Who are you as a coach? And What do you coach for?
If you haven’t yet worked out who you are as a coach, why you coach and what you coach for (i.e. what you are helping your clients to achieve/change), then now is the time to start that thinking. The coaching industry is becoming increasingly segmented, and clients want to be able to differentiate between coaches. You need to be sure of your niche and need to be able to define what kind of coach you are and what kind of coaching you do. If you can’t articulate this, your offer is likely to get lost in the increasingly saturated coaching market.
However, your personal identity as a coach goes deeper than making sure your marketing messages are clear. You need to be really clear about who you are in the coaching room.
Who is it that your client sees and relates to?
What do you bring to your clients and how do you do that?
What are your philosophical and spiritual beliefs connected with your coaching?
What coaching psychologies inform your work?
What experience do you bring to your coaching?
What skills and knowledge do you have that become relevant in coaching relationships?
Why do clients choose you?
What character strengths do you show to your clients?
How do you share your personality in the coaching experience?
What moral and ethical frameworks do you work to?
In order to develop a confident and credible identity as a coach, it is vital that you know the answers to those questions. If you don’t, start with getting feedback from your clients and also explore the questions with your coaching supervisor. In addition, after each coaching session make some reflective notes, and train your brain to really identify who you are as a coach.
Next Steps:
Events:
Review the UCA Events Calendar to find events relating to this theme
Resources:
Visit – The UCA Supervision Page on the Website: https://universalcoachingalliance.org/supervision/
Self-development:
Follow UCA on LinkedIn – UCA LinkedIn Page
Consider the benefits of engaging in Supervision.