Personal Growth Coaches and Hypocrisy Lifestyles Considered One of the most difficult things to do is to find a personal growth coach who actually lives by the words that they preach. And it is a lot harder than you might believe, as so many folks who would call themselves a coach, mentor, or consultant in the personal growth venue have less than stellar attributes themselves. That is not to say that there are not quite a few really excellent personal coaches specializing in helping you develop your full potential, because there certainly are.
Rather, it is to warn you that you must do your due diligence, prior to hiring any coach. Specifically you should be very careful online when paying someone money, especially if they claim to be a coaching guru of epic proportions. Ask for references, and search out some of the advice they are talking about online. If the personal growth coach has a blog, read what they have been writing. Is it real, does it feel right, and do you think they know what they're talking about?
You'd be surprised how easy it is to spot a phony in this venue. The easiest way to spot a phony coach is to read what they write; do they use lots of cliches? Do they write on silly and meaningless topics? Not long ago, I read an article written by a personal growth coach out of Calgary Canada. This individual stated in an article having to do with; how to best enjoy your Valentine's Day with your significant other; "Remember - it is not the gift, it is the thought that counts." This same article was sprinkled with many other cliches, rather than written from the heart. In this particular case study how can you be sure that the personal growth psychologist coach, mentor, and or consultant even truly knows what they are talking about. After all, it almost sounds like something a high school student could've written, but if you wanted to hire a high school student for your professional coach, you could probably pay them less than your babysitter. Or, you could have gone onto Facebook and asked for personal advice from just about anyone there and they would probably give it to you for free. And really, that's all such advice is worth anyway. The other day, I was talking to a self-proclaimed certified genius, Devon K, who also offered online coaching services to help people with their personal development and growth. I was truly shocked to learn of his aggressive tactics online and display of behavior on internet forums and blogs as he was working to put everyone else down, and then claiming to be an expert in the studies of relationship building, personal behavior, and personal growth and development. So let this be a lesson to you, before you hire such a coach to help you during your life experience, please do your due diligence and don't get stuck with a "Dilbert" because not only will it cost you real money, you might end up just like them - mean-spirited, aggressive, and not well liked. Think on it, because it's something our think tank believes is important and we are calling for more regulation of the coaching industry in Central and Western Canada. We are quite concerned indeed.