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.