What Kind of Coach is Right for Me?
As the field of life coaching matures and expands, more and more coaches are being urged by marketing strategists (as well as Google Analytics) to focus their business on one specific niche. “The more specific your area of expertise, the more clients you will attract,” would be the advice of the life coach’s coach. And so, what was once the field of life coaching has become a long list of very precise niches. There is the personal life coach, the intuitive life coach, the mindset coach, spiritual coach, life skills coach, love and relationship coach, fulfillment coach, family coach, accountability coach, commitment coach, identity coach, motivation coach, work/life balance coach, just to name more than a few.
But wait! Not only are there niches, there are sub-niches, or some might call them sub-specialties. Hundreds of them! Some may find it helpful for a coach to specify their area of strength. And that is an understandably pragmatic approach when considering whom to hire as your coach. However, one could also argue, “But wouldn’t a life coach incorporate all these specialties into their coaching practice if they’re coaching someone’s life? Doesn’t a life coach, coach the whole person? Not just a piece of that person?”
As a coach, that is my belief. If someone came to me thinking they needed coaching around the topic of commitment, I would want to look at the meta-view. I would want to explore the bigger picture. We would need to address their mindset, their relationship, their intuition, motivation, work/life balance and so on. We are whole people with complicated lives and belief systems that can’t be broken down into sub-categories. I believe that all the parts of us are intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole. Everything affects the whole, and the whole affects everything. Just like a holistic doctor treats the whole person, taking into account all mental, emotional and social factors, rather than just treating the symptoms of the disease, so life coaches must look at the whole person as well.
Whichever way you view the idea of the narrow niche, or the whole-person coaching, I believe the best way to find the right coach for you is to ask the right questions.
Here are some suggestions:
Where were you trained? (It is important to choose someone who has gone through a proper certification program.) Whatever their answer is, you must research it and determine whether it is a legitimate program.
How long was your training? (This is crucial. If they say over the course of years, earning several hundred hours of experience, you’re more than likely in good hands. If they say a weekend course, you might want to continue exploring your options.)
How many years have you been doing this work?
What makes you different than all the other coaches out there?
What made you decide to go into life coaching?
If you had a profession prior to being a life coach, what was it?
How would you describe your approach to coaching?
Have you been accredited through ICF?
(The International Coaching Federation ensures coaches have gone through a specific amount of training and have earned their qualification.)
If a life coach you interview says they are not accredited by ICF, it doesn’t mean they aren’t the right coach for you. It simply means they have taken a different path and it is for you to discern whether or not they are the right fit for you.
So, speak to several, review their websites and read their reviews. I believe that when all is said and done, following your instinct after having a conversation with one is the best and most reliable way to ascertain the potential for coaching success.
Good luck!
