I was hanging out with one of my best friends this past weekend and we had a fascinating discussion about coaching. She noticed that dozens of people in her network are transitioning into coaching and that it feels like the “It” second career for all these talented GenXers who are getting let go in masse.

She reminisced about her own experience with coaching when she was a Director at a Fortune 100 company. She was offered coaching as a perk to support her to be even more effective in her job. She said it was helpful and thought provoking. Her job was going smoothly at the time, so she didn’t have any big issues that she was digging into. She had a great boss, a wonderful, capable team, and they were easily hitting their corporate objectives. She said she learned some good techniques and skills, and it was an overall positive experience.

And then I asked her – “Do you feel it was essential for you and your success at the time?”

Her response? She actually laughed. It was a clear “No.”

Now, she isn’t a coaching skeptic. She has been one of my best friends since I was 26 years old so she has borne witness to my coaching journey and understands that coaching can be unbelievably valuable. She just engaged with a new coach last week and is very excited to dig in. But when I asked her that question, it was clear that the coaching for which her company paid big bucks for, didn’t have a big impact on her or her success at the time.

We went on to talk about how and why coaching programs like that are becoming fewer and far between. Expensive perks without measurable ROI are simply going to the wayside, especially in a waning economy and the pressure to funnel any non-essential budget to AI spending.

Although I am (obviously) a huge believer in the value of coaching, I can understand why. I’ve never been a fan of offering coaching as a perk if the client doesn’t have anything they want to dig their teeth into. I’ve been a coach to Executives that were given coaching as a perk and they showed up scratching their head to find topics to dive into. Some of them even blew off our meetings completely or would show up with 10 minutes left on the clock. My calendar was ever shifting as they cancelled and rescheduled meetings constantly. It was frustrating and difficult. I had to work very hard to help them find value in our work together, and that left me questioning my own talent and value as a coach. It taught me the importance of working with clients I feel I can and am making a significant difference with.

It’s interesting because, personally, there is ALWAYS something for me to dig into with my coach. I feel like there is a treasure trove of topics to dive into at any given time. It is one of the reasons I became a coach. My first Executive Coach, who I hired when I was a 26-year-old fledgling Executive, was a huge game changer for me. 30 years later and counting, I haven’t run out of topics yet. Aside from a Summer or Holiday break here and there, I’ve had a coach ever since.

Don’t we love clients like that? Working with those clients is incredibly fun, juicy and fulfilling. They usually work with us, on and off, for as long as we’ll have them. It’s a beautiful thing. Those clients see ongoing coaching as an essential part of their growth and development. This is rare.

The reality is, most people don’t see coaching that way, and for many, coaching is seen as only essential in certain situations – they have big goals they need to meet; they are experiencing big challenges; they are facing a major work or life transition. Once they get what they came for, they often feel complete, even if it’s 8 months into your 10 month engagement. In month 9, they might start showing up scratching their head, or blowing off your meetings, even though you have been hugely valuable to them up until then. I’ve even had very satisfied clients blow off our completion session together because they already felt complete, yet reached out to work together again down the road. Even when coaching ends in a sputter, if your work made a big impact on them during a time of need, many clients would return when their next big set of goals or challenges emerges.

What do all of these clients have in common? When coaching feels essential to them, it is extremely valuable. (And when it’s not, it’s not).

If you want to have a thriving, sustainable coaching practice regardless of the economic climate, your coaching needs to feel essential to your ideal client. If your work is essential, they will not only be committed to your work together, but they will be willing to find the money to pay for it, even when it isn’t in their budget.

Ask Yourself

• How is my work essential to my ideal client?

• How do I help my clients:

1. reach their big, audacious goals faster and easier?

2. save money?

3. make money?

4. solve problems that result in a clear ROI?

5. create amazing outcomes that result in a clear ROI?

Take some notes and let me know below in the comments! I would love to hear your thoughts!