When you think of the word “Salon”, what comes to mind? A place to get your hair or nails done? Sure, most coaches have a need to look good, and having your hair styled for that “my life is good, hire me” look is important. But, why a Coaching Salon?

Since October of 2000, Shirley Anderson, a well known and popular coach from Miami, Florida, has been hosting a Coaching Salon for one hour per week, three times each month via telephone conference call. While the concept of a Salon, or “periodic gathering of people of social or intellectual distinction”, has been around for centuries, Shirley’s variation does offer some unique and interesting twists. I’ve attended Salons of various types and sizes for years, even hosting a few from time to time. Until speaking with Shirley, my idea of a Salon was limited to a gathering place for people to openly discuss a specific topic, state their opinions, and maybe even learn a few things from each other (if you’re lucky). Shirley’s Salon, on the other hand, is ALL about learning, growing, giving and receiving. With Shirley, opinions are most certainly welcome, but with a clear intention of helping people to become better coaches. Sounds good to me!

What is a Coaching Salon?

As Shirley puts it, she’s in the “direct lineage” of Thomas Leonard, founder of Coach-U, CoachVille, the Graduate School of Coaching, and about 20,000 programs related to coaching. Those who’ve been around Thomas know he’s WAY into building networks, whether they’re colleagues, associates, clients, or a Research and Development (R&D) team. When she first spoke with Thomas about the Salon, Shirley knew she’d already achieved a great deal of success as a coach, learning directly from Thomas, and honing her skills by helping hundreds of clients over a 13-year coaching career. With Thomas’ prodding and support, she decided to finally create her own network – specifically for coaches; and, to facilitate her personal research on standard coaching topics.

Hence, the beginning of the Coaching Salon, which in almost two years has grown from 12 to over 550 people on the mailing list. For Shirley, who wanted a positive way to give back to the coaching community, the Salon was a golden opportunity to create a network simply by doing what she loves – coaching. Although topics have been far-ranging, and the format has changed at times to suit the needs of the participants, the basic structure of the Salon has remained fairly static: start with 15-20 minutes of situational coaching (Shirley coaches), followed by Q&A and discussion. Nothing is prepared ahead of time, and no notes are provided afterwards. Well over 40 or more people call in to Shirley’s bridge line, one person volunteers to be the client, and Shirley coaches him/her on the spot. No, folks, these sessions are not rehearsed.

Why a Coaching Salon?

Shirley could have started an R&D team, an online discussion list, a newsletter, or a host of other methods of community building. She chose this format because of her skills and love of coaching. Here are some of the reasons for starting a Coaching Salon:

 Hone your coaching skills. Shirley gets to practice saying what she thinks and, now has enough confidence to say when she doesn’t have a clue (we could all use that talent!). The Coaching Salon has really sharpened her coaching skills and provided her with hours of live training she couldn’t get anywhere else. In fact, she’s due to co-present on the live demo coaching track at the next ICF conference.

You get to be you. Shirley’s personality is at the heart of her style. While she sees herself as being a little edgy, her ability to say it the way she sees it provides her plenty of feedback (4-5 thank-you notes per week) about her compassion.

Get psychic satisfaction. According to Shirley, “you’ll never get the money back for what you spend, but you’ll get much more back in other ways”.

 It creates a network. Coaches are hungry for networking with other coaches. You only get so much from a coaching school, then it ends and you’re “on your own”. With a Salon, you’re no longer on your own. One example followed the events of 9/11, when Shirley provided a safe forum for coaches and trained therapists to come together and share insights, experience and knowledge.

 It provides a very different, and fresh perspective on coaching. You see what can be done in 15-20 minutes, and how you can be straightforward and truthful while being empathetic to your client (there are things you don’t want to say in a public forum that you might in a private session).

You get to build a community. At last year’s ICF conference, Shirley met with about 20 people who were regular participants of the Salon. Then, this year’s CoachVille Conference brought together about 40 people, who were so engrossed with each other that Shirley was virtually ignored. She said it was like having a rather large, functional, family.

 You get energized. Shirley gets energy from the people who call in and participate. They’re coaches who love coaching and want to be the best they can be. She “helps them connect the dots”, synthesizing all of the information and training they got from school and CoachVille into real-life coaching skills and experience.

You get to give back. If it’s true (and I believe it is) that our search for meaning is our greatest need, then there’s not much more meaningful than being of service to others. Nothing will make me cry faster than witnessing or experiencing an act of loving-kindness. They’re tears of joy, a joy that comes from knowing that being of service to others is an incredible gift to Self. Shirley said she’s “had the best of the best – training, colleagues, a very successful business.” This is her way to contribute to the coaching community.

What’s the difference between a Coaching Salon and a Mentor Coaching Group?

Many experienced coaches have initiated mentor coaching groups as a way to provide low-cost coaching skills and practice building training to novice coaches. These groups typically cost between $100 and $300 per individual per month, depending on who’s leading the group, meeting frequency, and the focus of the mentor coaching. So why do a group for free when you can get some good money with a mentor group?

 Individualized attention versus lurking: The Coaching Salon can have more than 40 people, while a mentor group typically has no more than 10 and is a closed group (Shirley and her co-leader Jaye Myrick have 5-6 people in each group). In the Salon, it’s quite difficult to get individualized attention, while in the mentor group you can insure each person gets attention every week.

Focused meetings versus whatever-happens: Shirley never knows what’s going to come up in the Coaching Salon. For her mentor groups, she has each person complete a call prep form defining how they want to use the call. The group calls are then focused on the specific needs of the individuals.

Developing individuals versus developing community: The Coaching Salon, while it helps individuals become more skilled as coaches, is an excellent way to develop a community. You can’t possibly help everyone, and you’ll never hear from most of the people who attend the Salon. The mentor group can focus on specific practice building and coaching skills for each individual. The Salon is geared more toward integrating what people learn about coaching skills in their coaching classes.

What Next?

OK. So you don’t have 13 years experience as a Coach, and you didn’t learn directly from the master himself. And your point is…? Shirley encourages people on her Salon to start now. No excuses, she says. She’s basically (or fundamentally) introverted, and understood that she had to overcome her natural shyness to be successful. I can vouch for the natural shyness and introversion of a coach (ring any bells?). Shirley and I had a nice laugh over being the “quiet, smart” kids in school. Our job as coaches, she says, is to “make ourselves known, and live the model life.” If you’re coaching people to be bigger, then start being bigger yourself. Here’s some tips on how to proceed:

1. Get started. Pick a time – same time every week. Shirley does the first 3 Mondays every month, same time, same phone number (1:00pm Eastern, 407-649-0198). The schedule must be exact and consistent. It will cost you for the bridge line, but the amount is minimal compared to what you’ll get back.

2. Let people know what you’re doing. Maybe you start with friends, family, co-workers, or other coaches in your community. Know that it can take some time to build your network, especially if you’re just starting as a coach.

3. Make it yours. This is your time to shine and learn. Yes, you’re giving back, but do it in a way that serves you. Shirley loves her Salon because she can do whatever she wants. She’ll do live coaching about anything, then open the conversation to encompass the coaching demo and whatever else comes up.

4. Ask your audience what they want. Shirley recently discovered her participants wanted to experience coaching from the perspectives of different coaching schools. She facilitated a several-week process where one coach from each of several schools coached the same client. Her conclusion? The differences weren't readily apparent in the exercise, and the coaching style seemed to be more dependent on the individual coach's natural inclination.

5. Keep going. Starting a coaching business, and a Salon, can be challenging. Shirley believes (and I agree) that at least 80% of the people in the world can use coaching. Think what a difference it would make in how corporations work, for example, if every manager and executive had a coach? It can take time. It can be hard work. And, the rewards are out there.

Go forth and prosper

Coaches new to the profession can be discouraged by the realities of starting a business, assimilating the principles and language of coaching, and integrating them into what they already know, which is usually impressive. Then they must take that out and attract people to something they cannot easily describe!!

The Coaching Salon brings heart and soul into the equation to balance the technology of coach training. The Coaching Salon provides a place for coaches to gather and experience the thrill of masterful coaching where the client unexpectedly and permanently traverses the wall from helpless not-knowing to potent action. The Coaching Salon is the place where coaches find stories they can use to explain the mystery and the essential goodness and clarity and love that is the relationship that we call coaching. It is, indeed, a watering hole, a gathering place for thirsty wayfarers on the coaching path.

How to get involved in Shirley’s Coaching Salon:

1. Visit the Coaching Salon web site:

www.coachingsalon.com

2. Visit Shirley at her web site:

www.coachmiami.com

3. Get on the Coaching Salon Mailing list (for reminders of calls and occasional follow-up remarks and notes):

Send a blank email to: subscribe@coachingsalon.com

4. Call in on one of the first 3 Mondays each month, 1:00 pm Eastern at 407-649-0198

And remember, participation in the Coaching Salon is 100% free...

About the Author:

Sid Smith, is a Coach, Mentor, Speaker, Writer, and TeleClass Leader from Portland, Oregon. He is the author of two books: "Get Out of Your Way! Removing the Obstacles to Your Success" and "Being Exceptional Without Changing Who You Are”. Sid loves writing and playing, especially playing big. Look for his upcoming TeleClass “Be the Big Kid on Your Block”.

To learn more about Sid and how he might be of service to you:

Sid Smith
sid@sidsmith.com
www.sidsmith.com
503.287.0246