David Fisher reports in the May 20 edition of the NZ Herold that purported “business coach” Shane Wenzel faces Serious Fraud Office charges of defrauding people in many different instances of over $1,200,000(NZ). To top it off Fisher reports that Shane has been accused of trying to intimidate several NZ politicians through threats to prevent them from probing into his affairs deeper. Reading about this fellow Shane makes me conclude that he is a real con man who has been using the label “business coach” as a tool to gain trust and respect from his targeted victims. But, when I read the lengthy article about Shane, it becomes readily apparent that he is not a “business coach” and most likely never did act in the capacity of a “business coach.”

Yet, Fisher insisted on headlining his story about this apparent bully con man with the title “business coach.” I appreciate that there are all sorts of people who call themselves life coaches, business coaches, executive coaches and sleep coaches who claim to be real coaches, but who are in reality doing something else. We estimated that conservatively between 40% to over 55% of all people who call themselves a life coach in one form or another are not conducting life coaching type services or processes. I am not judging what they are doing, nor am I saying what they are doing is good or bad (except in Shane’s case, I am saying what he did and does is not business coaching and it is bad) I am saying that too many people take on the title of life coach in one form or another, whether a business coach, executive coach or needle coach and they do not coach. Having Fisher broadcast Shane Wenzel as a “business coach” only further confuses the general public about true coaching. I imagine that if his victims truly understood what a real business coach did and did not do, they would not have been so easily hoodwinked by this con artist.

We in the coaching community must continue to try to educate the general public about what a true life coach and a true business coach really does, so more Shane Wenzel’s do not take advantage of more unsuspecting victims. I would also encourage David Fisher to report the truth that Shane was not acting as a “business coach” but was only masquerading as one. Maybe if Fisher and the rest of the media took the time to find out what true business coaches did, then Fisher and others in the media could help others avoid being duped by the likes of Shane Wenzel. But, I suspect that I am asking for more than I could expect from Fisher, and the rest of the media. To consider correcting a misconception in a previously written story that they label as old news is probably way out of the question. Doing so will only increase integrity and clear up the truth, but will probably not sell one more paper.