8 Quick Coaching Success Tips

A coach certification program may take a few months to complete. However, to truly master coaching can take years. That doesn’t mean that your coaching isn’t valuable in the meantime. Rather that you must commit to lifelong learning if you truly want to master coaching.

When you first begin, you only need to be a step or two ahead of the person you coach, in order to help them. So don’t let your lack of experience hold you back.

The more you coach, the more skilled you will become. And while you are helping your coaching client, you are growing personally and professionally. 

Most of those who become coaches are soon surprised at how mutually beneficial the coaching relationship can be. Often I have reflected after a coaching session, how much I personally gained from the process. Remember, in any relationship, God does not just feed one party. Both benefit.

Whether you are just beginning to explore coaching, are in your certification training or are an experienced, master coach, there are always areas you can learn and improve.

Here are some quick tips to get you thinking of ways you can grow, while you are learning to help others:

1. Listening well is the most important skill in coaching and in fact all other coaching skills depend on your ability to listen well. I address the importance of listening and some great skills to develop in the Christian Life Coach certification program.
2. Asking powerful questions is an equally important skill. How can you develop your coaching questions? Each coaching session and client is unique, so you’ll need to remain in the moment and focus on the conversation to learn this skill. It’s always helpful to request that the client tells you more or comes up with one more idea/option after they feel they have already exhausted what they have. This will stretch your client and both of you will gain additional clarity.
3. Even though tried and true methods and coaching models work, don’t fear trying new models and exercises. I recently presented a new (advanced) coaching model that students are finding consistently effective and powerful.
4. Practice no-excuse accountability with your clients. For some clients, the mere presence of a coach keeps them accountable. Other clients will need a firm reminder of their stated goals and what may be lost if they fail to take the steps they committed to. It’s not uncommon for the fear of losing their objective to ignite their passion once again to stay on track.
5. If your client presents excuses for failing to take action, shift the conversation to what the client needs to do, to move forward from where they are now. Excuses should not be given air time. Instead focus on the goal.
6. If your client’s discoveries in the coaching process cause them to lose their passion for a particular goal, work with them to transition to the new direction while keeping them congruent with their overall, long term vision.
7. Hold the space for your client to explore their thoughts and feelings. Use your own curiosity and questions to help them expand their thinking in a safe space. At the same time, don’t be afraid to be honest with your client. Sometimes a gentler way to be honest is to present your client with guiding questions, so they arrive at their own best conclusions.
8. And don’t forget about yourself. Once you get trained, you can use the same skills and exercises that help your clients, to achieve your personal goals.

I hope you find the above tips helpful as you reflect on their application with your clients.

And let’s be frank. There are some clients you may not want to work with. And that’s ok. Not every coach was created to work with every coaching client. Trying to work with someone you don’t enjoy working with can make you sour on the coaching profession or have some miserable days.  In the CCLC training I discuss ways to refer students to other professionals.

If you want to dive deeper into coach training or get certified in a specialty, I invite you to check out options on our courses page. Remember, course bundles offer great tuition savings.

Now it’s your turn. I’d love to hear coaching tips you have discovered, that help you give your clients greater value. To share your comment, please scroll to the bottom of this page.

Love and blessings,

Leelo Bush. PhD

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Copyright 2018 by Leelo Bush, PhD, All rights reserved.

DO YOU FEEL CALLED?

If you have a heart-desire to help others live better lives, I encourage you to visit our courses page so that you can learn how to serve with excellence. Many of our courses offer dual certification so that your credential is valid in Christian/faith arenas as well as secular/business and non-profit.  Find all our courses HERE. 

Take One Course – Receive Two Certifications

What’s more, PCCCA is the only school that gives you DUAL certifications on graduation. You receive both the Christian life coach certification and the Professional Life Coach certification. Your training in the PCCCA Christian life coach course qualifies you for both.

You owe it to yourself and to your Lord, to receive training that agrees with the word of God. Only then can He use you in more powerful ways than you can even imagine.