Many people ask, “How can I get my boss to pay for iPEC’s Coach Training Program?”
It might seem unreasonable or unlikely, but it’s more possible than many believe.
According to “How to Ask Your Boss for Time to Learn New Things”, there are 6 steps when it comes to seeking learning capabilities through your place of work.
In this article, Rachael O’Meara, a Google employee and transformational leadership coach who assists others in fulfilling their potential, shares her six-step plan for how to negotiate for coach training and other types of personal development in the workplace:
1. Identify how you want to learn and grow
Spend some time exploring and identifying exactly what you’re hoping to learn or gain from this training. Bonus points if you actually write it down, which research shows activates your brain and makes the ideas feel more real!
2. Own it
If making this request feels nerve-wracking or embarrassing, remember: this is an important step in your growth as a leader, and as a person!
3. Create your vision statement
O’Meara suggests asking yourself, “Who will I become as a result of this investment of my time and resources?” The more vivid and descriptive you can be when answering this question for yourself, the more empowered you’ll feel—and the more compelling your ask is likely to be.
4. Connect your goals or outcomes to what the business needs
Taking this extra step to paint a clear picture of how this investment benefits the company and/or aligns with organizational priorities goes a long way toward generating buy-in from decision-makers.
5. Prep and practice
Take this opportunity to think through possible objections or compromises, so you can come to the table that much more prepared to find a win-win solution.
6. Make your ask
Give your boss appropriate notice ahead of time, take a deep breath, and share very clearly what you’re asking for.
When presented with researched, helpful information, your boss can better understand what coaching can do for you and your work within the organization.
Over the past four years, Rachel has used this above process to request and win support for a coaching certification, graduate and non-accredited courses, week-long emotional intelligence leadership retreats, and a two-day class in influencing. In each case, it felt like a leap of faith but she always reminded herself that the worst they can say is no.
A recent global survey of coaching clients by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the Association Resource Center concluded that the mean ROI for companies investing in coaching was 7 times the initial investment, with over a quarter reporting an ROI of 10 to 49 times.
With corporate titans such as GE, Goldman Sachs, and Google now spending more than $1 billion per year on executive coaching in the US alone it becomes clear: your training in the professional skill set of coaching can pay huge dividends for both you and your company.
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