Coaching Certification or Life Coach Training for a Forward Focus

Coaching is about a client’s goals.  In coaching sessions, clients explore what they want to accomplish and plan how to make it happen.  This is different from mental health in that the coach does not spend time working with the client to resolve past issues.  It is different from consulting because the coach is not analyzing the client and then providing a recommended plan of action.  Coaching Certification and Life Coach Training teach listening to the client, asking questions, and empowering the client to explore possibilities and process options.

When a client begins thinking about their goals, it often starts with identifying what they do not like in their current situation.  The focus of the thinking is on the problem.  A coach works with the client to focus on solutions and on what they want to achieve in the future.

A client might define a goal in terms of what they do not want.  For example, a client might not want to be stressed.  If the goal is to “not be stressed” then the focus is on the stress.  The coach asks the client, “When you are not stressed, what are you?”  The client might say they are relaxed or calm; when the client describes what they will be, the coach says, “So the goal is to be calm.”  The focus is now forward on what the client does want.

The nuances of the words influence how the mind hears, processes, decides, and acts.  Through Coaching Certification and Life Coach Training, a coach is trained to work with the client to create the forward focus so that the client achieves more easily.

Business Coaching Certification and Executive Coaching Certification for Success

An excellent starting point for developing success is to understand three principals taught in Business Coaching Certification and Executive Coaching Certification and begin practicing the approach that creates success.

1. Speak in Specific and Accurate terms – Statements that delete, distort, or generalize limit understanding and positive, proactive planning.

Without a clear understanding of the circumstances, clear thinking and decision-making are less likely.  Consider this example: A client states that they can’t do it.  This deletes information – the reason; distorts – does not look at how it could be done; generalizes – ‘can’t’ is a broad statement. 

A coach asks: What is preventing you?  What are the possibilities for making it work?  How will you move past the barriers to make it happen?

2. Keep it Positive – The path of least resistance is often negative and human beings have a tendency toward it. 

Think about the difference between these: debt-free versus financially free; no stress versus relaxed; not work so many hours versus balanced schedule. 

A coach asks: If you are debt-free, what does that mean?  If you are not stressed, what are you?  If you are not working too much, what is your schedule?

3. Talk about what you Do Want – When people communicate, only seven percent of the words are heard and understood, and negative statements reinforce the negative.

Read this out loud to yourself: The horse did not jump the fence and run over three children.  Now, what did your brain process?  Most people think ‘a horse jumping over a fence and running over three children.’  The human brain often fails to process in the negative, so the ‘did not’ or ‘don’t’ gets lost.  “Don’t forget” often = forget. 

The coach asks: “If you don’t forget, what are you doing?”  “Remembering.”  When the client says they do not want to be overweight or that they want to lose weight, the coach asks, “what is your ideal weight or size?”  The goal is what they do want.

How will you use this information?

Business Coaching Training and Career Coach Certification for the Language of Success

Because each person is their own best expert, the role of a coach is to ask questions that open the door for an individual to explore their own possibilities and make their own choices. 

People often hold themselves back unconsciously.  This means that coaches with business coaching training or career coach certification are equipped to uniquely support successful outcomes.
Consider a few examples:

• When someone says ‘I’ll try,” how likely is their success?  The word try actually tells their brain not to worry, that they don’t really have to do it.  Their brain says, “Ok, you are the boss so I won’t…”
• When someone says, “He makes me mad,” they are giving control of their own feelings to someone else.
• When someone says, “they will never understand,” the absolute statement does not even allow for the possibility of understanding.

Coaching is a partnership focused on the success of the client, and a powerful tool for a coach to use in supporting their clients success is to recognize limiting language, ask questions to open the thinking, and model effective language.  Learning the information, practicing it, and applying it effectively takes time and is worth every bit of it! 

The three principals coach training encompasses:

• clarity of meaning
• positive and proactive focus
• intentionally thinking and speaking in terms of the desired result

Sit back and really listen to what people say and how they say it.  Ask yourself if it seems positive or negative.  Ask yourself is the conversation is stuck on the problem or exploring solutions.  Ask yourself what the likely outcome is based on what you hear.  Then, evaluate how the way it was said influenced your perceptions and the results.

3 Pillars from Coach Training for Leaders and Coaches

Coach training creates successful leaders.  The role of a leader has changed, and now leadership skills are more aligned than ever with coaching skills.  Three of the skills are pillars of both roles; consider the application and implication of each.

1. Listen
How often have you observed a conversation and thought to yourself, “they really don’t get what is being said?”  Communication is a top deficiency in the workplace and because listening is the first communication skill, those that develop listening skills create more opportunities.

• What happens without listening skills? Miscommunication, conflict, missed deadlines.
• What happens with listening skills? Understanding, productivity, creative thinking.

Listen intentionally – focus physically and mentally on the speaker, summarize what they say, and work to understand both their feelings and what they aren’t saying.

2. Ask
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to come up with a solution to others situations?  Is the follow-through as assured if the idea is someone else’s?  Telling is easy; asking is effective.

• What happens without asking? Intimidation, resentment, shut-down.
• What happens with asking? Engagement, commitment, motivation.

Ask to empower – ask others their thoughts and ideas, and how to make it happen so that they develop the action plan and timeline and they own the follow-through.

3. Support
What is support?  Encouragement, empowerment, and backing someone up whether or not you agree.  To earn the support of others, a leader starts by giving support.  A Coach is a partner and by definition of the relationship, supports the client.

• What happens without support? Minimal effort, disinterest, mistakes.
• What happens with support? Loyalty, enthusiasm, trust.

Support because people matter – show you care to earn the privilege of leading or coaching.

Business Coach Training for Practice and Experience

It makes sense that business coach training includes practicing coaching.  Specifically, it makes sense that it includes coaching, being coached, and observing coaching.  Ultimately, learning to do something well calls for actually doing it.  The value of being coached to learn coaching includes understanding the experience.  In this way the coach is aware of some of what the client is going through during the process.  The opportunity to observe coaching further enhances the learning because both sides are observed and each person approaches it differently.

Perhaps you have heard the expression “practice makes perfect” and the subsequent alternate version that “perfect practice makes perfect” too.  While it is unlikely that the practice be perfect when learning, certainly practicing the right techniques in the right way is how to learn. 

In the Certified Professional Coach program, during the coaching practicum the trainer is there for immediate feedback.  Additionally, the trainer asks the coach to reflect on what they did well and what they want to improve.  Feedback is also provided by the person being coached and the observer.  This provides tremendous value because insight from different perspectives expands awareness.

During the Certified Professional Coach program a specific process is provided and followed.  This enhances learning of powerful questions as well as learning process.  During the Certified Master Coach program the coach and the client design their own process.

Experience over time coaching is, of course, an opportunity to further refine and enhance coaching competencies.

Coach Training for Career Coach Certification

While the concept of career coaching on the surface seems to define what happens in the career coaching relationship, the reality is that what happens varies by coach and the type of career Coaching Certification they have engaged in, and also by individual client.

Typically, coaches develop their own specific process for a career coaching engagement after completing their coach training.  Example processes include:

• Review resume and social media profiles; develop search strategies; practice interviewing
• Explore values and determine ideal type of work; develop resume; strategize networking
• Complete various inventories on skills and interests; strategize focus on types of jobs; begin looking; develop resume
• Training classes on various components of a career search; individual coaching for implementation
• Exploration of career history; consideration of current opportunities; consideration of possibilities for creating desired position

Some of these processes include training and/or consulting in addition to coaching.  While completely different, each approach has validity.  One important consideration is to ensure transparency with the blend of roles.  This means discussing with the client when it is training, consulting, or coaching.
The career coaching process is conceived in the career coach certification training and may be based on areas of expertise for the coach or alternatively it may be adjusted or created based on what is appropriate for the client.  As a coach, share your areas of expertise and discuss options for the process.  As a client, select a Coach Training that you connect with and that offers the expertise you seek.

Coach Training - Executive Coaching Training

It is noteworthy that some resist the idea of coach training stating either that it will stifle the coach or that it is unnecessary.  Consider this: hundreds of years ago there was no requirement for doctors to have medical training.  Does training stifle their work?  Is it unnecessary?  Alternatively, are you interested in hiring an untrained financial planner because they will be more creative and training is unimportant anyway?  Is training necessary for mental health professionals, HR professionals, or engineers?  Does it stifle their creativity?  Of course executive coaching training makes sense for a professional.  Executive coach training supports creativity because once the foundation is in place each coach creates a unique approach.What is the purpose of executive coaching training?  Consider coach training on the topic of ethics.  It seems this is a given and most feel they are ethical.  Do they know what they don’t know?  For example, how does confidentiality apply in coaching when there is a difference between what a sponsor (the employer paying for coaching) and the person being coached want?  How long does a coach keep records?  Training provides information on ethics.  In the Certified Professional Coach class there is a discussion and specific examples are provided.  There is an opportunity to ask questions.  The complete Code of Ethics is reviewed.
If a coach is untrained or their training failed to include ethics, how will you feel about hiring them?
Ethics are one example of the reasons training is so important.  Developing coaching competencies is another vital part of coach training.

Enhancing Coaching Competencies with Life Coach Training

In keeping with the core value of excellence, life coaches want to continue learning and enhance their coaching skills to better serve their clients.  It is fast becoming a requirement that coaches have life coach training through the expectation of those hiring a coach.  As other professions have before, coaching is now moving toward self-regulation with the International Coach Federation, ICF.  To become a member of the ICF, 60 hours of training is a prerequisite, and continuing education is mandatory to maintain membership.

  

What are the different approaches or opportunities for enhancing coaching competencies?  Possibilities include: life coach training, learning exercises, self-evaluation of competencies, planning implementation of learning, practice and experience, feedback, peers, a coach, self-directed study, and continuing education. 

When enhancing coaching certification skills, it makes sense to consider strengths and to consider areas for development through life coach training.  As a guide for professional coaches, the International Coach Federation list of 11 Core Competencies is described fully on their website at http://coachfederation.org/credential/landing.cfm?ItemNumber=2206&navItemNumber=576http://coachfederation.org/credential/landing.cfm?ItemNumber=2206&navItemNumber=576.  Also listed there and providing excellent additional awareness is how these competencies are evaluated for professionals seeking credentialing beyond the membership (http://www.coachfederation.org/files/IndCred/ICFCompetenciesLevelsTable.pdf).

As a note: The Certified Professional Coach program is designed specifically to develop the 11 Core Competencies with training, learning exercises, self-evaluation, planning implementation of learning, practice, feedback, and continuing education.  In the Certified Master Coach program this is taken to an even higher level.

Life Coach Certification through ICF-Approved Coach Training

What is a life coach?  From the positive perspective, it is a partnership between a coach and a client wherein the client explores:

• what they want
• opportunities
• options for new possibilities
• strategies for moving forward
• action planning
• a method for accountability
• awareness for celebrating progress and success along the way

After attending ICF-approved coach training and earning the life coach certification, the coach serves as a strategic partner and serves by listening, asking questions, and partnering for the accountability the client chooses.
The focus of the coaching varies widely and just a few examples of niche areas include:

• Work / Life Balance
• ADHD
• Legacy
• Relationships
• Personal Awareness
• Confidence
• Self-actualization

Coaches often have focus areas or niches which then lend themselves to expertise in terms of approach and awareness.  Clients enter coaching with a sense of their own reasons for engaging a life coach.  Together, the coach and the client define the coaching relationship and the process.
On the negative side, some well-intentioned individuals who lack effective, ICF-approved coach training function in the role of an advisor or worse, an unlicensed counselor or therapist even though they title themselves as a coach.
As a coach, ensure you have the appropriate training, the Code of Ethics (published by the International Coach Federation, the ICF), and that you develop the 11 Core Competencies (also developed by the ICF).
As a client, ask prospective coaches about their life coach certification, training, whether they subscribe to the ICF Code of Ethics, and about their experience.

Considerations for Becoming a Business Coach or Earning a Career Coach Certification

When deciding to become a business coach or earn a career coach certification, it may be helpful to ask: how do different coaches best serve the clients?  Coaches often tap their own experiences and passions for clients using their services.  This may include training, consulting, and coaching.  Then the coach explores what training is appropriate for them to provide the services professionally.
Typically, coaches develop their own specific process after becoming a business coach or earning a career coach certification.  Typically processes include training and/or consulting in addition to coaching.  While completely different, each approach has validity.  One important consideration is to ensure transparency with the blend of roles.  This means discussing with the client when it is training, consulting, or coaching.
When you become a business coach, have a conversation around the client’s areas of interest and the focus.  After you become a business coach, develop options for offering coaching services.  As a client, explore the training and experience of the coach.  Together, discuss the blend of training, consulting, and coaching that will best service the client.  Define who plays which role and when as you develop the relationship and partner for the success of the client.
The career coaching process may be based on areas of expertise for the coach or alternatively it may be adjusted or created based on what is appropriate for the client.  If you choose to earn a career coach certification, share your areas of expertise and discuss options for the process.  As a client, select a coach that you connect with and that offers the expertise you seek.

Succeeding with Life Coaching Certification or Executive Coach Certification by Knowing What Matters for Your Client

After you have completed a life coaching certification or executive coach certification, you as the coach benefit by continuing to learn and by staying engaged.  Do this by reading, participating in training classes, attending events that match your niche, and through social media.  This will keep you up-to-date with current trends, issues, and ideas.  Your knowledge shows when your client discusses something relevant and you understand what he or she is talking about.
When you are at training programs or events your ideal clients may attend, actively listening to hear what others are saying about topics that are relevant.  Show interest and ask questions.  In addition to enhancing your knowledge of what matters to your clients, you are potentially connecting with new prospects or referral sources.
Another opportunity for awareness and education is online discussions.  Observe what is important for your clients through discussions on LinkedIn, re-tweets on Twitter, and even Facebook activity.  Use the skills you learned while earning the life coaching certification or executive coach certification when reviewing questions and answers.  Where appropriate, your participation in the discussion demonstrates your expertise and invites prospective clients to ‘find’ you and connect.
Do remember to ask questions and explore understanding.  As a coach, you are guiding them with a process so your clients expand their thinking, discover new possibilities, refine their strategy, and reach their full potential.

Coaching Certification for All Coaching Niches and Processes with ICF-Approved Coach Training

The coaching profession is at a stage of growth that most professions undergo: either successfully self-regulate or government will regulate.  This means that regardless of the type of coaching, it is essential as professionals that minimum standards and a Code of Ethics are in place for all those who call themselves a coach.  The International Coach Federation is the gold standard for coaching certification and the leader for self-regulation.  Currently, requirements for membership include 60 hours of ICF-approved coach training and accountability to the Code of Ethics.
Because untrained coaches or coaches whose training fails to adequately address ethics and coaching competencies are a reflection on the profession as a whole, national and state governments are watching the industry and in some cases implementing new legislation.  There are those who say the creative process of coaching must be protected and then others assert that requiring training, coaching certification, and ethics stifles it.  In reality, training and ethics enhance the creativity of the process because training and ethics invite and encourage it.
As a coach, consider this: professionals in all fields have training and ethics requirements and standards.  When hiring a professional, consumers rely on them having the appropriate level of training and ethics.  As a client, ask prospective coaches questions about training, ethics, and experience.
The basics for a coach offering services include what is required for membership in the International Coach Federation: 60 hours of ICF-approved coach training and accountability to the Code of Ethics.

ICF-Approved Coach Training for Life Coach Certification

Tom owns his own business as a successful personal trainer.  As his client base grew, he realized he wanted to offer more to his clients.  Tom had heard his clients concerns and excuses in many of the training sessions and he wanted more ways to help them.  He realized they were stuck in self-defeating patterns so he looked for a way to help the whole person.  Tom researched and found that life coach certification made sense.
Tom was drawn to coaching because it engages the client and fits well with his role as a motivator and accountability partner.  He realized he already had a number of skills for successful coaching work.  As a personal trainer, he understood the importance of proper training and knew this included the coaching field.   He took the time and made the investment to master the skills and achieve his goals by becoming properly certified in an ICF-approved coach training program.
Tom already had a trusting relationship with his long standing clients so he had developed the rapport and knew their personalities.  He decided to add coaching services to his personal training agreement where he defined the roles and boundaries of the coaching relationship as taught in his ICF-approved coach training.
Now Tom uses his life coach certification to help his clients so they begin setting specific, measurable, and achievable short and long term goals.  They choose to change their behavior patterns and create lasting success.  His clients now have better results and stick with their training.  He finds training and coaching both happen naturally during training sessions.  Tom is now a well-being coach in addition to a personal trainer.  He is more satisfied with his work and his clients are more satisfied with their results.

Consider Ethics and Core Values to Become a Business Coach and in Career Coach Certification

What is the impact of having a Code of Ethics and Core Values?  I find variety in how these are explained without a concrete comparison.  What are the implications in your career coach certification and training to become a business coach?  Consider this: the Code of Ethics defines rules of conduct toward customers; Core Values are beliefs from which our behaviors and communication develop.
How does each influence people, teams, and companies?  If the Code of Ethics is written by an industry or company, it serves as a teaching tool and guideline.  Often each employee or professional is expected or required to comply with the Code of Ethics.  Core Values might be different because individuals may or may not agree with the values.  So if values are personal in nature, are corporate values simply accepted if required?  Or are values about behavior and communication while at work only?
What is the impact on coaching clients?  If a coach does not subscribe to, consider, or develop a Code of Ethics and/or Core Values, after their career coach certification and training to become a business coach, is the client aware enough to ask?  Whether or not the client asks, the process means there is some education and thought involved, and generally the quality of the relationship is enhanced. 
How does openly communicating these with the client further enhance coaching?

What is Life Coaching Certification and Executive Coach Certification?

The perception of a person with a Life Coaching certification is often mistaken as similar to a friend, mentor, or counselor. The perception of a person with an Executive Coach certification may be mistaken as a consultant, advisor, or mentor. Both Life and Executive Coaching are very different from the other fields. Consider how the perceptions develop, the actual process of coaching, and the difference in experience and effort between Life and Executive Coaching.

Many people have a desire to help and coaching is an uncontrolled industry, so an abundance of “Life Coach” businesses are advertising. The experience people have with these businesses varies. Sometimes it is great – the client feels their coach did a great job. Sometimes it is poor -the client gains a negative impression of coaching, then is sharing those thoughts. Sometimes it is counseling or mentoring instead of coaching, leading to distorted impressions. A quality life coaching or executive coach certification prepares the coach to empower the client to explore goals, moving towards creating what they want in life.

Businesses and individuals are increasingly savvy about the difference between consulting and coaching. As a result, the specific training of the coaches, the coaching model used, and the expertise of the coach are factors in the decision to begin a coaching relationship. The primary reasons for hiring a coach are transition, leadership development, and to serve as a sounding board. 

 

Long-term success results from a well-trained coach who recognizes the client is their own best expert.

Reasons ICF-Approved Coach Training is Vital in Coaching Certification

Coaching is growing and expanding rapidly and is here to stay.  As a profession or an industry, coaching has grown and garnered increasing levels of attention.  In keeping with a multitude of professions, coaching is now at a point where it will successfully self-regulate or, in the United States and in other countries, government will step in and regulate it.

Reasons government is or may become involved include: cases wherein a coach is sued for practicing therapy, state agencies exploring whether coaching fits under mental health, coaches who are untrained or whose training failed to include or adequately address ethics, government tradition, and the consideration of necessity to protect clients.  Earning your coaching certification in an ICF-approved coach training program will reduce the concerns.
The International Coach Federation is the leader in coaching and a gold standard for coaches and coach certification training.  ICF is at the forefront for self-regulation of coaching.  To this end, the ICF approves coach training programs, publishes 11 Core Competencies for coaches, publishes and promotes a Code of Ethics, and has membership requirements that include 60 hours of training, agreeing and being accountable to the Code of Ethics, and continuing education.

Whether or not coaching is regulated, having a Code of Ethics makes sense.  It supports professionalism and credibility for coaching and is foundational to building trust in a coaching relationship.  The Center for Coaching Certification strongly supports ICF-approved coach training because as coaches, the more we discuss and promote the ICF and the Code of Ethics, the more we educate unaware coaches and clients alike.

Life Coach Certification Insights from ICF-Approved Coach Training

Why ICF-approved coach training?  The ICF is the nonprofit membership organization that leads self-regulation for coaching.  The definition of coaching from the International Coach Federation is: “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”  The client is in control and therefore owns the results.
Why earn your life coach certification?  Consultants and mental health professionals offering related services enhance outcomes when a coaching approach is taken or when coaching is offered.  Leaders in the workplace benefit with a coaching approach.  Individuals expand their possibilities with coaching.
Ultimately, coaching is a service focused on the client.  The quality of the coaching starts with the ICF-approved coach training of the coach, the Code of Ethics, and their development of the 11 Core Competencies.  ICF-approved coach training is the gold standard.  Then the coaching relationship itself starts with an agreement about the relationship and the roles of both the coach and the client.  The coach is responsible for understanding who the client is and how they process and decide.  By starting with an agreement, discussing the Code of Ethics and then focusing on understanding the client, the coach and client develop rapport.  Through the coaching process, the coach uses effective communication techniques; the coach listens, asks powerful questions, and reflects back what the client is saying.  The client is given the space to expand their thinking and develop a strategy.  The client chooses their action steps and moves forward toward achieving what they want to achieve.  Life coach certification is rewarding for both the coach and client.

The ROI Case for Becoming a Business Coach or Earning Your Career Coach Certification

Thinking of becoming a business coach or earning your career coach certification? Coaching is the second fastest growing profession in the world according to Ray Williams (and other reports).  Coaching is the new buzz word in companies around the world.  This is because it works.
What is the Return on Investment, ROI, for hiring a coach?  Simply Google coaching ROI and a wide range of studies are listed.  Most cite 500 to 700% ROI.  A few site less and a few site more.
How is the ROI measured?  Many of the benefits of a coaching relationship are qualitative and based on personal evaluation and opinion.  In some studies, participants are asked to place a value on qualitative benefits such as skills developed or relationships impacted.  Then after a coaching engagement they are asked to determine the amount of change and assign a percentage to coaching as the reason for that change.
There are quantitative measures to coaching.  For example, an organization might look at sales numbers, productivity figures, or the cost of turnover and compare from before coaching to after coaching.
Ultimately, the value of coaching goes beyond an initial measure because it has a ripple effect.  Deciding the ROI of coaching is in part measuring and evaluating, and it is in part awareness.  Before starting a coaching relationship, have the client decide how they will measure the ROI. Before enrolling in a program to become a business coach or earn your career coach certification make sure you will get the skills to effectively give your clients a return on their investment.

Using Life Coaching Certification and Executive Coach Certification in the Coaching Process

Marie has earned her life and executive coaching certification and is currently using her skills to coach a CEO named David. Marie is using the whole person approach.
In the opening coaching session, Marie asked David what he wanted.  He shared that in his career he wanted to achieve specific growth and productivity numbers on the job, and he wanted to successfully serve as a mentor for two of the VP’s that had been identified as potential successors.
David also realized he wanted to develop certain skills at work to improve his relationships and enhance outcomes.  David shared his goal for how much of a bonus he wanted to earn.  He listed specific debt he wanted to retire.  David was close to his financial goals for retirement and stated exactly what he wanted next.
Then David talked about what he wanted in his relationship with his wife and with his now grown children.  David set goals for spending time with relatives and friends.  David set specific goals for exercising, weight, and his eating habits.  He explored what he wanted in his spiritual life.  David listed classes he hoped to attend.  He talked about the legacy he wanted to create both at work and with his family.  He described his ideal emotional state.  David said he wanted to volunteer and named a specific cause that was of interest.  He defined what work / life balance meant to him and set goals to create time for hobbies and relaxation.
Life coaching certification and executive coach certification both focus on helping the client achieve their goals.

Coaching Certification with ICF-Approved Coach Training at the Center for Coaching Certification

There are a multitude of coaching models and processes.  Each has value and benefits.  What is essential is that the coach understands the client so that they flex to what works best for them individually. The Center for Coaching Certification teaches an ICF-Approved coach training program which emphasizes the clients’ wishes.
Because the number one indicator of success for a coaching relationship is the rapport between the coach and the client, it is essential that the process creates the opportunity for the coach to get to know their client and for the client to realize they are heard and understood.
A written coaching agreement is called for per the International Coach Federation Code of Ethics.  Ideally this applies to internal coaches as well as external.
The average length of a coaching relationship is one year.  Of course there are coaching relationships that are for just a few months and others that last years.  Often there is a period of regular coaching followed by periodic coaching.  Best practices means determining a minimum time commitment to the relationship and process and then continuing while there is benefit to the client.

What types of coaching certification are there?

Coaching certification has value in your career and coaching has application in every facet of the working world, family, and in the communities in which people participate.  Companies are now developing a “coaching culture” and the leaders are using a “coaching style of management” to enhance results.  On a personal level, learning the people and communication skills that are considered basic competencies for a coach helps with relationships at home, in the community, and when serving as a volunteer.

The coaching niche areas number in the thousands.  Generally speaking, coaching is identified with one of four large categories.

• Career coach certification means serving individuals looking for a job, redefining their career, or advancing their career. 

• Life coaching certification is for supporting exploration and action in areas meaningful to the individual including relationships, family, legacy, life purpose, spirituality, life management, and transitions.

• Become a business coach to work with individual owners or managers of small to mid-sized businesses.

• Executive coach certification is for coaches that provide services to individuals in the corporate world.

These categories serve as a general way of describing coaching.  Each type of coaching may and often does overlap in to the other areas. 

When coaches are trained in an ICF-approved coach training, the focus is on developing their coaching skills.  Their background, experience, and previous education provide the foundation for their coaching niche area or areas.

ICF-approved Coach Training

Coaching continues to grow as a profession and is gaining ever more popularity because it works and ICF-approved Coach Training is essential when entering the profession.

What is coaching? The definition from the International Coach Federation is: “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”

What isn’t coaching?

• Coaching is not mentoring. A mentor is a voice of wisdom and experience passing on what they know and giving advice. In comparison, a coach provides a process expertise and thereby elicits the answer from the client.
• Coaching is not consulting. A consultant is an expert that is brought in to analyze, develop a plan, and advise. In comparison, a coach serves as a sounding board and strategy partner so the client explores possibilities and creates their plan of action.
• Coaching is not a mental health service. A mental health professional works to restore an individual to wellness. In comparison, a coach works with an individual that is well and whole to consider what they want and move forward toward their goals.

Whether you decide to become a business coach, complete executive coach certification, earn your lifecoaching certification, or complete career coach certification, the coaching certification supports effective coaching and results.

Does someone with Executive Coach Certification address specific goals only?

Whatever the type of coaching following an ICF-approved coach training, the question comes up as to whether the coaching sessions cover areas other than the specific purpose for which the coach is engaged.  For example, some believe that only the job should be discussed.  In many cases and especially after executive coach certification, this is because often the employer is paying for the coaching.  In this scenario, some believe that company funds should only be spent on workplace topics.     

A different perspective is that when coaching, if the coaching sessions and understanding are limited to one area only, then the outcome is also limited.  Harvard Business Review stated that 76% of the time when an executive coach is engaged, personal issues are also addressed. 

The balance is to start with an opening session exploring what the individual wants in all areas of their life.  Then in the second session, work on how that person will create the thinking and habits they want to support their progress and success.  Then, from the third session on, the focus is about the job or the primary reason for the coaching.  This supports awareness for the individual and their coach of who they are and what is important to them. 

Through this process the client and their coach have a big picture understanding and develop strong rapport.  Then, when other areas in the life of the client are impacting them on the job or as they work on their primary interests, the client and the coach are prepared to effectively discuss and strategize.  The client is a whole person and what they want in each area of their life influences them in each of the other areas.

Whether you decide to become a business coach, complete executive coach certification, earn your life coaching certification, or complete career coach certification, the coaching certification ideally addresses how each person does have influencing factors and outside considerations that impact their goals.

After Executive Coach Certification, what is the role of a coach?

Executive Coach Certification in an ICF-approved coach training teaches that a coach is a strategy partner.  Exploring strategy is essential for creating the best possibility of a successful outcome.  The coach challenges and expands thinking so the client fully considers and develops their approach. 

A coach is a sounding board.  The opportunity to brainstorm and talk through different ideas supports effective decision making.

A coach is a provider of perspective.  While it is easy to give advice and suggestions, it is most effective when an individual figures out their own answer.  When a client is truly stuck, a coach will provide several different examples or perspectives to empower their thinking and planning.

A coach is an intention partner.  A coach supports a client by ensuring they are intentional about their strategy and action steps.  A coach partners with their client to stay focused.

A coach is a motivation partner.  The coach asks the clients questions to create awareness of what they do want and their internal motivation, then regularly asks them about the benefit and value of continuing to move toward their goals.

A coach is an accountability partner.  The coach checks in with a client on their progress.   The coach explores with a client what is holding them back and how they will move forward.  The coach also recognizes success along the way and partners with the client to acknowledge what they achieve to them self.

Whether you decide to become a business coach, complete executive coach certification, earn your life coaching certification, or complete career coach certification, the coaching certification supports effective coaching and results.

What ICF-Approved Coach Training Teaches About Coaching and Morality for Life Coach Certification

After completing her life coach certification, Ann Marie was coaching Mario with a primary focus on managing his ADHD.  Together they discussed his focus, organization, and time management.  They worked on Mario’s strategy and developed a specific plan of action.
As Mario felt he had more control over his primary focus, he wanted to expand the coaching to goals in other areas of his life.  During the exploration process he shared he was having an affair.  Ann Marie was aware that Mario was married so for her this presented a dilemma.
Ann Marie spoke with her coaching certification trainer.  Her coach asked her, given this scenario, can you effectively coach this client?  Ann Marie thought about it and decided she personally could not because it simply bothered her too much.  Then her coach asked whether disclosing this to the client would create or add to a problem.  Ann Marie said yes because it would diminish the value the client currently placed on coaching.
Ann Marie and her coach discussed options and she decided that she would let her client know she had a personal conflict of interest and was removing herself as coach as taught in her ICF-approved coach training.  Ann Marie would provide referrals to other coaches.  If her client asked what the conflict was, Ann Marie would simply state that it was personal.  Ann Marie followed through with her plan and the client is now working with a different coach.
If you want to become a business coach, earn life coaching certification, executive coach certification, or career coach certification choose an ICF-approved coach training.

Considerations for Career Coach Certification and Becoming a Business Coach - Coaching the Whole Person or Coaching Only for the Job

Known as a top performer on the sales team, Joan was positive and mentored others on the team.  She consistently backed-up her colleagues and for 14 years was well-liked by her clients and colleagues.  Then, for reasons unknown to her employer, Joan’s sales numbers took a dive.  For 6 months she struggled and had a few okay months.  Her boss encouraged her, pushed her, and even talked about whether she was still up to the job.
The Human Resources department got involved and began coaching her on performance.  Joan was very open and accepting, took everything seriously, and worked hard.  Her numbers were just barely okay.
An outside coach was hired to work with Joan and took the whole person approach wherein they talked about both personal and work goals.  In this process, Joan shared she had recently lost her husband, her mother was terminally ill, and she was struggling as a newly single mom – all things that the employer only vaguely knew.  The coach worked with Joan on her goals in all areas of her life and on creating a strategy for moving forward.
As a result, Joan took the time to take care of things in her personal life which in turn empowered her to again focus effectively.  Her sales numbers came back up.
When deciding to earn a career coach certification or become a business coach consider that when coaching in the workplace, sometimes the thinking is that it is only appropriate to talk about the job.  In many cases this limits understanding and possibilities — as in this example.
Explore your possibilities for executive coach certification or life coaching certification through ICF-approved coach training with the Center for Coaching Certification.

Center for Coaching Certification and the Center for Coaching Solutions are Tools for Life Coaching Certification and Executive Coach Certification

Offering tools and resources for life coaching certification, executive coach certification, coaches, clients, and those entering the profession alike are the Center for Coaching Certification and the Center for Coaching Solutions.  Become a business coach or earn career coach certification in the ICF-approved coach training.

For clients: When looking for a coach, it makes sense to ask about their training and experience.  Through the Center for Coaching Certification, individuals may explore the directory of Certified Professional Coaches by visiting www.FindaCertifiedCoach.com.

Clients may also contact the Center for Coaching Solutions through www.CenterforCoachingSolutions.com for high level coaching and matching of coaches to meet specific interests.

Both the Center for Coaching Solutions and the Center for Coaching Certification offer free webinars with content about coaching, being coached, and having a coaching program in the workplace.

For those entering the coaching profession, the ICF-approved coach training at the Center for Coaching Certification offers excellent content, skill development, hands-on application, and a coaching process.  

Visit www.CenterforCoachingCertification.com for the program overview and the class schedule.

For coaches that have earned their Certified Professional Coach and/or their Certified Master Coach designation, including life coaching certification and executive coach certification, the tools and resources provided on the coach login page include business builder tools, self-directed coaching, and dozens of coaching questionnaires.

Benefit From ICF-Approved Coach Training for Your Coaching Certification

The International Coach Federation is a resource and a tool for coaches.
Whether you want to become a business coach, earn life coaching certification, executive coach certification, or career coach certification the coaching certification program quality matters.  The International Coach Federation, ICF, approves coach training programs. As a resource,the ICF offers continuing education opportunities, research, and networking opportunities after your coaching certification in an ICF-approved coach training program.The ICF publishes the Code of Ethics and the 11 Core Competencies. Even more significantly, the ICF is a leader in the profession and industry. The ICF is an advocate for self-regulation and provides the means to make it both possible and realistic.

The ICF provides an opportunity for coaches to network, collaborate, and learn.It supports coaches with continuing education opportunities, information, and coaching tools.
The ICF is a resource for coaching clients because with it they know the standards of their coach and they have a resource to go to if they have concerns.

The ICF is a non-profit,professional membership organization.To become a member, a coach must have 60 hours of ICF-approved coach training.If a coach is interested in additional credentialing,training plus experience may be combined in the process to earn one of three credentials, the ACC,PCC,or MCC.Each of these credentials requires an increasing number of training and paid coaching hours.Membership in the ICF is incredibly important for professional coaches and the additional credentials are an option.

Using Personality Tools after Life Coach Certification

Is it appropriate for a coach to give personality assessments?  Most personality assessment tools have a certification process prior to administering the tool.  If a coach is also certified in that personality assessment tool, administering the assessment falls under that role or capacity.  Coaching begins where the assessment ends.  Specifically, using the results of an assessment, a coach works with a client to understand the information, develop a strategy for what they want to change, and then design actions to move forward.

In life coach certification or executive coaching certification, there is discussion about understanding a client; the results of a personality assessment provide benefits and risks.  On the benefit side, personality assessments provide insight, a framework for understanding, and an awareness of personal nuances.  On the risk side, some people disagree with the results and are frustrated by the information.  After you become a business coach or complete career coach certification, the biggest risk is in believing that now, with a personality label, you know your client; people are different at different times and have different interpretations of the questions at different times.

One of the competencies for coaching is being present.  The ideal in coaching is to be aware of who your client is in the moment – be fully present to their personality and flex to them in that moment based on who they are right now.  In the ICF-approved coach training at the Center for Coaching Certification, the tool on personalities is specifically designed to be aware of who the client is in the moment and then flexing to them appropriately.

Resources form ICF-approved Coach Training to Become a Business Coach

A coach often has a multitude of resources.  Ideally in their ICF-approved coach training to become a business coach or during career coach certification they were given access to examples of agreements, questionnaires, time and money management tools, and business tools.  In addition to the coach using these tools when building a coaching business and providing coaching services, these become tools they provide to their clients.

A different angle on the idea of resources is exploring the resources of a client.  During coaching certification, coaches learn that by having a client consider and define the resources available to them, the client becomes more aware of the achievability of their goals and more confident in their own success.

What are resources?  Tools include software, technology, apps, and worksheets.  Skills, both hard and soft, are resources a client taps.  Techniques incorporate different approaches to how things are said or done.  Logistical resources include physical equipment, access to facilities, money, and more.  Relationships as resources are the family, friends, colleagues, mentors, and others who support or help.

Along with the increased awareness of all that is available to support goals, the list of resources is a tool when designing specific action steps.  During the coaching conversation, resources that are wanted are also listed so action steps are included for obtaining them.  The resources that are available are utilized for moving forward after life coaching certification or executive coach certification, and the experience the coach gains is a benefit to the clients.

Time Management is a Coaching Tool after Life or Executive Coaching Certification

Time management tools abound.Because each person is unique, what works for some may be less than ideal for others.Advanced coaching certification teaches coaches to explore different time management tools both for perspective and for awareness of what is available
.
In a coaching relationship the coach is in many ways a time management tool.Life coaching certification or executive coach certification teach the coach to work with a client so they decide what they are doing and when they are doing it.The coach is an accountability partner who follows up, asking about progress.When a client makes progress the coach acknowledges it.When a client has incomplete action steps, then the coach works with them on moving forward.For many clients knowing that their coach will be checking with them encourages them to complete their action steps.

Some clients share their calendars with their coach, journal about what they are doing, or use one of the software programs or telephone apps available.When they become a business coach or complete career coach certification,coaches learn to work with the client to review, adjust, strategize, and plan.This supports the client in developing the time management habits they do want.

When designing actions during a coaching session, coaches are aware that some clients work best with a “to do” list.Other clients achieve more when each task is scheduled on a specific day at a specific time.After ICF-approved coach training, coaches are aware that effective coaching means working with a time management tool that best serves the individual client.

Coaching Certification is a Tool for Money Management

During ICF-approved coach training, there is often a discussion around money coaching.  Given that a coach is not an advisor, coaching around money consists of asking the client about their goals, barriers, strategies, and action steps.  For example, when some become a business coach their focus is to create awareness for the client through full exploration or after career coach certification the value is the coach working with an individual on handling their budget intelligently given the circumstances.  The action plan may be basic or it may include the client working with a financial planner.

On a basic level, money coaching includes budgeting.  An experienced coach with life coaching certification will ask the client questions that help them create their budget and track their spending.  Then the coach works with the client to compare their plan with their actual.  From there, as coaches know after executive coach certification, they have the client choose what changes they want to incorporate.  The budget includes fixed, variable, and periodic expenses.  A coach may work with a client as they list their expenses and choose their plan for paying everything.  By working with a coach, the client thinks through what is happening now, what they want to have happening, and how to make changes.

If a client wants to discuss investments, a coach asks them about their process for finding a financial planner, researching opportunities, and their timeline for making decisions.  A coach is very different from a financial advisor and ensures the client knows the difference in the roles. ICF-approved coach training prepares coaches to understand and handle the differences in roles before they receive their coaching certification.

Does ICF-Approved Coach Training For Life Coach Certification Really Make A Difference?

In the ICF-approved Coach Training for Life Coach Certification program, participants are asked how they benefited from the material. Participants share they are going through a shift in their thinking of how to approach employees, mentor and coach clients. In The first section participants said simply understanding the difference between coaching, consulting and counseling changed how they worked with clients. The section on ethics solidified the understanding with specific information and guidelines.

After the third section in the program, understanding people, participants shared how it influenced their work. For one, it completely changed the outcome of a conversation with an employee seeing coaching as an exit process, it became the process to get back on track and bring value to the company. For another, a coaching client was struggling with a situation, and simply understanding differences people meant knowing the questions to ask and how. The client has new insight, and felt great about the plan of action they created.

Communication and language are the focus of the fourth section. Studies show that the number one deficiency in the workplace today is people skills and communication skills. Sixty percent of North American companies are hiring coaches. Coaching is one of the fastest growing industries. What does this mean to you? Coaching skills enhance your career, open doors, and create new opportunities in the workplace. Life or executive coaching certification gives you both the tools and the credibility to either advance your career or begin a business of your own, or add value to your current business.

Consider Ethics vs Core Values to Become a Business Coach and in Career Coach Certification

What is the difference between having a Code of Ethics and Core Values? I find variety in how these are explained without a concrete comparison. What are the implications in your career coach certification and training to become a business coach? Consider this: the Code of Ethics defines rules of conduct toward customers; Core Values are beliefs from which our behaviors and communication develop.

How does each influence people, teams, and companies? If the Code of Ethics is written by an industry or company, it serves as a teaching tool and guideline. Often each employee or professional is expected or required to comply with the Code of Ethics. Core Values might be different because individuals may or may not agree with the values. So if values are personal in nature, are corporate values simply accepted if required? Or are values about behavior and communication while at work only?

What is the impact on coaching clients? If a coach does not subscribe to, consider, or develop a Code of Ethics and/or Core Values, during their career coach certification and training to become a business coach, is the client aware enough to ask? Whether or not the client asks, the process means there is some education and thought involved, and generally the quality of the relationship is enhanced. How does openly communicating these with the client further enhance coaching?

Life Coaching Certification versus Executive Coach Certification

The perception of a person with a Life Coaching certification is often mistaken as similar to a friend, mentor, or counselor. The perception of a person with an Executive Coach certification may be mistaken as a consultant, advisor, or mentor. Both Life and Executive Coaching are very different from the other fields. Consider how the perceptions develop, the actual process of coaching, and the difference in experience and effort between Life and Executive Coaching.

Many people have a desire to help and coaching is an uncontrolled industry, so an abundance of “Life Coach” businesses are available. The experience people have with these businesses varies. Sometimes it is great – the client feels their coach did a great job. Sometimes it is poor -the client gains a negative impression of coaching, sharing those thoughts. Sometimes it is counseling or mentoring not coaching, leading to distorted impressions. A quality life coaching or executive coach certification prepares the coach to empower the client to explore goals, moving towards creating what they want in life.

Businesses are increasingly savvy about the difference between consulting and coaching. As a result, the specific training of the coaches, the coaching model used, and the expertise of the coach are factors in the decision to begin a coaching relationship. The primary reasons for hiring a coach are transition, leadership development, and to serve as a sounding board. Long-term success results from a well-trained coach who recognizes the client is their own best expert.

From ICF-Approved Coach Training to Group Coaching

Take the group experience of your ICF-approved coach training into your practice. How was your learning experience enhanced by the group experience? What are the unique benefits of learning and working with a group of adults that share a common thread? Each time I consider all the different ways for learning, I go back to the spark created with a group that wants to learn meeting live.

During coaching certification, we learn and hear the information from our trained expert and coach, what do we gain from the other students? In my experience I gained support, confidence, feedback, encouragement and the ideas that come from talking, sharing and brainstorming with others.

In discussions with others we see different ways of thinking in action and we gain inspiration. Now think about any group learning experience you have had that inspired you, motivated you, and called you to action. What in particular did you like most? How specifically did you learn and benefit?

Now think about applying this experience from your ICF-approved coach training to group coaching after earning your coaching certification. Give clients who share a similar focus or goal a very rich experience that complements individual coaching sessions, or even be the primary coaching environment. Your knowledge of group learning will become the power of group coaching.

Life Coach Certification for Personal Trainers

Tom owns his own business and is a successful personal trainer.  As his client base grew, he realized he wanted to offer more to his clients.  Tom had heard his clients concerns and excuses in many of the training sessions and he wanted more ways to help them.  He realized they were stuck in self defeating patterns so he looked for a way to help the whole person.  Tom researched and found that life coach certification made sense.

Tom was drawn to coaching because it engages the client and fits well with his role as a motivator and accountability partner.  He realized he already had a number of skills for successful coaching work.  As a personal trainer, he understood the importance of proper training and knew this included the coaching field.   He took the time and made the investment to master the skills and achieve his goals by becoming properly certified in an ICF-approved coach training program.

Tom already had a trusting relationship with his long standing clients so he had developed the rapport and knew their personalities.  He decided to add coaching services to his personal training agreement where he defined the roles and boundaries of the coaching relationship as taught in his ICF-approved coach training.

Now Tom uses his life coach certification to help his clients so they begin setting specific, measurable, and achievable short and long term goals.  They choose to change their behavior patterns and create lasting success.  His clients now have better results and stick with their training.  He finds training and coaching both happen naturally during training sessions.  Tom is now a well-being coach in addition to a personal trainer.  He is more satisfied with his work and his clients are more satisfied with their results.

Become a Business Coach or Earn Career Coach Certification and Use Whole Person Coaching

In whole person coaching, the coach takes time with the client to fully explore what they want in all areas of their life.  Even when the focus of the coaching is on business or career, this makes sense because all areas of their life come to work with them.  After exploring goals in all areas of their life, future sessions are focused on the business or career.  Then, when something from their life is impacting them, the client is comfortable discussing it because of the whole person coaching process.

In whole person coaching, the client has an initial 90 minute session.  If you choose to become a business coach or earn your career coach certification, you will ask the client about what they want personally, in relationships, career, financially, health, and lifestyle.   The coach listens, probes, and clarifies.  The experience is amazing for the client because they think about what they want in all areas, and they say it out loud which creates a new level of awareness and focus.

During a coaching session, after you choose to become a business coach or earn your career coach certification, you are focused completely on the client.  It is the coach’s responsibility to recognize the client’s personality in the moment so the coach can effectively adjust to the client.  This is essential because we all have different sides of our personality at different times. The coach is also aware of client language patterns because questions are formulated based both on what the client says and how they say it.

After this full exploration, the next step in the coaching process is providing a tool so that the client maintains their focus and creates the habits they want to support the goals they choose.

Executive Coach Certification or Life Coaching Certification for Media Interviewing

Media interviews have the potential to turn a slight misstep in wording into a widely broadcasted misrepresentation of you or your company.  Knowing how to handle media situations and different reporter’s styles is important to successfully conveying your message.  The message must be clearly formed and flexible to fit time constraints, while giving the intended answers to different questions.

One option is hiring a professional with an executive coach certification, ideally one that is through ICF-approved coach training.  Working with a coach will prepare you to identify and respond to leading questions with confidence.  You will learn poison words to avoid and powerful words to include in your answer.  Through coaching, instead of falling in the trap of dealing with the past you will bring the focus to the future.

Alternatively, life coaching certification is an opportunity to enhance your skills so you easily identify a person’s personality and communication styles within minutes and know how to respond most effectively in each circumstance.  Coach training will teach you to set goals which translate into a powerful personal message for the sometimes prying questions of the media.  Coaching certification teaches you the most effective forms of wording and how to build rapport with people quickly.

Hiring a coach with executive coach certification or earning your own life coaching certification is an opportunity to prepare yourself so you effectively transform a potentially hostile media experience into an opportunity for effectively sharing your positive message.

Skills through ICF-Approved Coach Training at the Center for Coaching Certification

Which skills to effectively coach will you learn at the Center for Coaching Certification?  An effective coach listens well, understands how to work effectively with different personalities, utilizes the power of language, asks questions, and is ethical.

Listening Skills: Human nature compares what we hear to what we know, so we often miss the real message.  Listening well requires removing ourselves from the equation to truly focus on the other person, their frame of reference, their emotions, their thoughts.

Understand Different Clients:  Each of us thinks, processes, and decides based on our personality, experiences, knowledge, and perceived options.  Each person is truly unique.  As discussed in ICF-approved coach training, understanding how to identify the client personality, combined with listening skills, means the ability to understand and accept the client for who they are in the moment.

Language: Often without realizing, our language focuses on the problem not the solution, the negative instead of what we want, and limits understanding and respect.  Learning language nuances, effective questioning, and how to engage means the coach enhances the value of coaching sessions.

Questions: telling everyone what to do, how, and when does not work. As taught at the Center for Coaching Certification, effective questioning puts clients in charge of determining priorities, values, options, and their course of action.

Ethical: Need we say more?  Surprisingly, yes.  Taking the time to learn the ICF Code of Ethics, as taught in ICF-approved coach training means considering others and how we treat them. Ethics make the difference for achieving long-term success.

Coaching Perspectives Volume II

Each year, coaches who complete their ICF-approved coach training with the Center for Coaching Certification are invited to participate in writing a chapter for a book.  The feedback on the content has been excellent and the success of this quality book ensures it continues.

Book Review:
Coaching Perspectives provides excellent insights for those who want to become a business coach, attend life coaching certification, complete career coaching certification, or expand opportunities with executive coaching certification.

Summary:
The chapters of Coaching Perspectives are:

Powerful Goal Setting for Results by Cathy Liska
A step-by-step guide on how to set goals so that you achieve them.

Two Experts in the Coaching Process by Ruth Dillon
A demonstration of how the client is their own best expert and the coach is the process expert.

Positivity is Key to Effective Coaching by Pamela Lewis
Honing in on the power of choosing positivity and the language that supports it.

The Path to Coaching Effectively by Cynthia Foster
Working with the first coaching client after training.

Building Credibility and Success by Peggi Peaslee
The importance of how you present yourself as a coach.

Selling by NOT Telling by Erica Torres-Dudziak
Offering coaching services as an option and an opportunity.

Present Your Way to Profits by Megan Huber
Speaking as a way to build your coaching business.

I’m a Great Person – I Think by Nicole Stragalas
About coaching individuals with fragile self-esteem.

Coaching and Christians by Sharon Wilcox
Understanding the hesitations of a Christian and moving forward with coaching.

Defining Your Journey to Success: Career Coaching by Ahfeeyah Thomas
Exploring the impact of career coaching.

Building Leaders at Sigma-Aldrich Corporation – A Case Study by Erick Koshner
The application of coaching leaders within a corporation.

Moving Beyond Metrics with Performance Based Coaching by Jeanne Hathcock
Coaching for engagement and productivity in a corporation.

The Bad:  Each chapter is unique both in content and in writing style so this book is 12 e-books combined.

The Good:  The flow of the chapters does work in terms of content, and the broad overview combined with specialized expertise is excellent.

Conclusion:  A great read for coaches, clients, and those thinking about coaching.

3 Pillars of Leaders and Coaches

Coaching is the fastest growing industry in our country.  The role of a leader has changed, and now leadership is more aligned than ever with coaching certification.  Three of the skills are pillars of both roles, so this post considers the application and implication of each. 

1. Listen
How often have you observed a conversation and thought to yourself, “they really don’t get what is being said?”  Communication is a top deficiency in the workplace (and often in relationships) and because listening is the first communication skill, those that develop listening skills create more opportunities.
What happens without listening skills? Miscommunication, conflict, missed deadlines.
What happens with listening skills? Understanding, productivity, creative thinking.
ICF-approved coach training teaches how to listen intentionally – focus physically and mentally on the speaker, anticipate rephrasing everything they say, and work to understand both their feelings and what they aren’t saying.

2. Ask
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to come up with a solution to others situations?  Is the follow-through as assured if the idea is someone else’s?  Telling is easy; asking is effective.
What happens without asking? Intimidation, resentment, shut-down.
What happens with asking? Engagement, commitment, motivation.
Executive coach certification teaches how to ask questions that empower – ask others their thoughts and ideas, and how to make it happen so that they develop the action plan and timeline to follow.

3. Support
What is support?  More than just assisting, support is encouragement, empowerment, and backing someone up whether or not you agree.  To earn the support of others, a leader starts by giving support.  A Coach is a partner and by definition of the relationship, supports the client.
What happens without support? Minimal effort, disinterest, mistakes.
What happens with support? Loyalty, enthusiasm, trust.
Support because people matter through life coaching certification – show you care to earn the privilege of leading or coaching.

Whether you want to become a business coach or enhance your leadership skills, coach training makes sense.

Coaching Certification to Provide Service

The decision to become a business coach, earn life coaching certification, complete career coach certification, or open doors with executive coach certification through an ICF-approved coach training is foundational for offering coaching services.

The majority of small to medium sized businesses in North America invest in a coach.  This often means success instead of failure because a coach serves to explore the possibilities, strategize, create an action plan, and ensure accountability.

Consider what happens in the day-to-day operation of a medium-sized business.

David and Maria started a new business together.  David has a network of contacts that he easily parlayed in to customers.  Maria has a background in finance and bookkeeping and naturally runs a tight ship.  They quickly built their business and hired employees.  Their approach to business is very different.  If they don’t have a coach, what happens? 
They might disagree on decisions and the conflict snowballs. 
Perhaps they run their areas of the company independently and then the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. 
Sometimes they each work hard in their area of expertise and both neglect other key management areas.

What does the coach do for David and Maria?  Because David and Maria already had a business plan that included their goals, when the coach began working with them the benefits for David and Maria to manage their differences and effectively collaborate became the top priority.  The coach met with David and Maria separately and asked each what worked well and what they wanted to change.  Next the coach asked them how they wanted to make it work for everyone.  As David and Maria gained insight, how they communicated changed.  The coach scheduled time with them together to explore goals and discuss specific processes.  Through coaching, David and Maria developed communication and people skills that served them in their interactions together as well as when dealing with employees and customers.  David and Maria decided how to build on what did work for them to change what didn’t work.  Because of their work with a coach, David and Maria continued to grow their business successfully.

Become a Business Coach

Chances are you have heard about coaching certification and perhaps you are familiar with the statistics that cite a Return on Investment (ROI) of 570% (Manchester) to 1000% (Triad Performance Technologies).  Coaching is the second fastest growing industry because it works – become a business coach through an ICF-approved coach training.

What does working with someone who has their executive coaching certification mean for a small to medium business owner?  What exactly does a coach do?  The text book answer is that the business coach serves as a sounding board and strategy partner for defining specific goals.  Sounds good – what does it really mean?  Consider the following.

William starts a small business and because he does excellent work it grows.  His success becomes his challenge – while William knows how to do the work, running the business is an entirely different type of expertise.

What does someone with career coach certification do for William?  The coach starts by asking William to explore his goals for the business.  The coach asks questions about time, energy, and money.  William chooses how much time and energy he wants to invest in his business.  Then William is asked to determine how much money he needs to make and how much he wants to make from his business.  The next step for the coach is to explore with William where his business is at in terms of structure, organization, resources, competition, and opportunities.  Over time William works with his coach to explore strategies and possibilities to accomplish the goals William set.  Without his coach, William would have continued working at capacity; with his partner who had life coaching certification, William determined what he wanted, set his course, and achieved results.