How to Be Credible As a Coach
by Elaine CREIGHTON

I became Canada’s First Bilingual Female Success Coach in 1989 when coaching was in its infancy. People thought this was just a fancy name for consulting but I made sure to stress that my role was to work in collaboration with businesspeople having their own standards, beliefs, skills and goals. I help them find the ways to deal with the situations, people or processes holding them back.

My first client, a powerful man, was impatient and impulsive. He was seeking a speechwriter but instead we worked on his becoming more human and empathetic with those who feared him, including his family.

In contrast, my next client, a female whose employees took advantage of her softness, learned to use a more forceful management style which worked better for her than being a pushover.

I quickly learned that credibility is a key if one wants to be hired and respected as a coach. For instance, businesspeople prefer a coach who has strong business experience. Coachees want their coach to help them move beyond what they are doing now—they want an approach in which the results are tangible.

TEN WAYS TO DEVELOPPE CREDIBILITY

1-Do Not Misrepresent What You Were Doing Before

Though my previous experience was as a teacher, recruiter and sales director, I did not pretend I had been a coach all those years. If asked, I stated what I had done before but emphasized concretely how coaching would benefit the person now.

2-Do Not Give Clients Mixed Messages

When you are not sure if being a coach will work out for you, it is tempting to try to entice clients with a mixed bag of services and products you could offer. Instead, emphasize the one area you wish to be known for (presumable coaching) and describe this to clients in a way that shows you are committed to helping them progress.

3- Charge a Fee Representing Your Talents

Do not give discounts--word easily gets around that you are cut-rate. Decide on what is fair market value for the type of coaching you offer and ask for it. This is how you build a reputation for quality.

4-Select Your Clients Carefully

If you sense you do not have the skills to work with a specific type of client, do refer the person to someone else. The gesture will be appreciated.

5-Dress and Act Professionally

Coaching does not impose a dress code but the more professional you look, the more you can be taken seriously.

6-Offer More, Not Less

As coaching is still not fully understood, you must be more efficient and wiser than the advice dispensed to a client by a spouse or friend, found in books, or lurking in the client’s own brain. Your background; experience; point-of-view; and comfort level with clients help you stand out from the crowd.

7-Do Not ‘Coach’ Your Friends or Relatives

Tempting as it can be, this path is fraught with danger. People who know you are aware of your little secrets—for instance, that you are messy or temperamental—and this can negate the benefits of what you do. Conversely, your mind also retains past images of stupid things friends and relatives have done and this clouds your objectivity. Refer them to someone else.

8-When Giving References Make Sure They Were Actual Clients

The world is small and a reputation can easily be tarnished. References are clients who have exchanged dollars for coaching value and who give permission to use their names. In my case, because of the privileged information I learn about, I adhere very strictly to this rule.

9. Your Communications Should Represent You

Make your expertise, your point of view, and your coaching strengths come through. Say ‘no’ to advertorials and emoticons which obscure your message.

10. Have Fun but Take Your Work Seriously

Coaching presumes that what you offer is more than what clients can get through other methods. Adapt to your clients, be forceful when necessary, but make sure the results expected are surpassed. This is how your reputation and career are built over time.

Elaine Creighton,
Coach ICF