What is a life coach?
Life coaching is a fairly new profession that has been around 30 plus years
Life coaching is future-focused practices with the aim of helping clients achieve personal goals.
Life coaches select from among several methods to help clients set and reach goals.
Coaches are neither therapists nor consultants;
Psychological intervention and business analysis are outside the scope of their tasking
Life coaches is a self directed process
Multiple coach-training schools and programs are available, allowing for many options (and sometimes causing confusion) when an individual decides to gain “certification” or a “credential” as they apply to the coaching industry. Multiple certificates and credential designations are available within the industry.
Government bodies have not found it necessary to provide a regulatory standard for coaching, nor does any state body govern the education or training standard for the coaching industry; the title of “coach” can be used by any service provider. Some assert that life coaching is akin to psychotherapy without restrictions, oversight or regulation. The State legislature of Colorado, after holding a hearing on such concerns, disagreed asserting that coaching is unlike therapy because it does not focus on examining nor diagnosing the past. Instead coaching focuses on effecting change in a client’s current and future behavior. Additionally, life coaching does not delve into diagnosing mental illness or dysfunction.
What does a life coach do?
- A life coach aims to direct a person’s potential into moving to the next level
- A life coaching develops rather than imposes.
- A life coaching reflects rather than directs.
- An effective life coach is a form of change facilitation it equips people, rather than trains them.
- A life coach is reactive and flexible it allows for personal transformation on an individual basis.
- A life coach makes no assumptions it’s not judgmental, nor is it prescriptive or instructional.
- Empathy is central to the coaching process.
- Good personal coaching seeks to help the other person’s understanding of themselves.
Life coaching is rather like a brand or label of the life coaching industry, but it potentially covers virtually every aspect of personal development that an individual might aspire to from career direction and development, management, executive and leadership, business start-up and entrepreneurialism, life skills, personal fulfillment, life-balance, and the acquisition of specific skills or knowledge.
Life coaching can be this adaptable because it is not concerned with delivery and specialized training it focuses on enablement and reflection, so that
Characteristics of a great life coach
You must be creative
You must be adventitious
You must be a great listener
You must lead by example
You must have a clean background
You must be accessible
You must be non judgmental
You must be positive
You must want the best for others
You must patient
You must be open minded
You must be persistent
You must be consistent
You must be focus
| 1. Are you a people person? |
Yes? No |
| 2. Are you self motivated? |
Yes? No |
| 3. Do you enjoy motivating others? |
Yes? No |
| 4. Do you like working at your own pace? |
Yes? No |
| 5. Do you enjoy learning new things? |
Yes? No |
| 6. Will you allow people to guide their own destiny without forcing your view on them? |
Yes? No |
| 7. Are you an active listener? |
Yes? No |
| 8. Can you give feedback in a non-judgmental way? |
Yes? No |
| 9. Do you model behavior that you would like to see in others? |
Yes? No |
| 10. Are you good at setting goals? |
Yes? No |
| 11. Do you like empowering people? |
Yes? No |
| 12. Do you want to work for yourself? |
Yes? No |
If you answered yes to at least 9 questions you are a strong candidate to become a life coach
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