How to Start Coaching Yourself and Others

1. Spend time to know people beyond the exterior and what they show forth as being their true selves. Explore and appreciate the uniqueness of people, as you seek out and magnify their better qualities, rather than condemn and judge them solely on their failures, challenges and sometimes errors of judgments.

2. No matter how serious your life may be, there is someone that needs you to once in a while act as a friend, a partner or a motivator. Just saying that a person makes your day could actually make the day of that person.

3. Treat people the way that you know that they love being treated, and the way that you would want to be treated. Whatever you do, always remember that it is all about creating value for people, and getting even more value in return.

A Coach is someone who is:

• Compassionate and caring
• Non-judgmental and open-minded
• Inspiring, encouraging and motivating
• Confidential and professional
• Reliable, honest, trusting and trustworthy
• Loving, loyal, credible, and willing
• Capable, knowledgeable, trained and experienced

Who can become a coach?

You do not need a degree to be a Personal Coach. Your desire to learn, common sense, intuition and your life experience will guide you.  It is however imperative that you obtain coaching training. Anyone from any background can make a good coach as long as they are coachable themselves and have a genuine belief in the potential of others. People most suited to becoming a coach of some sort are those who have one or more of the following characteristics:

• Already have strong communication skills

• Are natural coaches who just want more structure and confidence to get them going
• Are fast learners wanting training that goes at their pace
• Are ready to start coaching, building their practice or bring coaching into their organisation
• Have backgrounds in human resources, consulting, management, and teaching or have successful businesses
• Are wanting to work with executives, professionals and business owners
• Take great interest and joy in seeing others succeed

Your Personal Assessment as a Prospective Coaches:

• How self aware am I?
• Can I be an inspiration to others?
• Can I generously and truly share my knowledge and experience?
• How good am I in building and maintaining good relationships?
• Can I keep confidences and remain confidential?
• Can I be flexible in learning needs and styles from my protégés?
• How well do I listen and communicate?
• How skilled am I in the art of providing feedback?
• How well have I kept with the times, and am I forward-looking?
• Do I have the discipline to deliver consistently?
• Am I able to set and respect boundaries?
• How well do I diagnose and contribute possible solutions?
• What unique resources can I offer?
• What kind of people am I able to coach effectively?
• What are the values that I stand for, which protégés should seek?
• What are my needs and motivations in coaching?
• What are my life and career goals, relative to where I am now?
• What additional skills and knowledge do I need to achieve my goals?
• How well prepared am I to take risks in order to achieve my goals?
• What kind of relationships assist in my development and achievement?