Paid Coaching or Free Peer Advice?

I encountered a question in a leadership group:

Is it better to go with paid coaching or free peer advice?

A follow up question my coach would always ask: Why not both??

In a way, yes, this is the right approach - do the paid coaching AND the free peer advice.

Similarities:

• Outcomes are not guaranteed in either case (that would not be coaching, it’d be a paid service!)
• You have to do the work in both cases.
• It takes time to find a coach or peer that you’re comfortable with.
• You need to trust the other party so that you can share enough of your situation for good action-able advice.

One great thing a paid coach has over a free peer: the coach probably has seen your problem through the eyes of another person, so you can lean on this experience of how they helped others.

Finding a peer that is a subject matter expert in your situation can be tricky, as free peers aren’t advertising their expertise like a coach.

I’ve had good experiences in paid coaching and peer advice.