01 Apr What The Best Life Coaches Have In Common
What Makes The Best Life Coaches?
As a coach, I know what makes a good coach. I have coached, and have been coached by many coaches over the years. To be a good coach, you definitely need to be coached by others. When you are coached by others you learn about coaching style, technique, you see how they approach their work, how they interact with you, and how effective they are in getting to what matters most. The quality and amount of coaching training is also important. The training provides the coach with guidelines and professional standards which guide their work. To show you some of the things that I believe contribute to quality coaching-I have pulled together 10 things that that the best life coaches do in helping people they coach.
10 Things That The Best Life Coaches Do
The best Life Coaches share these things in common which are the basic core competencies that have been developed by the coaching profession. This is not a full list of core competencies, but will begin to give you a sense of some of the professional standards in the coaching profession:
1. They meet the Ethical Guidelines and Professional Standards of the coaching profession
2. They are clear and transparent when they establish the Coaching Agreement with their clients
3. They are skilled and genuine in their approach at establishing trust and an appropriate level of intimacy with their clients
4. They communicating effectively, are good listeners, ask relevant and thought provoking, and challenging questions. They are open, flexible and confident in their approach.
5. They help the client learn new skills and see results in their life
6. They help the client by increasing their awareness of their situation, maybe helping them see things from another perspective
7. They help the client move forward by planning, setting goals, and facilitating action steps that move them toward goals
8. They help clients manage progress, and deal with roadblocks
9. They help the client to manage accountability
10. They develop the client’s ability to make good decisions, address key concerns, prioritize what needs to change, and develop themselves
Deciding On A Coach
If you are considering a coach, the best way to determine if a coach is right for you is to first look at their website, their blog, and any videos they created and read what they are writing about. See if any of the information resonates with you.
Also, most coaches are more than willing to speak with you over the phone for a 20-30 minute conversation about their approach to coaching. Ask them if they have worked with people going through what you are going through and their potential approach.
You could also just try them out by setting up one coaching session and seeing how that session feels for you.
If you are comparing coaches based on their rates then you should read my article on Why you should not use coaching rates when deciding on the best life coach for you.
Great job in taking the next step in your journey by reading this article. If you want to get started in the next step of your coaching journey then schedule an appointment here.
For more on the International Coaching Federation core competencies go here: