What to Look For in a Coach

Been thinking of getting a life coach and don't know where to star? How do you know when you've found a coach who's a match for you? Whether you're looking for Life Coach to help you with business goals, personal goals, or to tackle a life situation you can't quite wrap your head around, here are 5 things characteristics you should look for in a coach. 

CONFIDENCE 

Coaches don't have all the answers, in fact, a good coach will probably never give you the answers to the questions you're tackling. Mainly this is because coaching is about leading you to your own truth and your own path. You coach should be confidence, and project confidence, in their approach to you and your coaching needs. 

A confident coach will always make it about you not about them, their knowledge, or their ego. A confident coach won't hesitate to be vulnerable with you if the session calls for it, and will always approach your coaching needs from the heart, from a place of partnership. 

UNIQUENESS 

Unlike therapy, coaching is an art. Therapists and clinicians are bound to rules and guidelines that coaches are not. Coaches can use their vision and understanding of the world to mold their approach. Think of coaches like chefs. Two can be given then same ingredients for a recipe and the final dish will still be different depending on their style and technique of cooking. 

Your coach should feel unique and you should feel as though their uniqueness connects with yours to make great meetings and conversations. 

PASSION

Coaching isn't a job. As corny as it sounds, coaching is a calling, a way of life. If your coach seems detached or disinterested, you need to move on. You should feel that your coach has a passion for the art and is truly interested and invested  in your progress. 

Because you're dealing with a person who's also leading their own life, full of trials and tribulations just like yours, you can't expect your coach to be a cheerleader at every session. In fact, they may not have a cheery personality at all. But the passion to coach, to want to help you do better and grow should always be palpable.

AUTHENTICITY 

Coaching is all about trust. Would you trust someone who doesn't come off as authentic? Doubtful. A good coaching relationship requires trust from both parties, it's what creates a partnership and glue between the coach and the client that leads to incredible breakthroughs. 

Authenticity can be found in someone who's genuine and true to themselves - the flaws, the good, the bad. Your session with your coach should feel like a real and honest conversation, not like a presentation or a sales pitch. You should feel the person on the other end of the phone, or across from you, is someone who's real, someone who's all there in heart, mind and spirit speaking their truth and interested in yours. 

THE "CLICK"

Some coaches and clients call this one a little bit of magic and the most important characteristic for any coach to have. It's difficult to explain, it's one of those things you just know when you feel it. 

Have you ever met someone, at a cocktail maybe or a BBQ and it felt like you knew them forever? You "clicked" right away, you just "hit it off." That's the feeling (minus the romance part of course.) That feeling is one that you'll "just know" is there with a coach, or it won't be, and that's OK too. Just keep looking for your fit. 

Coaching is about connection and you either have it or you don't. We're not meant to connect with everyone, think about all the people who are awesome around you that you just have no connection with yet they have great connections with others and so do you. Your coach should NOT be one of those people. You should have that magic moment, that click, that spark with your coach upon your first meeting or chat. 

These are by no means the only things to look for in a coach, but they're a good start. Ultimately remember that in working with a Life Coach - no matter in which field- it all about your truth and your path. So with that said, always trust yourself, your instincts, and your heart when choosing a coach... or anything else in life.