7 Ways to Make Early Wins As A Coach

 

 

Starting a Second Career (As a Coach)? 7 Ways to Make Early Wins

 
The personal characteristics of people who want to be a coach are as important as their educational requirements. More often, it is not enough to be certified as a coach to secure early wins. Whether you’re a personal coach or a business coach, your capacity to be caring, patient, cheerful, and open-minded, and to believe that everyone can change and develop, is essential. 

If you’re starting a second career as a coach and looking for some techniques to build your credibility, here are seven ways to make early wins.
 

First, you need to understand and focus on your new role. 

Whatever your previous career was, you should forget about it. Pay attention to what your new role requires. Prepare yourself physically and mentally. Carefully examine which part of your new job is critical to success and work on it. This will greatly help you make the leap from your first career to the present one.
 

Second, learn about the people (the clients) you are working with.

Are you working with students who are looking to gain insights on the next steps in their career path? Are you dealing with professional individuals seeking to improve confidence or entrepreneurs wanting to enhance their personal impact and performance in their current role? Or are you working with an organization seeking to build a strong team for optimum work efficiency?
 

Third, you need to plan your strategy to help clients achieve each of their goals.

Set short-term targets that you can deliver within the first few days of meeting with your clients. Make the first impression of being a results-oriented, passionate coach. With immediate results, your clients will be able to build their confidence in you.
 

Fourth, create a welcoming atmosphere to start building effective relationships.

Your clients should see you not only as their coach but also as their friend with whom they can discuss their feelings and thoughts without being judged.
 

Fifth, manage expectations right from the very beginning. Listen to their requests and clarify if needed.

Many leaders commit the mistake of thinking that what had made them successful at getting to the top would work the same way in their new role as a coach. Coaching is a totally different thing. You have to learn new skills, and one of them is the skill of listening.

Listen to their needs. Pay attention to non-verbal cues. Remember, these people approach you because they want to improve their personality. Sometimes, what they say is different from what you see.
 

Sixth, make a “contract” with your clients.

Agree on how things should be done. This way, you and your clients will have a clear picture of what to expect from the program and know which direction you are going.
 

Seventh, use varied methods in helping your clients realize their true potentials.

Use a combination of thought-provoking questionnaires, individual interviews, and group discussions.
 
Because every person is unique, you must invest time into working with the clients on an individual basis as often as possible. It is important for you and your client to get to know one another so that he or she will feel free to discuss their concerns and feelings and to ask questions they might find awkward or embarrassing. 

During individual discussions, you can help your client reach an understanding of how to overcome obstacles in life. When you are able to clarify a person’s true values and goals, you can help him face his difficulties realistically and learn to cope more readily with the problems of his daily life.
 
Sometimes, it is appropriate to discuss problems or issues with a large or small group. In group discussions, attitudes, values, and feelings are emphasized. Some students are also more comfortable speaking and discussing problems in small groups. The beneficial result of doing group discussions is the sense of belongingness. 

People of the same age, especially young ones, have similar concerns, but they view these concerns differently. By discussing them in a group, they will soon realize that they are not alone. And this helps lift the burden they are feeling. In return, listening to the views of other people can be informative.
 
 
AUTHOR BIO

Salma El-Shurafa is an experienced Executive Coach and founder of The Pathway Project. She is a Professional Certified Coach by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach from The Coaches Training Institute (CTI) and a graduate of CTI’s Co-Active Leadership program.