Your coaching philosophy is an integral part of your practice.
For example, if you are a life coach, say Ajit Nawalkhathe co-founder of Mindvalley Coach, “you want to have a philosophy on how to create change in your client’s life.”
If you don’t have one, you can lose direction. And your customers can withdraw.
So it goes without saying that developing a strong coaching philosophy is crucial. It will guide you and your customers to success.
What is a coaching philosophy?
A coaching philosophy is a core set of beliefs, values and ideas around how a coach creates transformation in their clients.
Some examples of coaching philosophy are:
- Life guidance: You may have a fundamental belief that transformation is only possible if your client looks at their life holistically, and not just in one aspect.
- Health coaching: You may believe that your clients should focus on nutrition as much as fitness to improve their health and well-being.
- Business coaching: You may believe that to have maximum impact on your clients, you need to integrate strategy consulting with your business coaching methodologies.
Form a philosophy that you stand for and share it with your clients during your discovery sessions to create better alignment.
Why do you need a coaching philosophy?
Developing a clear coaching philosophy is an important part of becoming a professional coach. It helps inform your customers about what they can expect from working with you.
If you lead based on your philosophy and share it with the customer, the customer fully knows what he is signing up for. —@ajitna Click to tweet
Lack of clarity is the main reason why coaching fails because it:
- Make it harder for customers to trust your techniques,
- Create a conflict of values between you and your client, and
- Make your client resistant to continuing your coaching approach.
“If you have a clear philosophy, you approach your customer with a certain attitude and a certain ability,” explains Ajit. “And that’s why you also determine in advance the kind of results that the clients can expect, the area of work that you can focus on, the kind of results that you would focus on..”
How do I develop my own coaching philosophy?
Here’s how you can update your existing philosophy or create a completely new one.
1. Identify your values
Us core values are our guideline when it comes to making daily decisions. Identify your top three to five values by asking yourself these questions:
- What qualities have contributed most to your success?
- How do you want to be remembered when you leave a room?
- What part of your job do you love most?
- What is the most satisfying feeling you give to others?
- What qualities are you most proud of?
- What do others think others are good at?
2. Define your beliefs about each value
Once you’re clear on your values, you can determine how those values translate into coaching.
For example, if your top value is love, how is that expressed to a customer? Is it in the way you build your coach-client relationship? Or in the way you coach them?
If your core value is responsibility, how can you hold your customers accountable? How is this value reflected in your coaching methodology?
Developing your belief system based on your values will bring clarity to your coaching style and philosophy.
3. Create your philosophy based on your values and beliefs
You can write your philosophy in a mission statement or in the form of bullet points. Create a message that clearly communicates your purpose, your values, and your coaching style by combining and integrating the elements from steps one and two.
You can even print it out and add it to your vision board as a daily reminder and inspiration before each coaching session.
How do I share my coaching philosophy with my clients?
You can share your philosophy as part of your:
- Discovery sessions,
- Workshops and seminars,
- coaching sessions,
- Website and social media content, and
- Onboarding package.
“The coaching philosophy, once developed and once you have become comfortable with it, adapts to the situation that arises in the world around you,” says Ajit. And by sharing these in a thoughtful and engaging way, you can build a strong foundation for successful coaching partnerships and guide your clients to sustainable transformations.
Your philosophy, your script
The point is that the world is constantly evolving. And that includes your coaching philosophy. Even though your coaching principles are deeply rooted in your values and beliefs, they should be updated from time to time as you grow in your career.
If you want to learn how to do that, Mindvalley Coach is committed to helping coaches like you create real impact in the world. And it all starts when you join for free Become a Mindvalley certified life coach master class.
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Images generated on Midjourney.
