Contracting in coaching or mentoring is vitally important at a strategic and senior level of practice. It is crucial to design a robust contract between coach/mentor and client before any intervention and/or programme commences.
The key areas that should be covered by a contract are:
- Establishing the nature of the relationship, in particular, agreeing boundaries (personal/professional) and any ‘off limits’ areas.
- Which profiling methods will be used (e.g. Myers-Briggs, EI/EQ questionnaires, VIA Strengths testing, strength cards, etc.).
- How you will work; the process you use (in person, emails, Zoom etc.)
- Conditions: Venue for any in-person meetings, time, frequency, number of sessions, length of contract.
- Cost/fees of programme and payment terms (payment plans etc.).
- Three-way or two-way (e.g. contracts between coach, funding/sponsoring organisation and coachee, or between coach and coachee respectively).
- Note-taking, record keeping, reflective thought recording etc. (and crucially, the extent that those notes can/will be shared with the client, particularly in the light of GDPR legislation).
- Reviews (monthly? mid-programme?) and outcomes evaluation.
Typical contracting issues are around cost/fees particularly where the contract is ‘performance-related’ e.g. where a coach might require a percentage commission should the programme and/or coachee deliver a significant uplift in commercial performance post-programme.
This arrangement is common within consulting but should be approached with extreme caution in a coaching scenario, as the tangible effects of an intervention will be so difficult to quantify, particularly if appropriate confidentiality has been maintained.
Also related to the danger of lack of clarity within the cost/fees sections of the contract. There should be, at the very least, the need for disclosure of other related interests. For example, where a coach might receive a fee or from an affiliate relationship and/or referral(s) to other services, programmes or products.
As with the ‘commission’ arrangements described above, whist it might be lucrative for a coach to engage in such ‘kickback’ deals, there are questions to be asked as to their appropriateness within a coaching scenario and whether, in fact, they may be contravening one or more of the professional codes of practice, even in spirit if not in practice as such.
It is not uncommon for coaches to request payment in advance. What then happens when a client ends a coaching relationship early? Would a refund be applicable? It is the responsibility of coaches to ensure their Coaching Agreement is unambiguous on this matter.
If you’d like to schedule an exploratory call or video meeting to discuss contracting in coaching and mentoring, and/or my coaching approach, please get in touch.