The Core Competencies Of An Effective Life Coach?
If you are considering a change of career and moving into the life coaching sector then it is important to consider the core competencies of an effective Life Coach. What types of skills and abilities will you need to motivate your clients and help them to achieve their personal or professional objectives? This is the first of seven assignments completed as part of a Life Coaching Course I undertook with the Home Learning College , which looks at the core competencies of an effective life coach. I can highly recommend the Home Learning College life coaching course, which leads to a recognised qualification in Life Coaching. You are provided with a superb reference guide and one to one tutoring via email or phone. I must stress that I do not earn any financial incentive for referring people to their site.
Question 1
Write a brief summary of the requirements of an effective life coach and include why you think these requirements are important.
Listening is perhaps the most important requirement for a life coach as effective listening encourages the client to be open about their circumstances which in turn leads to improved goal setting.
Being a people centered person and having a keen interest in making a positive difference to a client’s lifestyle cannot be understated because if a client feels that they are undervalued, disliked or simply being used to earn a living then the chances of achieving positive change will be dramatically reduced, as life coaching is based upon a partnership approach. A good life coach will treat clients as individuals and for this reason being a people person is essential.
Stressing the importance of making a positive difference in a person’s life also sets the tone of the coaching session ensuring that it is not confused with counselling, therapy, training or mentoring, as I have learnt from unit one of this course. By viewing coaching as a distinct and forward thinking process, driven by achieving realistic goals, making a difference should become a reality.
Rapport building is important in the life coaching process for the simple reason that it is the key to unlocking the potential of the client. This is not always easy because as human beings we will naturally gravitate towards certain types of people or personalities above others. A professional life coach will seek to build rapport with each and every client; regardless of personality differences, and by doing so encourage open and honest discussion, which will improve the chances of the client achieving their desired goals. Good rapport building leads to trust developing between client and coach which creates the partnership approach essential to an effective coaching process.
The ability to develop emotionally and spiritually as a person through the coaching process is not a selfish goal in itself for the coach to have. If the coach feels fulfilled in their vocation; is at peace with their work and is able to improve and develop their interpersonal skills during their interactions, then this will be reflected in the effort they commit to client coaching sessions. This can only positively effect the coach’s ability to motivate clients and will be evident throughout the coaching process.
Feeling a sense of reward and pleasure at seeing a client succeed is an important requirement for a life coach. Firstly it maintains the motivation and self discipline of the coach as they can see the possible success of their contribution to the coaching process. This is critical as an unhappy coach will negatively impact upon the client’s chances of success and affect their motivation levels. Secondly it enables the coach to increase their confidence in their coaching abilities as they observe a client achieving their desired outcome.
The ability to like people is an fundamental requirement for a life coach because without it clients will quickly discern negative underlying feelings and leave. In a vocation that is people orientated life coaches that are unable to feel positive around people will quickly find their job becomes a prison for them and merely a means of making money. This in turn is likely to undermine the very principles of life coaching which stresses the significance of a partnership approach between the client and coach.
Question 2
Write a brief summary of the competencies of an effective life coach and include why you think these competencies are important.
The ability to create a supportive presence is an important competency because a client needs to know that the coaching process is a learning process and that they therefore have the right to make mistakes, without fear of consequences. Creating a supportive presence will therefore help the client to feel they are in a safe environment where they can practice skills and make mistakes to enable them to grow and develop.
Being skilled in giving and receiving feedback will always be a fundamental competency for a life coach as it defines the framework for the coaching process. A life coach that adopts an overly critical approach or who is defensive when given feedback, will undermine the whole process by destroying the self esteem of the client. Life coaching is about moving forward in a positive way to achieve a desired goal or series of goals and clients need to understand why a particular strategy or approach they adopt may not be having the desired results so that they can change it. Being skilled at giving and receiving feedback will help the life coach to support change and maintain motivation in the client. In my role as a counsellorI have discovered that providing one area to improve upon for every three pieces of positive feedback is an effective method to encourage and support change. The life coach should also lead by example and encourage feedback from the client to improve the coaching relationship.
Effective listening skills are a core competency for a life coach because the coaching process requires a partnership approach. The coach does not enter the process as the expert, instead they need to act as a guide and in order to do that they first need to listen closely to what is being said without interruption, except to clarify meaning. Effective listening helps to build integrity in the coaching process by building trust between coach and client and leaving the client feeling that they have been respected, valued and understood. Effective listening also enables the coach to work with the client to formulate more effective strategies by referring back to what the client has previously discussed.
Effective questioning skills are an important competency as they open up the coaching process and encourage the client to consider new possibilities. This is especially useful where the client may be locked into rigid thinking patterns and the coach can ask insightful questions to help constructively challenge these views. They also allow the coach to help the client explore why a given strategy is successful or why it needs to change.
Motivating clients to set goals that stretch them is an intrinsic competency within the coaching process because doing so enables the client to grow and develop towards their desired purpose. As I have learnt from unit one of this course, the coaching process is about moving people forward and this is only possible if the life coach is able to motivate the client sufficiently to enable them to make positive lifestyle changes.
The ability to challenge is an important competency because; providing it is done in a constructive and sensitive manner it can enable the client to reflect positively upon their thinking or behaviour. As they reflect the coach can help guide them to consider alternative options with a view to helping them develop and grow.
Being supportive during a psychological state change is important within the coaching process because; no matter how well motivated a client is, making positive changes can be demanding. Some clients may need more time than others to adjust to the changes they intend to make and the life coach will be pivotal in reminding the client of the reasons they originally gave for making the desired change, in a way that empowers the client to move forward constructively. The life coach can also provide reassurance to the client that it can take time to adjust and that having doubts throughout their journey is not an unusual occurrence.
The importance of being open minded is a core competency to life coaching. The whole emphasis of the coaching process revolves around a client centered approach and being responsive to their individual needs. As such there are likely to be frequent times when the direction the client chooses to go will be different from the coaches personal choice, but this should be respected and valued. Sometimes there are many avenues that lead to the same outcome and a life coach needs to be sufficiently open minded to consider them all.
Question 3
Thinking about what makes a good life coach, write a paragraph about why you think you would make a successful life coach.
I think that I would make a good life coach because I am friendly and approachable which helps to create a supportive environment in which effective coaching can take place and enables rapport to be quickly established and developed. I am also respectful of diversity issues having worked in one to one coaching with a variety of individuals from all walks of life, in my current and previous employment. This is important for building a respectful learning environment. I am also experienced in goal setting and motivating individuals to achieve specific, but realistic goals and objectives which enable them to move forward in a positive manner.
Question 4
Ask somebody who knows you to tell you what personal qualities they think you have that would make you a good life coach. Write down their comments and compare them to the answer you gave for question 3.
Question 5
Write down any of your personal qualities that you think may affect your ability to be successful life coach. For each one describe how you would overcome it.
Excessive Talking
This can be a huge strength when initially building rapport or breaking the ice with a client but it is also a weakness as it may lead to the client feeling that they have not been listened to effectively. The best way that I can overcome this is to remind myself that the person with the best solution to achieving their goals is the client and allowing them time and space to talk through their goals and objectives may help them to find their own answers. I will also keep reminding myself of the 65% rule, (Lewis 2000) where the client should be encouraged to talk at least 65% of the time. This is a technique I use with great effect in one to one coaching sessions with the individuals I work with.
Problem Solving For The Client
I can be guilty of falling into the trap of looking to solve other peoples problems, which reduces their opportunity for personal growth. I can overcome this by utilising open questions in such a way that they cause the client to reflect and consider their own solutions.
Example client purpose: I want to know how I can change my career.
Possible open questions to ask:
Bibliography
Lewis, G (2000) Mentoring Manager: Strategies for fostering talent and spreading knowledge. Prentice Hall. London .
Life Coaching Diploma: Course Book. (2006) Home Learning College Ltd. London.
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