In this article, I will explore how Certified High-Performance Coaching (CHPC) relates to the business environment.
This is part 3 in a series on the value and effectiveness of business coaching with coaches from various backgrounds. Please see the other articles in the series below.
- Business Made Simple Coaching (BMSU)
- International Coach Federation Business Coaches
- Certified High-Performance Coaching for Business
- Institute for Generative Leadership (IGL) Business Coaches
- Masters of Business Administration (MBA)
- Criteria for Choosing a Business Coach
CHPC – Certified High-Performance Coaching
CHPC is an excellent program created by Brendon Buchard. I love Brendon’s work. I’ve taken 3 of his courses, including CHPC (as a client). His program excels in that it is highly structured and comes with a pre-set curriculum with modules covering:
- Clarity
- Energy
- Courage
- Productivity
- Influence
- Psychology of Mastery
- Physiology
- Persuasion
- Purpose
If the coach and client follow the program, positive results are highly probable for the client, and CHPC is one of the few coaching programs that have empirical data to support their claims of benefits for their clients. However, each of the lessons focuses primarily on the individual, and the CHPC coach does not need any of the self-mastery associated with going through an ICF certification. If the client’s needs or circumstances vary from the CHPC structured program, the coach is largely adrift without training or skills to be of further aid.
Minimally, all that the CHPC program requires is for the coach to pay their money and sit through the training for a few days each year. That means that despite the quality of the curriculum, the level of training or experience a coach has after “certification” is minimal. This drawback is mitigated by a high-quality process, but only to the degree to which the coach sticks with formula with their clients.
Although Brendon defines high performance as “succeeding beyond standard norms over the long-term,” the dimensions to which that applies are exceedingly broad. Additionally, the program lacks focus on the performance of a team or organization.
I’m not trying to degrade the CHPC program. Instead, I’m asserting that coaching effectively within a business environment is qualitatively different from coaching an individual. Also, at least in 2018, business coaching was outside the scope of the CHPC program. The program did not profess to target businesses, although nothing stopped an individual CHPC coach from making such claims.
Who Is a CHPC Coach For?
A CHPC coach is great for clients who want more structured coaching with empirical data to support producing positive results in their own lives. It’s great for clients who are willing to roll up their sleeves and do the personal work on their habits and their relationships that the program will walk you through. It also requires a client who is willing to take the insights and ideas garnered from the program and translate those into concrete actions and behaviors.
Where Does CHPC Fall Short for Clients of Business Coaching?
Although improving a leader’s performance will positively impact their team, teams bring a set of distinctions and conversations that simply do not exist for an individual. As such, nothing about the CHPC program makes one a competent coach in the business environment. Nor is the curriculum that a CHPC coach takes the client through focused on increasing the revenue or effectiveness of a business as a whole. While business improvements are indeed possible, they are almost tangential to the program or a side-effect of the leader addressing their personal productivity, purpose, and persuasion.
My Experience With the CHPC Program
In 2014, I paid $10K to be part of the CHPC program. It was a 3-day program, and at the end of the first day, I chose to withdraw and accept their refund. In my opinion, it was too formulaic, and the practice sessions lacked professional feedback from anybody proficient in the approach that was being presented. The formulas were an asset for practitioners who lacked other coaching skills coming in and who wanted to rely upon the weight of the “credential” awarded after the program.
I went through the program again in 2019, but this time as a client. I can attest that it’s an excellent formula, with a fantastic set of questions and domains to explore for the client. However, nothing in there related directly to the challenge of growing bottom-line business results. Further, I found that the client-program still focused on personal reflection and goal setting rather than acquiring skills or the production of assets that would grow a business.
 |  |  |
 |  |  |