Should Loan Officers Hire Life Coaches?

Something needs to change. If you’re being honest with yourself, your work-life balance isn’t so balanced. You find yourself bringing your frustrations from your home life into your work day, and you can’t seem to leave work in the office either.

You know you’re great at your job, but it’s obvious you need some help figuring out how to get back to the point of feeling great. Could a life coach be the right person to meet your needs? 

We reached out to two life coaches — Jenni Schubring and Mark Freier — to see whether they believe loan officers would benefit from working with a life coach. Here’s what they have to say.

To begin, can loan officers benefit from working with a life coach? 

Schubring says, “I absolutely believe loan officers can and do benefit from working with a life coach. Being a loan officer can be full of stress and the job is very demanding. Being self-aware is imperative in high stress and demanding positions. It is easy to lose yourself, take responsibility for things that are not yours, and try to please everyone. A life coach can help you see when you are caving to the demands and losing yourself in the process. That awareness is the beginning to discovering and then maintaining your whole self so you can better serve your clients.”

Freier also adds, “It also affords a professional to have a confidant and advocate when facing challenges or upheavals. It is no wonder that in 2005, Keith Ferrazzi wrote in Never Eat Alone, ‘Successful people know they can’t be their best unless they have a good coach in their corner.’”

So how does it work? Will coaching be able to address both personal and professional needs?

“I am a firm believer that your professional life is directly tied to your personal life,” says Schubring. “When your personal life is in order and you can stand in your strengths and values, that will do nothing but improve your professional life. Can you still function in your professional life when your personal life is in shambles? Yes, but it isn’t sustainable. Your personal life will seep into your professional life. No question.”

How will a loan officer know if it’s the right time to hire a coach?

“It takes a level of vulnerability to admit that you want to work with a coach,” says Mark Freier. “After all, a coach will get to know you and therefore, it will be difficult to hide your weaknesses and blind spots. And that is the point. A coach will afford the loan officer an opportunity to hear the radical truth about obstacles that get in the way of success as well as learn habits that will propel him/her to great influence.” 

What should loan officers look for in a life coach?

Both life coaches agree that a connection is vital. According to Freier, “A good coach will vet their client to see if there is a good relational fit. If there is not good chemistry, that symbiotic relationship will break down.”

Schubring agrees and suggests, “Look for a connection. See who clicks with you. If you want progress, make sure they will ask you the hard questions and not just tell you what you want to hear.”

“You’ll also want to find a coach who has a coach,” says Schubring. “Make sure they are walking the talk.”

There’s no need to feel like your work or personal life is a mess when you’re working in a career that you love. Hiring a coach can help get you in a place to find a work-life balance that works for you!