My entire career has been made up of two service offerings, neither of which actually required being credentialed in order to be successful: Web Design and Coaching.
Now, of course, there are credentials that exist in both of those. You can become certified by various large, widely recognized groups.
BUT, you don’t HAVE to play their game. Turns out that you can be a succesful life or business coach (or web designer) without submitting the required documentation and doing the hours of training.
Life experience and training in other areas may be fine to get you going. And then a good resume or testimonials and referrals may be all you need to keep going and become amazingly successful.
I am not telling anyone to forego getting trained. I see the usefulness of having those systems in place, just like I see the usefulness of having universities. But, a large percentage of the richest people in the world don’t have a college degree! It is not Absolutely Required.
So, you COULD be a great, famous, and wealthy coach just be getting out there and coaching people. How is Tony Robbins doing?
The most important point of what I am saying is perhaps you’re a new(er) coach. You’re not yet certified. But you’re working on getting your training finished, or your calls recorded, or logging the hours that are required for ICF certification.
I know, trust me I know, that sometimes when speaking to a potential client, or your friends, or someone at a networking meeting, the little voice in your head is calling you out as a fraud. “You’re not REALLY a coach, yet!”
Just say, “Thanks for your input. Now watch me coach!”
You are a coach because you know yourself to be. You’ve made a difference and you have a burning desire to do it more.
You know that you have something valuable to offer to people. You’ve helped someone get past something difficult or helped another reach unexpected heights. Good on ya!
You are a coach and probably a damn fine one! Don’t let your inner conversations stop you from having meaningful, powerful real-world conversations.
The credentials will come later… or not. Start working with people now. Give them your best to make them their best!
And thank you for making the world a better place!
I love ya!
Please tell me what you think in comments below. I welcome praise, but will cheerfully accept disagreement, too. 🙂
Yep, couldn't agree more. If you really need a certificate I'm sure Toby could print one up for you!
The thing is, what you learn as a coach, while valuable, may not be the thing your potential client needs. Your business and life experience matter more. A credentialed business coach who has never run a company is far less valuable than one who has been in the trenches. Your validation comes from others who have worked with you and, of course, the hardest one – self-validation.
Always remember that what you know may be a secret to someone else and likely is.
Once upon a time I was a film student hoping to go to USC. What I learned from studying the great filmmakers was that it was far more preferred that you hadn't been to film school. Watching and studying all those films made it difficult to be as original. Granted many great filmmakers have been to film school but bringing life experience to the process rather than an odd memory of a Hitchcock film makes for a more successful flick. No one likes a cookie-cutter experience.
So, listen to Toby, and just get out there! Take the first step. It's all about helping someone.
Thanks, Yolanda! Both for stopping by and for commenting.
(And for agreeing with me, too! Gotta love that!)
Cheers!
Toby
I've been saying for years that you (and I) don't need coaching certification to be a successful coach. The coaching certification criteria are just so diverse and the types of coaching, coaching skills, and coaching applications are so varied that there's no way to measure if you're 'any good' yet. So leave your prestigious life coaching certifications as a second or third priority in your development of your life coaching business.
Jeffrey,
Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment!
Testimonials and satisfied clients are far more important than a signed document saying that you took some classes.
Of course, for new coaches, there's often a lot of "How would listen to me?" or some insecurity about their abilities. A certification is often just what's needed to validate them enough to go out and talk to prospects.
There's nothing wrong with certifications. Training can certainly help coaches learn some skills they don't even know they need. Having a national or international certifying body is also good for keep scammers out of the system.
Cheers!
Toby
I had to read your post twice to get the full impact of it. I appreciate reading what you have to say. It’s unfortunate that more people do not comprehend the benefits of coaching. Keep up the good work.