Cathy Liska 
How often do personal concerns come up in workplace coaching? According to a Harvard Business Review report a few years ago, 76% of the time in executive coaching personal issues get addressed. Based on experience I will venture to say this number is rising.
How appropriate is it to address personal topics during workplace coaching? It is appropriate! Think about it this way: if a personal concern is on a client’s mind, then it will impact their focus at work. If a client is able to discuss and plan how to handle personal concerns, then they are free to fully engage on the job.
What happens if…
- a coach does not talk about personal considerations?
Coach training teaches that the client is the one to decide what they want to talk about during coaching sessions. To further clarify, the client is the one being coached – even if they have a sponsor that is paying for the coach. That means if a coach does not want to talk about personal considerations that a client does want to talk about, then the coach is expected to remove themselves from the coaching engagement.
- a coach does talk about personal considerations?
If a client wants to discuss a personal consideration and the coach partners with them, then the client is empowered to manage their influencing factors and move forward. It is the job of the coach to partner with the client around what they choose in exploring, recognizing barriers, identifying resources. Considering options, developing strategies, and creating action plans.
