What It Takes to Be a Successful Coach
Tuesday, July 31, 2007 at 11:38 I wrote this article several years ago about coaching. However most of what I said applies to other businesses too, and bears repeating.
During the time I have been a coach, I have been regularly astonished by two things. The first is how little some quite well-known coaches are earning after years of being a coach. The second is how quickly some other people start earning large sums of money at coaching.
I have noticed that it is frequently possible to identify the people who are going to “fly” the second they come onto the scene, well before they start being successful.
So here is a list of things I think these people have in common. Not all of them of course will have all these qualities in equal measure, and I am sure there are other factors which I have omitted.
* They see coaching as a business, and take a business attitude to it.
* They are quite clear about what they want to achieve, and work to long-term (3-5 years) rather than short-term goals.
* They know it takes time and effort to build a business, and they start putting that time and effort in straightaway.
* They adequately fund their business.
* They are confident in their own abilities, particularly their business abilities.
* They concentrate more on improving their business than on improving their coaching (though obviously the two go hand-in-hand; it is a matter of emphasis).
* They see marketing as their number one priority.
* They find ways very early on of distinguishing themselves from the common herd.
* And without any exception I can think of, they are excellent public speakers.
It all goes back to what I’ve written before: our profession is coaching; our business is selling coaching services.
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