How to use professional development funds for coaching (+ a script to ask your manager).
More and more companies are providing professional development funds to employees for their personal learning and skill development. This may be an established per-employee benefit or a benefit that you can personally negotiate - when you first begin with the company and/or when you are renegotiating your role (e.g. a promotion or lateral move). Yes - you can absolutely negotiate this!
As I’ve analyzed job descriptions, career pages, and client offer letters, the three learning and development areas I see employers paying for most often are:
Continuing education, skill-building, and industry certifications through conferences, webinars, classes, e-learning, books
Tuition assistance / reimbursement / scholarships and covering training expenses
Internal training and mentorship programs
While I absolutely see value in each of these areas (e.g. their accessibility, specific links to promotions, access to internal career advocates), I want you to consider a fourth option - consider using your professional development funds to work with a personal coach.
What are the benefits of working with a coach as an employee?
As a certified coach who specializes in supporting mid-career women, I have seen firsthand how powerful coaching can be in helping women make the most of their work lives.
At this mid-way point in your career, it’s common to feel stuck or uncertain about your career path, struggle to balance work and personal and caregiving responsibilities, and feel like you’re not being recognized and valued for your contributions. Here’s are the ways I see these mid-career feelings play out:
You start window shopping for a new job
You piece together training options, trying to educate and pep talk yourself out of the stuck feeling
You try to talk to your manager about how you’re feeling but they don’t have time to support you and then you get frustrated and/or believe they don’t have confidence in you
You have a supportive manager, but they want you to come up with a plan - and you don’t know what to recommend so just work harder - or - check out
You get a new job, only to work extra hard to prove yourself and then feel stuck and resentful again
If you can afford it, you take a sabbatical and then feel guilty the whole time about “not making the most of it”
You quit without anything lined up and then feel pressured to take the first offer
You get assigned an internal coach but feel like you can’t be as open with them because you both work for the same company
If you’re not planning to retire early, that leaves you ping-ponging around these options for the next 20-30 years!
I don’t want that for you and I know you don’t either.
What is it like to work with a personal coach if your company pays for it?
When you work with a personal coach and your company pays for it, you will benefit from a confidential, judgment-free sounding board to process with, talk through real-time difficult situations, and set and achieve goals with. That said, it is important to ask about and define three areas:
Client confidentiality
Reporting about the coaching sessions
When coaching will take place - during business hours or on your own time
A coach that is credentialed by the International Coaching Federation (ICF) will abide by the ICF Code of Ethics and those standards are set so there is a clear understanding among the client (you), the coach, and the sponsor (your company) about the conditions of your coaching agreement
Confidentiality: It is typically agreed upon that everything said in a coaching session is kept confidential, with exceptions being if you, the client, disclose being a danger to yourself or others and disclose any illegal behavior.
Reporting: It’s important to ask your manager upfront what is expected in communicating what you are learning and how you are growing during your coaching. This may be nothing at all. They may want you to share something during a weekly meeting between the two of you. Or, maybe they want to have a final session with you and your coach.
Timing: Before you book a coaching session during business hours, make sure to get it approved by your manager. Otherwise, coaching may have to happen on your own time.
How does coaching work when your company pays for it?
Your coach should not start working with you until you have a Coaching Agreement and all parties (including your company sponsor) have signed it. This agreement will be provided to you by your Coach. You’d be passing this along to your manager.
Along with the three areas above (confidentiality, reporting, and timing), the agreement will cover:
The number of sessions and/or timeframe
Where (in-person or virtual) and when you will meet (likely weekly or bi-weekly for 30, 45, or 60 minutes)
What you are working on together (the nature of the coaching relationship - e.g. leadership coaching, executive skill building, professional development in a certain area)
What you can expect from your coach
How to get ahold of your coach in-between sessions and what is reasonable to request of them
The cancellation policy
How to end the coaching arrangement
Fees and how the coach will get paid
Once you have a signed agreement, your Coach will likely have an intake questionnaire for you to prepare for your first coaching session.
This session will be spent determining what your goals for coaching are and how you will know when you have progressed. These goals will continue to be revisited. They may completely change during the coaching arrangement - and that’s completely okay.
As a Certified Coach, we believe that you, our client, is in the driver’s seat. Even if your company is paying for your coaching, it is YOUR agenda. As the client, your coach should always ask you what you’d like to focus on for the session. It is YOUR session.
For example, something hard happens at work that day and you want support to work through it. But we planned to talk about CliftonStrengths. Guess what - we process your day and come up with strategies together.
Ultimately, your coach will support you as you determine next steps together - and provide support accountability for following through, especially when life gets tough.
What are the obstacles that could get in your way of working with a coach?
Let’s address the three common obstacles you may be facing when considering coaching as an option for your professional development:
1) Assuming your company won’t support you working with a coach:
It's true that coaching is an investment, and may be a larger investment of time and money over paying for you to attend, say, an industry conference. However, comparing coaching to attending a one-time conference is like comparing apples and oranges.
(Important note - it can cost a company A LOT of money to send you to a conference, especially with paying for travel and hotels, so don’t assume coaching is out of your company’s budget.)
More and more companies are adding coaching as an employee benefit because they see the hugely positive impact on their bottom line.
According to the ICF Global Coaching Client Study, “the vast majority of companies (86 percent) say they at least made their investment back. In fact, almost one-fifth (19 percent) saw a ROI of 50 times their investment, while another 28 percent saw a ROI of 10 to 49 times the investment. Nearly all companies or individuals who hire a coach are satisfied. According to the ICF Global Coaching Client Study, a stunning 99 percent of people who were polled said they were somewhat or very satisfied with the overall coaching experience.”
Offering coaching as an employee benefit is becoming more and more popular, especially because top talent is specifically looking for it. In fact, 2022 Global Talent Trends report from LinkedIn found that job candidates “feel that an offer of career development is the No. 1 way to improve a company’s culture.” When it comes to recruiting, hiring, retaining, and growing employees - culture is everything.
According to LinkedIn’s 2022 Workplace Learning report, “Employees’ top three motivations to learn are all connected to careers:
If it helps me stay up to date in my field.
If it is personalized specifically for my interests and career goals.
If it helps me get another job internally, be promoted, or get closer to reaching my career goals.”
Working with a coach is a highly efficient way to get clear on what it is you are seeking out of your career and how to get it.
2) Assuming your company/manager will think you want to leave because you want to work with a coach.
We don’t have a crystal ball. You may decide that staying at your company is no longer an option, depending on the situation and your career goals.
I loved what this Forbes article had to say about this:
“...there are leaders who might fear and focus on the fact that offering access to resources and opportunities for growth on the company’s dime will encourage employees to take their new skills somewhere else.
As a leader, I believe in having an abundance and giving mindset and mentality. When you set out with the intention of providing value to your employees and helping them learn skills to build a thriving career, I have only seen mutual value. You might find that engagement increases while they are working at your organization and they are given a practical training ground to exercise what they have learned. What they learn can then be passed to their team members and contribute to culture.
And, should they leave the company, they’ll likely leave on good terms in pursuit of their next adventure where they speak highly of the company’s training and growth programs. If your company is nurturing and building the skills of top talent, your company is doing something right.”
3) Feeling like coaching is unnecessary or you’re undeserving.
It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you should be able to figure everything out on your own. However, coaching can provide valuable insights, support, and accountability that can help you achieve your goals faster and more effectively. Think of coaching as a way to accelerate your progress and reach your full potential - whatever that means for you.
4) Feeling unsure about finding the right coach.
Choosing a coach can feel overwhelming, but there are several ways to ensure that you find the right fit. Look for coaches who have experience working with mid-career women, and who have a coaching style that resonates with you. Most coaches give you the opportunity to book a no cost or low cost call to try out coaching with them. (Here’s my booking link.) You can also ask for recommendations from colleagues or friends who have worked with coaches in the past.
5) Assuming coaching is only for executives at your company.
Let’s set the record straight - coaching is not only for executives and C-levels. Anyone can benefit from coaching. I sincerely wish every individual contributor could have their own personal coach. That said, your company likely budgets professional development based on the role’s contribution and impact to the bottom line. The more value you make (or have the opportunity to make) for the company, the more incentivized they are to fund your growth and development.
Which means, you may need to sell external coaching as a professional development option to your manager. And I have some ideas for you!
Okay, you want to work with an external coach. How do you pitch coaching to get your company to pay for it?
When it comes to pitching an idea, the biggest thing standing in your way is going through with making the actual ask. I know how anxiety-producing it can be to ask for something that requires money - and - is just for you. Depending on how you were socialized, you may even feel like asking for a personal coach is a selfish thing. Remember - your company also benefits from your growth.
How to make the case for a personal coach to your manager
The most important element you’ll need to make the pitch for a personal coach is an understanding of your role’s performance metrics. You need to know:
How are your individual contributions evaluated?
How do these metrics align with your company’s strategic goals? Your team’s goals for the year?
How will coaching positively impact your performance - as an individual and as part of your team? (You should have a sense of this already from your exploratory call with the coach you want to work with.)
Who the final decision maker is. You may need to help your manager sell this idea to their manager or whomever manages the professional development budget.
While it’s not necessary, having an idea of the funds available to you for your professional development is a good idea. You should already know how much your preferred coach costs. If you don’t know how much money is available to you, ask. This may be a question for your manager or human resources (HR).
Example email script to send to your manager to request a personal coach
If you’re not sure how to bring this request to your manager, here is a script you can adapt:
Hi [Manager's Name],
I am writing to request your support in using my professional development budget for coaching. As you know, I am committed to advancing in my career and making the most of my skills and abilities. I believe that working with a coach can help me achieve these goals and contribute even more to the team.
I have identified a coach who specializes in supporting mid-career women, and who I believe can provide valuable insights, support, and accountability as I work towards my goals this year. I have also checked with HR and confirmed that coaching is an approved use of my professional development budget.
Thanks for considering this request. I look forward to discussing this further with you.
[Your Name]
What if my professional development budget is limited and can’t cover the cost of a coach?
If your company’s professional development budget can’t (or won’t) cover the full cost of a coach, propose splitting the cost. I’ve had clients where they pay 50% and their company covers the other half of the fee.
You can also go back to the coach and ask if there are any creative possibilities to negotiate the coaching fee or the structure of the arrangement. You never know what the coach or your company will be open to, so get creative. It’s absolutely okay to ask!
