Wondering how to select the right life coach for you? There are many kinds of coaches offering services for a wide range of needs and goals people have. How do you know what to look for, and what to avoid?
The first thing to ask—of yourself, that is—would be: “What kind of coaching is right for me, in terms of my goals?” The thoughtful answer to this will lead you to those coaches who are best equipped for your needs and goals. Many offer a no-obligation consultation. This is a great way to find out if coaching is right for you, in general, and whether the coach you meet with is right for you.
For Single-Focused Folks
Some coaching is tailor-made for those who know their needs and have a very defined goal or goals. For example, you may want to find a coach who is experienced in helping athletes, if that is your aspiration. Another example: if you are a stressed-out mom of young children, maybe that’s the filter you will use to find a coach who focuses on helping women like you. Or maybe you’re a newly-minted real estate professional who would like the access to and accountability of working with a real-estate coach with experience and industry knowledge. As a “Single-Focused” client, your best bet is to identify a coach who can reliably address your needs.
I think of this kind of coach as a “single-focus coach,” and the best single-focus coaches are experts in their fields but also know how to work with and train their clients and who have a wealth of experience in this kind of coaching. These twin attributes, expertise and teaching ability and experience, are the gold standard to look for.
This coaching experience, with emphasis on a single skill or development of a particular knowledge base for a recreational or professional sport, work or career advancement, or another very single-focused area of life, will help you to produce the specific result you’re looking for in your life.
For “Works-In-Progress”
On the other hand, maybe your goal is unclear or less clear, and you need support in clarifying and honing in on just exactly what is next for you (regarding career, school, relationship, a creative endeavor, or another major life transition). Or you know what you would like to do, but you’re feeling unsure about how to get there. Or you have begun a process or project and are feeling stalled or stuck, perhaps. In each of these scenarios, coaching support can make all the difference to move you forward and meet goals. If you are a “Work-In-Progress,” then my recommendation would be to find the kind of coach who really gets this, and who has experience in helping people to (1) untangle from the confusion or better understand what is truly holding them back; (2) dig into and uncover what is most important and how to leverage your strengths; and (3) learn new and effective tools to make things really happen!
How do you find a coach who meets these criteria? An effective life coach who can help “Work-In-Progress Clients” should have the appropriate experience, the knowledge, and the right abilities and attributes to help you access and tap into your “wise self” and the “life compass” within, and all that this means: your dream for your life, goals, inner motivations, hidden talents, and your capacity to change your life. This kind of coach can accurately “get” who you are. This kind of coach will help you see the potentials and possibilities—as well as the actual and perceived barriers, so you can move past them, find your way forward, and get things done to meet your goal!
This kind of life coach is what I think of as a personal development coach.
An effective personal development coach possesses the vision and has the outlook that the client is already equipped with the resources for all life tasks, but just needs some help in tapping into these inner resources. Such a coach knows that there are nearly endless possibilities for each of us to succeed, to be creative, and to make a difference, so we can be our authentic selves in our work and personal lives.
The best personal development coaches understand the ways we as humans work in the world—our patterns of behavior and the thinking and belief systems that make us do what we do. This kind of coach also has the training and knowledge of the ways to transcend or override such patterns if they are holding a person back, and knows how to teach the tools to others to accomplish this.
There are so many additional benefits that the client may expect, as well: A new awareness of the possibilities for fulfillment and a richer, fuller life. A higher-degree of confidence. New hope and optimism. Less fear and anxiety about the unknown future. More ease in taking calculated risks. A joyful sense of freedom!
What can you expect from just such a personal development coach?
She or he will:
- Be present with you and truly listen to you.
- Offer acceptance, encouragement, support, and kind-yet-honest feedback.
- Attune the coaching process to your individual needs and goals and at a pace that works best for you.
- Help you recognize patterns of thinking you may be unaware of— that may be hampering you or hindering you from reaching your true potential.
- Assist you in the process of reframing or even eliminating outdated or unhelpful patterns of thinking.
- Provide the opening to allow you a sense of new possibilities and shifts in perspective.
- Share with you the strategies and tools for advancing your progress and ultimately meeting a goal or making a life change.
- Encourage you to recognize and tap your own innate capabilities, courage, and vision for your best possible life.
- Serve you as a nonjudging helper and guide on your journey through and beyond the uncertainties, difficulties, and challenges you face.
- Celebrate with you the victories, big and small, as you move past the old barriers, learn new lessons, and move toward your biggest, most beautiful life!
So whether you are seeking single-focus type coaching to become better at a particular skill, or you are a work-in-progress who wants to grow personally and make significant life changes: here’s to your success, and I wish you a positive and impactful experience in coaching.
Good evening. Thank you…Love your blog!.