3 Questions to Help You Decide
How do you feel about where you stand personally and professionally at this stage of your life?
Consider your work and career fulfillment, family life, friendships, faith, community impact, health and fitness, and financial peace of mind. Which areas are going well? Which need attention? What do you want to change—and what keeps getting in the way?
You don’t need to wait for a new year to take stock. If you’re frustrated with your progress or unsure what to do next, working with the right coach may help you gain clarity, develop a practical strategy, and follow through.
Here are three questions to help you decide.
1. What do I really want, when do I want it, and what am I willing to do to get it?
Successful people have goals. But those goals shouldn’t be limited to a job, a business, or material possessions. The people I’ve most admired have goals that extend to family, faith, fitness, friendships, and causes that matter to them. They understand their “why,” not just their “what.”
Your goals need to be deeply personal and meaningful—not simply a reflection of other people’s expectations. Without that connection, even impressive accomplishments can leave you asking, “What’s the point?”
An experienced coach can help you explore what matters most, clarify your priorities, and define what progress would actually look like.
Then comes the strategy. Are you moving toward your goals, or spending valuable time reinventing the wheel? Are your daily choices supporting the life and career you want to build?
The right coach can help you evaluate your options, identify practical next steps, and make better use of your time.
Finally, consider your commitment. Meaningful goals usually involve obstacles, uncomfortable decisions, and changes in behavior. A coach can help you stay focused and work through setbacks—but you have to be willing to do the work.
2. What is preventing me from getting the results I want?
We all have blind spots. Sometimes the habits that helped us succeed in one stage of life or business hold us back in the next.
You may need a different strategy, a new skill, clearer priorities, or a more honest look at how you spend your time. For a financial advisor or wealth management team, the obstacle might involve client acquisition, unclear roles, inconsistent processes, or a lack of accountability.
Over the years, I’ve worked with coaching clients who discovered that their own habits were getting in the way of the results they wanted. Once they recognized the pattern, they could begin changing it.
A coach brings an outside perspective, asks questions you may not be asking yourself, and helps you examine assumptions that deserve another look.
Coaching also requires an investment of time, money, and effort. Before making that investment, be clear about what you want to accomplish, how the coach would help, and how you will recognize progress.
The commitment matters. But the value comes from what you do with it.
3. How can I go from knowing what to do to actually doing it consistently?
Have you ever attended a conference, received valuable advice, or read a book full of useful ideas—then implemented very little of it?
You’re not alone. Knowing what to do and consistently doing it are two different things.
Accountability is often the missing piece. People hire personal trainers for more than exercise instructions. Scheduled appointments, feedback, and someone paying attention to their progress can help them follow through.
The same principle applies to coaching.
I’ve had clients tell me that knowing our coaching call was coming up prompted them to make the prospect call they had been putting off.
A good coaching relationship turns intentions into specific commitments: What will you do? By when? What happened when you tried? What needs to change?
For a team, that also means clarifying who owns each action and how progress will be reviewed.
Even the best action plan has little value without action. Coaching can help you build the consistency to put your ideas to work.
Is coaching the right next step for you?
Coaching isn’t for everyone. But if you want clearer direction, an outside perspective, and support in following through, it may be worth exploring.
Look for a coach who understands your situation, listens carefully, challenges you constructively, and offers a clear approach to helping you make progress.
Bob David — Speaker, Coach, and Consultant
To explore coaching for financial advisors, wealth management teams, and leaders, visit Bob’s coaching page or contact Bob for a no-cost initial 30-minute consultation.
Originally published February 2019; updated October 2026.