What makes a successful coach? There are so many factors that can contribute to someone's success as a coach: their personality, education, experience, and more. However, there are also some traits and mindsets that successful coaches share in common. This blog post will identify those traits and attitudes and use them as inspiration for your coaching career.

What makes a successful coach

The life coaching industry is a big one. In recent years, it has seen a massive boom. A lot of people started labeling themselves as life coaches. The industry is primarily unregulated, so it became easy for someone to become an instant life coach. However, there do exist accrediting organizations and governing bodies like the International Coaching Federation. These organizations gave birth to professional coaches that possess the training and credentials that make them stand out as great coaches apart from the rest. Then there are the most successful life coaches that serve as the top coaches in the field. People like Brian Tracy and Tony Robbins can reach out to many people and give effective coaching services. But what makes a successful life coach?

In general, a great life coach can make a connection with the client in a short time. A coach needs to establish a good relationship with the client to make coaching sessions work. A great coach knows how to adapt and change depending on the client's needs, and he can dig more profound than what the client is asking. A great coach knows how to give direction and clarity to the client's goals. So if you are thinking about becoming a life coach, and a successful one at that, it's a good idea to have the essential traits and mindset of the best coaches and follow in their footsteps.

1. They share their own story and experiences.

A great coach can connect more easily with others by sharing their own stories and experiences. Clients will want to work more with a coach that can relate. Sharing stories and experiences bring a coach to a human and personal level that makes them reachable in the client's eyes. It becomes easier to build rapport with the client this way, and as a coach, you might even become a role model, which makes the client more willing to follow and do what you want them to do.

2. They don't just stick to one way of doing things.

The coaching process is not a rigid system where there's only one way to do things. Great coaches know how to adapt and be flexible in guiding their clients. The initially prescribed steps might not immediately work with the client, so the coach must adjust to achieve goals. A great coach constantly learns new skills and knowledge to be better at providing service to many clients. Also, a good coach won't just stick with what the client demands from him. He asks additional questions that can probe deeper into what a client needs, and these could be things that the clients themselves might not realize.

3. They know how to listen and be observant.

Great coaches know how to listen to their clients. They don't act like sponges where they absorb whatever the client is talking to them. Instead, they intently listen so they can get to know better who their potential clients are. They are genuinely curious to know who they are speaking with so they can help them. Good coaches are observant with the way their clients talk and how their body language is. Paying attention to these things allows them to figure out the behavior and working style of the client so that they can work better with them. A coach with good listening skills also knows not to intrude too much when the client is speaking and knows how to respect the client's boundaries while still pushing them out of their comfort zone when needed.

4. They teach their client to be responsible and accountable.

A great coach strikes a balance between guiding the client and giving the client the proper challenge to solve independently. The coaching practice mainly involves providing guidance and support to help the client achieve their goals. Still, ultimately, a good coach makes their client know how to become responsible and be accountable for the things they do. A good coach can make their clients self-sufficient and learn and develop themselves on their own. The client is the one who has to make the changes on their own, and the coach is there to help make changes.

5. They connect with other successful coaches.

Great coaches don't just work by themselves when giving successful coaching to other people. A great coach also works with other coaches. They do this to learn better and gain more insight into how others do their coaching and experiences. Good coaches learn from others in their field, and another coach can coach even them. Successful coaches also employ a team of other coaches when running their business, allowing them to further spread their ideologies and beliefs on providing coaching services by teaching their team effective coaching services to clients.

6. They use systems and models to do their coaching.

An excellent coach doesn't just spout advice to help the client. To ensure that the client achieves success in meeting goals, an effective coach uses his system and model on how to do things in detail and metrics to gauge the client's progress in meeting objectives. If you go to websites of successful coaches, you may come across a section where they show in detail how they do their coaching process in step-by-step facts. Personal development becomes more manageable when an effective coach employs a concrete way of doing things without blind guidance.

7. They have a positive attitude

You will probably see most successful coaches sport a smile on their faces most of the time, and there's a good reason. They are full of energy and have a positive outlook on life. But, how can you teach others to succeed if you don't have the drive and aura that inspires others to take action in their life? Successful coaches take on challenges in their lives, and they lead by example. They know how to enjoy life and give themselves a break. They take action to improve themselves and don't wallow in despair forever when they stumble in life.

Aim to become a great life coach

When just starting your career as a life coach, it is vital not to rush yourself and take time to build up your career. Don't expect to be able to do what big-name coaches are doing immediately. The most successful coaches also have their humble beginnings, and it took them years before they got to where they are. Also, cultivating the proper mindset and traits to be a successful coach takes time and requires consistent practice and dedication. Start by developing the fundamental skills and essential qualities of a successful coach and maintain doing them, which becomes standard practice for you. Establish a solid, small community first, then grow from there. Even with all the adequate tools and techniques that make a successful coach, being who you are and being genuine to your clients can go a long way in improving your reputation as a life coach.