Pros And Cons Of Individual vs. Corporate Coaching Niches

During my nine years as an Executive Coach, I quickly learned that there is considerable value in selecting a coaching niche that is useful to an industry as well key professionals in that industry.  If you provide generic executive coaching, you will need to develop a brand that is widely recognized across industries. For example, leadership coaching can be generic or industry based.

An alternative is to carefully select an industry such as University Faculty, Law Firms or “disruptive physicians’ and brand your model for that population. If your intervention is exceptional or evidenced based, over time, organizations will most likely serve as a constant source of referrals to your practice of new leaders or leaders whose behavior at work may risk career derailment.

If you develop expertise in leadership coaching in general, it may be difficult for stakeholders in the shipping/stevedore industry to believe that you know enough about the culture of their organization and the services offered to be useful in coaching executives in that industry.

In 2006, I was asked by the CEO of a Major Hospital Chain to write a coaching curriculum consistent with the 2007 Joint Commission On The Accreditation of Health Care Organizations Sentinel Alert on “disruptive physicians”. Research conducted for the Joint Commission indicates that 3% of U.S. Physicians per year need to complete coaching for “disruptive behavior”. This means that coaching for this population is likely to continue over time. One of our Corporate Healthcare Organizational clients has 17,000 physicians in California alone. This number represents an incredible source of ongoing referrals.

Physicians do not become physicians in order to lead others. Rarely does a physician pursue medicine to become a leader. Rather, they are first and foremost committed to saving lives as well as patient care. There is little that physician leadership shares with manufacturing, high tech, engineering or hospitality. Successful physician coaches must understand the culture of Healthcare Organizations. In addition, it is helpful to understand the work that is done be each specialty in medicine. The stressors associated with being a surgeon are far different than those of a pathologist.

Both the corporation/industry as well as the client will likely feel more comfortable with coaches who are knowledgeable and experienced in coaching colleagues from their industry.  Persons trained in Executive Coaching without experience in a particular industry are at a clear disadvantage.

For the coach, when marketing to corporations, the need to market your services are dramatically reduced as the organization is more likely to encourage leaders and  “disruptive physicians” to consider coaching for skills in interpersonal relationship, empathy, mentoring and other Emotional Intelligence competencies.

In Summary, if you specialize in a narrow coaching niche that is needed and wanted by organizations and persons with the ability to pay, your chances of success will be dramatically increased. Mandatory Civility Training/Coaching is now required for Attorneys in many states. Coaches who offer coaching in this niche are in demand and are receiving referrals from law firms as well as State Bar Associations and licensing boards.

George Anderson, MSW, BCD, CAMF

www.andersonservices.com