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About Me
- Gary Collins
- Gary Collins (that’s me) is a life coach, licensed clinical psychologist (with a PhD from Purdue University), and professor of leadership and coaching at Psychological Studies Institute. I’ve written a bunch of books, founded and edited "Christian Counseling Today" magazine, and was co-founder and first president of the American Association of Christian Counselors. I am still writing books, am an avid reader, work out most days at a local fitness center, and am determined to be committed as a follower of Jesus. I speak at conferences (frequently overseas), most often concerning the emergent church, coaching and coach training, leadership, and trends in Christian counseling. In addition to personal coaching and consulting on issues relating to leadership and coaching, I have a special interest in the emergent church and in mentoring and learning from next-generation leaders. My wife Julie and I were married in 1964, have two daughters, and live in Northern Illinois. This newsletter usually arises from my reading, student contacts, and opportunities to interact every week with creative and interesting people – including the people who read my newsletter and respond to this blog.
6 comments:
Without recommending this to others, here is what my colleagues and I have chosen do. Since much of our coaching and training is done out of province or overseas:
a) We donate our coaching service.
b) We correspond at no charge.
c) We have to have transport and local hospitality provided.
d) We never pay for the privilege of serving others.
An exception is made when we know that a poor ministry or workers cannot afford transport, and we can stop and help while traveling to or from another engagement.
We forgo charging coaching fees for various reasons:
a) We want to avoid our own greed motive.
b) We want to serve willing workers who are poorer than we.
c) We are retired or work other jobs.
d) We want greater rewards in the coming Kingdom.
e) We enjoy exotic travel and this makes it affordable for us and for our clients.
Gary, you raise several interesting questions. I agree that those coaching in the non-profit sector (pastors, charities, missionaries, etc) have not found a functional business model. A business model is the plan for doing your profession and making it work financially.
The idea that many coaches can specialize in coaching Christian non-profit workers and make a living at it is just not realistic in my opinion. Coaches in the marketplace struggle to make a living with "full" paying clients.
I believe the coaching business model that will prevail will be similiar to the counseling and member care models that function currently. That is, 95% of coaching will be done through supervisors, peers or specially-trained internal coaches. All of these coaches coach within their organizations or are not paid (ie peer coaches) for their coaching services. There will be a small number of professional external coaches who will be paid by non-profit organizations or employees to coach. But these well-paid professional coaches will be the exception.
Christian coaches will try to suppliment their coaching income by doing full-price marketplace coaching. But this model will also be the exception since most marketplace coaches can't make a living at coaching, let alone make enough money to be able to give away coaching to non-profits.
The future of coaching training, in my opinion, is training supervisors, peers, and internal coaches within organizations. Christian coaches who want to make a "ministry" or business out of coaching other non-profit workers are going to struggle even more than their marketplace counterparts.
My suggestion for those who want to minister through coaching is to just do it - coach others. Forget about trying to make a business out of it. Minister away through coaching. If necessary, join an organization and raise support to be able to offer your coaching.
I believe the secular coaching profession is very focused on money...equating an abundant life with financial abundance. I do believe God blesses us financially but I know I need to be very careful with respect to my own motivation and keep in mind the biblical perspective on money.
The first session I usually do with clients focuses on principles, beliefs and values. Regardless of whether the client is a Christian or non-Christian, when we look at spiritual or life principles (i.e. biblical principles) they all agree that greed, self-centredness, etc. contradict spiritual/life principles and will result in negative consequences. Therefore, if later on their vision, goals, etc. looks like they may contradict spiritual/life principles and values, I remind them what we talked about in session one.
I agree that greed, materialism and consumerism have very much permeated not only the coaching profession but also the church and Australian society in general. What I try and do about it is model a simple lifestyle and wise stewardship to demonstrate the foolishness of buying what we don't really need with money we don't have - and to communicate the message that real richness and abundance comes from a relationship with Jesus, family and friends, and living out his Kingdom purposes.
I believe my coaching/workshop/speaking fees are reasonable and most Christian clients who don't work for not-for-profits have been willing to pay my standard fee. I have also found that most churches are willing to pay my speaker's fee and my standard coaching fee for their employees, although I'm willing to offer a discount in certain situations. If I'm giving a workshop for a church, I suggest that they charge participants something, even if it's minimal, but I do charge the church my hourly rate for giving the workshop, although it's less than my corporate fee. I only really offer my coaching/training services pro-bono for Christian clients who work with missions organisations. If I need to travel to offer a workshop/coaching service for a mission organisation, they usually pay for my travel expenses if it's within Australia and organise accommodation. Sometimes I may also offer a discount or complimentary session to someone who really needs and wants coaching but is on a low income or struggling financially.
Thanks, everybody, for your responses. I am both grateful and enlightened by your posts.
Let me reply first to mentornet. I appreciate your spirit. This reflects a servant mentality that is sensitive and realistic. I also appreciate your comment that this is your policy without something that you recommend to others. Of course this is harder to apply if one is not retired or in work that does not permit travel. It also is harder to apply your policy to people who need to generate an income from coaching, even though they may not be overly impressed with making money. Certainly your words show a sensitivity and a refreshing spiritual awareness. God bless you as you continue your ministry.
Keith, I do not know you well -- yet -- but in our interactions you have been impressing me as a voice of reason. It seems that some coaching schools and book authors make unrealistic claims about the money to be made through coaching; the truth is that most coaches cannot support themselves through coaching alone. What you describe in your comment seems to be what you are doing and making work. But with the increasing numbers of coaches, many of whom are not known or established, it could be more and more difficult for people to coach as a ministry and make a living at the same time.
Carey, Your comments are really helpful. I hope other readers find them to be good guidelines as well. Thanks to you and the other two respondants for taking the time to give such a detailed response. I appreciate this. GRC
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