The coaching industry is booming and has experienced significant growth especially in the last 10 years. A recent report compiled by market research firm IBISWorld, showed that coaching is a $1 billion industry in the U.S. alone.
It seems that these days someone you either know is a coach or a friend, family member or work colleague have their own personal coach.
With the proliferation of coaches, how do you find the right life coach for you?
Below I’ve put together 5 tips that I use when seeking out a coach, (of any specialty) to work with. I hope you find it helpful!
I believe that the actual coaching relationship plays one of the biggest parts in the successes that come from a coaching series.
That’s why it’s so important that you first do some research on coaches who you are interested in working with and get to know them.
You can get to know a coach by following their work online. Sign up to their newsletters, follow them on social media and read their blog. Do they provide you with lots of valuable content that helps you even BEFORE you sign up to work with them?
Also many coaches offer a complimentary consultation. The benefit of a consult is that it gives you a chance to ask any questions about the coaching series, learn more about your coach and to work out if you and the prospective coach will be a magical fit.
If you’re not too sure after the consult, keep looking around and do a few more complimentary consults to compare.
After following a potential coach’s work, either online, in person at a workshop or through a complimentary consult, you should start to get an idea if you vibe with them.
What do I mean by this?
A simple way is to consider if their age, sex, experience, method or coaching style is important to you?
Also, do you prefer to have a face-to-face coaching series or connect online via skype or telephone conferencing?
But the real kicker (I believe) is the personality match! You want to find a coach whose personality doesn’t clash with yours.
Do you feel you’re on the same wavelength? Is he or she supportive and understanding of what you’re saying? Can you picture yourself being comfortable and willing to catch up with them for a casual coffee?
Many of the coaches I’ve had in the past I now classify as friends and I had great coaching relationships with all of them.
Also look out for the following:
An important question to ask yourself before you seek out a coach is “what do I want to focus on in my life?”
Maybe you want to work on your self-esteem, confidence, creativity, relationships or your business? Or maybe you want to advance your career or amp up your health and wellness?
The good news is that most coaches tend to have a coaching specialty and focus their work on their strengths as a coach.
Try to align your focus and needs with a coach who specialises in what you want to work on!
Simple, but powerful!
It’s important to know that anyone can call themselves a ‘Life Coach.’ Kind of scary huh!?
However, that’s not to say that working with a trained Life Coach is risky!
To ensure that you work with a credible life coach make sure you enquire about:
If you’re going to invest in yourself through a coaching series you want to make sure that your potential coach also spends time, money and energy investing in their own development!
(Just an FYI – The Beautiful You Life Coaching Academy that I trained through is an approved Coach Education Provider by the International Coach Federation (IFF). The ICF is the most widely recognised and reputable regulatory organisation for life coaches).
If you’ve gone through steps 1-4 and you’re still unsure, I suggest you tune into your intuition.
Whatever feelings are coming up, whether positive or negative, lean into them and trust them.
Here’s a personal example – in my previous business, my sister and I hired an EXTREMELY expensive business coach. We worked our way through steps 1-4 but I had an icky feeling about her, (as did my husband). Because we were so keen to get help and business support we just signed up and dropped a load of cash.
Let’s just say the coaching relationship wasn’t good and she couldn’t deliver what she promised! But it was a great lesson for me in terms of sitting with a decision and really listening to and honoring my intuition. I actually learned what not to do as both a coach and client….so I guess it wasn’t all bad!
But finally, you want to find a coach who you genuinely like, who specialises in what you want to focus on, provides a safe and supportive environment AND will continually challenge you!
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Once you’ve decided who you think will be the perfect coach for you, then read next week’s post where I share 5 Tips To Help You Get The Most Out Of Your Coaching Series.
What are the key things you look for in a coach? What are your non-negotiables? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!
REMINDER!! I’m closing my books on my 3 Month Life Coaching Packages as of 14th May. This is so I can wrap up all my client sessions before the baby arrives!
If you want to work together, make sure you send me an email ASAP ainslie (at) startingwitha (.) com and we can book you in for a 30 minute complimentary consult! I’d love to be the perfect coaching match for you!
Love,
