Excellence in coaching comes down to excellence in the coach.
If you pursue excellence in your own life, you will expect it for your clients.
If you’re willing to pick up the phone and call someone you’re terrified to talk to, you’ll then be a stand for your client to do the same. When you are honest in all your relationships, you’ll expect your client to tell the truth. If you’re looking after yourself, you’ll be firmer with a client who is letting their body go.
When you are out of integrity or living way below your vision of yourself, your self-assurance drops. Conversely, living a life of excellence will give you confidence as a coach, and potential clients will feel it. Every time you make choices that bring you closer to who you want to be, you gain confidence. And confident coaches will ask more of their clients.
Work on yourself as much as you work on your business. Don’t just take business classes or coaching teleseminars, take personal growth seminars, read as much as you can, listen to motivational tapes, grow in your relationships, challenge yourself. Know yourself and know your issues, so you continue to grow. Track down Paul Lowe, David Deida, the Human Awareness Institute, Landmark Education, Byron Katie, Tony Robbins – find your ‘gurus’ and learn from them.
Excellence in coaching comes down to excellence in the coach.
A coach’s life doesn’t have to be perfect. Boy – you should see some of the stuff that happens in my life! But what’s your attitude around it? Is it: ‘What a powerful ride! What’s next?’ Or ‘Why does this always happen to me?’
Do you learn from your experiences? It’s the growing and expanding that leads to understanding for ourselves and for those we coach. I just had a session today where my courage in coming through a difficult time was fuel and inspiration for my client. It wasn’t so much my ‘technique’ in coaching her; it was her being able to see someone who had been there and faced the tough decisions and come through it with a smile (eventually!).It’s wonderful how our clients call us to live greater lives than we might on our own.
Even in our imperfect lives, are you excited about your life? Do you wake up feeling that something wonderful will happen today? This passion brings enthusiasm to your clients as well. You can create light, when you are lit up yourself.
I could rave to you about how to ‘do’ great coaching, but I won’t.
It’s excellence in our own lives that counts.
Who are you?
Who are you as a person – that someone would want to work with you?
That they would want a ‘piece’ of your energy? That someone would say, “That’s the type of person I would like to become.” “I want a life like that.”
Are you:
Loving your life? Can you find gratitude, are attractive to be around, and things keep getting better?
Responsible for your life? Instead of complaining about what happened, you say, “What did I do to create this, and why?” You forgo excuses and blame.
Feeling all your feelings honestly? Without letting them rule you, or on the other hand suppressing them?
Going for everything you want? Or at least being honest where you’re not?
Risking in your life? Saying the things you’re scared to say, even at risk of losing a relationship? Doing the things you fear? Thinking bigger? Letting go of your safe nest for what is next?
Taking care of yourself? Are you giving you what you need? Do you exercise and eat well? Do you rest when you need to?
Keeping your own standards of integrity? Paying ALL the tax you know you should? Do you pay for software and CD music? Are you on time? Do you let go of the clients you know you’re not helping? But don’t stick to my standards; stick to yours!
The following is an excerpt from David’s independent report on coaching training and certification.
Let’s summarize your choices:
A. Forget about accreditation until you have 1,000 hours of paid coaching under your belt (by which time you may not care if you’re accredited or not).
B. Pick a school whose training inspires you and get their accreditation
-If they are rubber-stamped by the IFC – great! At the end of the day you should end up with both certifications.
-If you choose Coachville, then no ICF accreditation (at least yet), but you’ll have a CV accreditation, and an IAC accreditation. (Is this IAC accreditation worth anything? More in the next chapter.)
C. Go the other way around, and set your heart on the ICF accreditation, and pick a school accredited by the ICF – and whose training inspires you – to end up with a school accreditation AND ICF accreditation.
The following is an excerpt from David’s independent report on coaching training and certification.
Given the wide range of quality schools that are accredited with the ICF, or at least ‘aligned’ with their competencies (see ‘How to Get ICF Certified’), why not choose one of these schools? This way you always have the option of either sitting you ICF exam with this school, or one day submitting your training record to the ICF and getting ICF certified.
This approach gives you the option of going for ICF certification when you’re done (and have met the remaining criteria).
The following is an excerpt from David’s independent report on coaching training and certification.
Before you look at training, decide whether you will get certified, not get certified, or keep your options open.
A good reason to get certified is because you believe in the philosophy of the training school you choose, and the value of the association you belong to. And, because you want to continually improve your coaching skills.
A bad reason to get certified is because you think that will get you more clients, or in some way it will make you ‘worthy’ as a coach. Our experience has been that it does neither. A certificate might look good on the way, and it feels good to be able to say it – but few coaching clients bother to ask about your school of training or level of certification.
