By Patricia Kitchen
Staff Writer

VAL WILLIAMS USED to run an HMO in New Jersey with 700 employees. Now she runs a small business coaching 20 people on their careers and what's most valuable to them.

I spent the day with her recently, observing her in action in her home office in Edison, N.J. -- mostly on the phone and computer because the bulk of her work is done virtually.

"Coaching as a profession has just begun its acceleration," says Thomas Leonard, who in 1988 founded Coach University, a virtual training program. There are probably 10,000 coaches at work today -- outside sports and gym classes, of course -- and will likely be 25,000 to 50,000 by the year 2005. He expects the coaching population to peak at 100,000 to 200,000. And look for specialty coaches -- for kids, as well as in areas such as parenting, dating, ethics, small business and spirituality.

The International Coach Federation is a relatively new association that has sprung up and offers certification and a referral service. And many coaches are working closely with members of a whole new support profession -- the virtual office assistant, who may work from their own home offices many states away.

Williams' first scheduled call of the day is from a young woman in the high-tech industry -- targeted as "high potential" by her company, which is footing the $700-per-month bill for her telephone coaching. Williams is grooming her to move up the ladder, pointing out underling behavior: "Why would you type [the meeting notes] yourself when you could delegate and get 20 minutes for something else?" And she also describes the behavior of many senior executives: At meetings, she says,

"Think crisp, think of what the issue is, then think what's the next step and let's move on."

Next is a group call from four saleswomen from the Atlanta area. Some issues discussed: using a daily planner, making more calls to potential sales recruits, and looking for outside support so they can let go of some duties.

She coached them in how to say no to draining and unnecessary requests and invitations: in a "charge neutral voice" say, "No, I won't be doing that. But thank you for thinking of me." No explanations, no apologies.

Coaches are not therapists, consultants or crying pillows, says Williams. Instead, they help people clear away distractions, focus on goals that really matter, and push through fear or inertia. What Williams says she brings to the party are "structure and accountability."

She got into this line of work five years ago when she was director of what is now known as Prudential Health Care Systems and she started saying to herself, "OK. I get this. I'm done." She attended one of Leonard's workshops in Manhattan and knew it was for her. "It brought tears to my eyes," she says.

Today, she has 20 individual clients, some who pay their own fees -- usually $350 a month for weekly half-hour calls -- some whose fees are paid for by their employers and who get more customization, plus more time on the phone. Add to that fees from her corporate speaking engagements, and she has surpassed her former salary as an HMO executive.

The big plus about the job: helping people improve their lives. "What could be better than that?" she asks. Also, her own flexible lifestyle and hours.

As for the downside, a business calls for marketing. It can also make for a solitary day, which is why Williams keeps posted a phone list of her buddies to check in with. And like most coaches, she even has her own coach to help her maneuver through life.

Her final call came from Jane Yousy, a coach-in-training in Niantic, Conn., whom Williams is coaching in how to grow her business. When Yousy started wrestling with issues on how to work with newsletter editors -- she'll send them articles on coaching -- I was able to jump in and do a little coaching of my own.
Photo by Thomas A. Ferrara
As a personal coach, Val Williams says she enjoys helping people focus on career goals and improve their lives; she has her own coach as well.

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