“Life Coaches” have been the subject of jokes in pop culture for quite a while”: Should we, (Life/Executive/Business or simple, Transformational) Coaches be really worried about being ‘subject of jokes in pop culture’ ?! Coaching is a lot of serious, deep stuff, right?
For coaching should ideally work at mind, body & spirit levels for the coachee…
“But now the unregulated, untrained life coaching industry”: This is the most important line of this post. If a coachee avails services of an untrained coach, is the coaching practice (not ‘business’/industry’) to be blamed? If you went to a quack and then you blamed the entire medical fraternity, is it fair?
The key is to take time & effort, thus responsibility in choosing a Coach. Ensure s/he has the following:
1. The Coaching Mindset – Does the coach come from a pure, not-knowing, ego-less state, with a selfless approach to make the difference to the coachee? A simple check the level of ‘ego’ of a coach, in his thought, word & deed!
2. Apart from the mindset, make sure the coach is trained, certified & credentialed. Don’t settle for anything lesser. (Disclosure: I am a Coach Trainer/Mentor to ICF credential. Hence this post!)
PS: “Life coaching is a huge business in the U.S, bringing in nearly $2 billion dollars a year” No aspiring coach would/should ideally enter this space to due to this big ‘opportunity’! Many of us have left the lure of corporate work (‘maaya’) to pursue coaching to make a genuine difference… And, that is most FULFILLING!
The original post: Is “Life Coaching” a Scam?