When people use the expression, I want to pick your brain; it is code for I want to share something with you that I think you might have some valuable advice or guidance that could support me.
Picking someone’s brain is code for I want to engage with you professionally without the financial investment. Harshly put, it is expecting something of value without putting a monetary worth on it.
It seems like an easy task to share my insights and thoughts; however, it becomes somewhat challenging when you are a business owner who offers to coach, mentor or consults with your clients.
It begs the question, do people ask for free advice or guidance from other professionals such as attorneys, doctors, or therapists? It seems that those professions have set definite boundaries that prevent the question, can I pick your brain?
If the support that a coach, mentor, or consultant offers to its clients is valuable and meaningful, how is it any less valid? It seems that is a matter of the expectations that come with each of the professions.
Business coaches offer valuable support to their clients to help them see the possibilities in developing their professional skills and expertise. Many leverage their own career experience with or without credentials, all leading to the client achieving more successes than on their own.
The typical financial investment required to work with a business coach can range from $100 per hour to well over $1000 per hour, depending on the experience and track record of the coach.
Many professionals find value in working with a Business Mentor who is focused on giving guidance in making difficult decisions or achieving career goals. Working with a mentor helps clients see their options and how to pick the right one for themselves.
Mentors act as a set of training wheels that many professionals utilize to advance their skills development and career successes. Mentors demonstrate their value in return on investment, with the hourly fees running from $150 per hour to well over $500 per hour.
Consultants provide expert advice to professionals who are focused on driving towards their career goals. They possess a unique set of experiences that validate their ability to share best practices with their clients. Consultants are in the business of improving people and processes and delivering solid results.
Consultants have a wide range of skills and expertise that support their clients in achieving greeted successes than if they were to be on their own. Consultants add value by accelerating learning and making things better than when they started working with their clients.
Consultants are best for engagements that include both the individual and an organization as their skills are more holistic. The investment for a consultant can start at $200 per hour and go well above $3500 per hour.
My experience with partnering with coaches, mentors, and consultants throughout my corporate career drove me to start my own business. I am focused on offering my services to those professionals who see the vision and value of working with someone who can offer them a pathway to more success.
Throughout my corporate career, I learned from some of the best coaches, mentors, and consultants how to engage and support other professionals. I have developed the skills and competencies needed to be an effective and collaborative coach, mentor, and consultant.
I have come to accept the impact my skills and knowledge have on those professionals who work with me through my reflections on my experiences and the very positive feedback that I receive from my clients. I see firsthand the powerful transformations that my clients make when they are willing to invest in their growth and development. Having skin in the game changes the dynamics dramatically for those willing to find the resources to do so.
More than ever, leaders and business professionals are expected to do things that they have never done before with little or no developmental support. Those who are willing to invest in their growth and development will set themselves apart from others in significant ways.
The decision to invest in working with a coach, mentor, or consultant is the first decision to be made, and it must be based on all of the relevant facts. The decision to find the financial resources comes next and offers options such as self-pay or company sponsorship. The third decision in starting the process of working with a coach, mentor, or consultant is to plunge in and start reaping the benefits.
My experience with investing in my development ranged from companies investing and granting me the time to be away from my job to me investing and the companies giving me the time to be away without impact to my PTO balance. There were other ways that I made sure I was able to engage with a coach, mentor, or consultant because it was important to me, and I made it a priority.
The next time you reflect on your career and how you are growing and developing, ask yourself, would a coach, mentor, or consultant add value, impact, and success to your career path?
I meet with prospective clients and discuss how we might work together to achieve their career goals and objectives. The initial conversation is their one opportunity to pick my brain before deciding if working with me is right for them. Most see the value in just one 45 minute conversation.
I invite you to reflect on your career goals and achievements and decide if working with a coach, mentor, or consultant might bring you more results and successes. It is all up to YOU!!!
With much gratitude.
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