Ass fame, I don't believe in framing things from a place of lack. When consultants and coaches market themselves as "you need me to get you to where you want to go" that implies that you yourself are lacking. And we don't get to where we need to go by focusing on our "lack". 

We get to where we need to go and where we want to go in life and in business by tapping into our inner strength, our skills, our talents and our inner wisdom. We all have those in abundance, but sometimes we need a cheerleader to encourage us. Or we need someone to show us the way or to hold our hand and support us. .Or maybe even a person to challenge us in our thought processes and our self-imposed limitations. These are the roles of an excellent and empathetic coach or consultant.  

So next time you are thinking of hiring  a coach or consultant, think about what you want. Do you want someone who tells you aren't good enough and do not have what it takes without them? Or do you want someone who helps you tap into and grow into your best self? 
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