To be a coach is to answer your calling. This can be very different from other professions. Most people who pursue coaching identify with a strong sense of purpose in doing so. In recent years, coaching has become a popular career choice for many individuals. Although there might be different reasons why someone chooses to become a professional coach, it’s not for everyone. Let’s explore the top three reasons why people become professional coaches.
1. To help others with issues you have experienced yourself.
Everyone has life experiences. Everyone has work experiences. These experiences – both positive and negative – have helped professional coaches become successful in a particular niche. That is to say, take your unique experiences, the ones that set you apart, to coach others as they go through the same struggles.
Take one of our graduates, Ravi Raman, from Denver, Colorado. Ravi spent 14 years in various positions at Microsoft where he climbed the proverbial corporate ladder, and now focuses on “helping technology leaders create the career and lifestyle of their dreams.”
It doesn’t get any more specific than that.
With his years of experience in various management roles, he understands the technology sector and can provide specific insight to issues surrounding those in the same. Because of this link, he offers invaluable insight that someone with say, a hospitality industry background, may not be able to. Have they both experienced challenges in their careers? Yes, certainly. However, Ravi understands the technology sector and can authentically assist those in this field.
2. Actively promote and contribute to human development on an individual and global scale.
Meet Magda Voigt, from Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Magda has a private coaching practice and is passionate about helping others to develop “a strong personal competence as the foundation to efficiently overcome challenges and accomplish goals.”Magda wants to help, and much like Ravi, she’s had similar experiences which gives her a unique perspective on how to help quell challenges her clients might have.
What’s more is that Magda is passionate about changing the world, one person at a time. And that’s what exceptional coaches do. They create a revolution of empowering individuals to be their best selves, whether personally or professionally, and well frankly, the two aren’t mutually exclusive.
3. Build an independent coaching practice with flexible hours and an uncapped earning potential.
One of the perks of being a professional coach is that you set your own hours and have the freedom to work anywhere in the world (and with anyone in the world, thanks to modern-day technology). So not only are you helping people by using your own experience and proven coaching techniques to relate and help them navigate towards their goals, but you are also doing it at your own pace. We should warn you, helping people and seeing the results of your work (i.e. happy, successful clients) is really rather addictive.
As you can see from the top three reasons people become professional coaches, they are all different but also somewhat similar in that coaches are all helping others. They do it by guiding their clients towards desired goals, and exploring in the process their why and how. It’s also about establishing trust and being able to ask sometimes tough questions to get at the root of things and then setting them up for success while helping them be accountable for said success.
The question now remains, what is YOUR reason for becoming a professional coach? We would love to hear from you, so please feel free to post in the comment section below.
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