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Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
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The Coach's Survival Guide summary
Kim Morgan
An essential companion to anyone setting out as a professional coach
21 mins
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Table of Contents
The Coach's Survival Guide
Summary of 7 key ideas
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Key idea 1 of 7
Successful coaches have a high level of credibility.
Leaving your old career and becoming a coach is an exciting transition. Take Simon, who previously worked in local government as a senior manager. Attracted by the high hourly rates he’d heard executive coaches command, he set his sights on coaching senior managers in corporate companies. But after completing his accreditation course, Simon hit a roadblock. Although he’d wanted to leave his old world behind, he found that the only coaching offers he received came from local government agencies. Why couldn’t he accelerate into the corporate fast lane as he’d planned?
The problem was that he lacked credibility.
Credibility can be an issue if you want to coach in an industry or sector you have not previously worked in yourself. After all, clients usually want coaches with professional knowledge of their particular area. However, with time and commitment, there are ways to boost your credibility in the line of work you’re interested in – even without prior experience.
How can you go about this?
Well, as part of your training to become a coach, you’ll probably be asked to conduct pro bono coaching sessions with clients. Unpaid work like this is a great way to start positioning yourself as a coach in your target area, and an opportunity to gain experience with the type of clients you aim to work with. Simon, for example, could offer voluntary coaching work to corporate managers in return for testimonials for his marketing materials. Alternatively, he could ask these non-paying clients for referrals to other potential customers in the corporate world.
You can also build your credibility by positioning yourself as an expert by way of personal rather than professional knowledge. Although Doreen planned to work as a Higher Education coach, she quickly realized that her experiences of later-life divorce, and subsequent online dating and remarriage, had inadvertently made her an expert on love too. Within her network of friends, her name was associated with relationships. People were already turning to her for advice. These days, Doreen is a practicing relationship coach and a great example of how personal experience can give a coach just as much credibility as professional know-how.
So, if you’re looking to build a credible coaching niche, take a look at your own biography for inspiration. What personal challenges stand out as things you can talk about with authority, or have helped you grow as a person? You just might be a credible coach in waiting.
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What is The Coach's Survival Guide about?
The Coach’s Survival Guide (2019) explores how you can become an even better coach. Whether you’re a life coach, an executive coach or working in a niche area, you’ll find these blinks packed with both insight and solutions for the challenges you face.
Best quote from The Coach's Survival Guide
If you dont drive your business, you will be driven out of business.
—Kim Morgan
Who should read The Coach's Survival Guide?
- Newly qualified coaches needing support
- Anyone considering a career move into coaching
- Human Resources professionals looking for fresh insights
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