Mainly what coaches do during a coaching session is to help the client gain awareness and then take action towards achieving the goal client has in mind. But sometimes the client’s mind can have distractions which makes it hard for them to concentrate and take action.
Use some of the ways below to help your client to refocus and direct their energy to what they want to change.
Positive psychology defines it as Active and Constructive Responding. It helps to give strength to relationships and causes people to be more accepting of ideas and suggestions.
When there is enough positivity around people tend to be more creative and open. They can feel more confident and open to making changes.
Asking questions is a great exercise. Find out about where the client is right now and where they want to be. This way you also prompt your clients to really think about what they truly want. Most times people haven't really thought through what they really want and this way you force them to put things down on paper.
Focusing on positives
Problems exist but its more important to emphasize the client’s assets which is their strengths, their support system and their resources (time and money)
Take the client out of their comfort zones. The client’s old reality supports old habits and to really change them they need their world to change. Create an environment that fosters change and positivity.
Don’t expect instant change
Some clients are not ready to change, and they go through stages of change before they take action. These stages include Precontemplation, they might not realize the change needed or feel pressured by someone to create the change. Then there's Contemplation, where they start researching about the change but they are not ready to act on it.
Finally, there's preparation, when they're making necessary plans to set themselves up for success, such as changing their schedule and learning new techniques. after all, that is someone able to actively change and, even then, they probably can't change everything at once. Getting a client ready to change is part of coaching them to change.
Being a great coach is an art form; not everyone can do it with ease. To many, it may seem like an effortless skill, but in reality, the very best coaches inspire, empower, and motivate their clients to progress and succeed. If your clients feel lost don’t be demotivated and try out-of-the-box approaches to get them to refocus.
If you are looking to broaden your coaching scope and learn more about tried and tested coaching methodologies to improve your own sessions with your clients -- head on over to our latest program page to see when you can join us in the next intake.
Becoming a certified ICF coach will help you transform your current coaching practice because we focus on teaching you how to coach the whole person and walk alongside them in the transformational journey you are embarking on together.
Modern-day executives are challenged more than ever. In today’s VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, agility) reality, executives must be more than one thing. They need to know how to balance business with people's priorities. They must develop a macro-perspective in order to lead in a complex environment.
More than ever, they have to develop self-awareness and adopt a habit of self-reflection. Due to these influential skills, executive coaching has been in such high demand across the globe. In a recent study run by the International Coach Federation and PwC, participants stated that Executive Coaching generated 7 to 400 times the ROI for themselves or for the organization they work with.
Executive Coaching is about partnering with leaders and senior managers to support them in their priorities such as:
Executive Coaches that are successful earn a 6K figure income each year. But how do they do it? We interviewed Executive Coaches in different countries including the FLOW Coaching Institute alumni. We came to the conclusion that eight out of ten coaches finished an accredited coach training program and obtained their certification.
We also learned that most Executive Coaches (65%) have already succeeded in obtaining their ICF PCC (International Coach Federation Professional Certified Coach credential) or MCC (Master Certified Coach credential). When we interviewed executives and asked them about what qualities they are looking for in an executive coach, we came to the conclusion that the majority want their coach to have a leadership background prior to their coaching career.
They also stated that they want to be able to trust their coach, so confidentiality is an important quality. They also mentioned that they want to work with a coach who invested in themselves in terms of education, wisdom, and experience.
When we spoke to the human resources professionals about these qualities, the majority (70%) emphasized that when they look for a coach for their executive team, they want one who is certified, preferably with PCC or MCC credentials. In their minds, PCC is the gold standard for coaching.
If you are interested in becoming a successful Executive Coach, we suggest that you make a plan that includes:
If you want to take the plunge to become a professional executive coach, you should sign up for our Online Business Coaching Certification Program where you learn all the ropes of becoming a successful executive coach. We can't wait to see you soon.
In the FLOW Core Foundations fast-track program, you will be part of a community of like-minded individuals with a drive to learn and an aspiration to become an ICF certified coach. For 15 weeks, you will meet up once a week in an online class led by a PCC or MCC facilitator, and be assigned with a student buddy to implement the tools and competencies learned in class.
These weekly buddy practices give you the chance to experience what it feels like to have a consistent coaching schedule and gain new perspectives by coaching individuals from diverse cultures and professional backgrounds. As you acquire new coaching abilities, others from your entourage — friends, family members, colleagues, neighbors, and more — will naturally seek your professional support for a variety of goals, which will add additional hours to your coaching practice.
There are many reasons why people choose to undertake this program: some want to become an ICF-accredited life coach, others simply want to add new skills to their existing corporate jobs, and there are a few who may be attracted to the remote lifestyle that coaching can offer. Nevertheless, a sustainable effort is required throughout and after the program to strengthen your skills and keep the momentum going.
Here are five ways to make your post-program journey as exciting as when you first started, and maintain constant progress towards your full potential as a coach:
Did you know that a FLOW community Facebook group for alumni exists? There are ongoing trendy discussions about coaching; you may want to check it out! Many FLOW alumni are wanting to improve their skills, grow their businesses, learn from others’ experiences with clients, coach, and be coached.
This may be a good opportunity for you to exchange coaching sessions and gain additional hours for your ACC/PCC accreditations. Coaching others outside your niche will expand your perspectives as a coach, and help you become more comfortable dealing with situations beyond your area of expertise.
Also, if you felt comfortable pairing with certain students during your cohort, and if your schedules match, we highly recommend that you keep practicing and implementing the ICF core competencies and tools learned in the program.
With the many responsibilities of modern life such as career, family, parenting, community, and more, it is common to forget to make time for the fulfillment of our own personal aspirations. If you are that type of person, with an overflowing schedule, what can you do to make space, perhaps a few hours a week, for your coaching practice?
While you may be actively looking for new clients, you can ask a Flow alumni, a friend, a family member, or anyone else you know who might benefit from coaching, to fill up that time frame. That way, you are setting the motion for a consistent and growing coaching career, creating a vacuum for an abundance of high-paying and long-term clients.
Coaching is a set of competencies and skills that include active listening, presence, direct communication, empathy, and more. You’d be surprised how many volunteering opportunities you can find in your community to compassionately help others using your skills as a coach.
For example, many local hospitals are looking for volunteers to actively listen to the needs of rehabilitating patients and conduct group facilitation activities. There are also non-profits for a variety of causes that use the power of direct communication to empower individuals overcoming personal life challenges.
Presently, FLOW Coaching Institute is partnering with WESTM TO, a non-profit organization that supports women through career planning in science and technology; many FLOW alumni in the Toronto metropolitan area are volunteering as life coaches for this long-term project.
During the FLOW coaching program, as a student, you’ll be highly encouraged to keep a coaching journal, where you can write about the challenges you may face during your coaching sessions. Journalling is an excellent way to keep your emotions, feelings, and ideas in check, and understand yourself on a deeper level.
Other self-awareness activities include reading a motivational book, practicing yoga, sitting in meditation, doing sports, listening to relaxing music, looking at art, and taking trips in nature; you can be creative and choose anyone that draws your attention to the present moment and lets your deepest awareness come to the surface.
Remember, harnessing present-moment awareness and learning how to regulate your own emotions and thoughts will greatly impact your ability to be more grounded and empathize with your coaching clients. Moreover, if you’re a knowledge-seeker, you’d have a great pleasure attending one of the FLOW webinar series, where you can learn about the latest buzz topics in coaching.
Now that you’ve completed your FLOW coaching program, you are ready to present yourself to the world as a professional ICF certified coach. There are many social media platforms online to make yourself visible to potential clients and expand your coaching network. Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter allow you to reach out to very specific target niches, and LinkedIn makes you connect with professionals from a wide range of corporate fields.
You can also look out as well for upcoming conferences in your area, and exercise introducing yourself as a coach to others. The purpose of attending these is to develop the confidence of explaining who you are, what coaching is, and showcasing your newly acquired coaching skills.
Elie Abou-Jaoude is a Certified Life Coach, ICF, FCC, who brings a transpersonal and holistic approach to coaching and helps individuals go through major life transformations and reach their fullest human potential. He also prepares mindfulness workshops for corporate groups. Always provides a safe, culturally sensitive, compassionate, and supportive environment during sessions.
If you finished your ICF professional coaching certification program recently, working towards building your hours while you coach people, you wonder why some of your coaching relationships don’t work while others work well?
As an ICF certified professional coach, self-reflection after each coaching session as well as about your coaching relationship should become a regular habit to improve your skills and your awareness about your skill development. However, other than that you should also realize that not everybody might be coachable.
Yes, not everybody is coachable.
So, when you have a new coaching client the first question you need to ask yourself: “Is this person coachable?”. If you have enough rapport, you can even ask this question to your client directly.
In a professional coaching relationship, one factor that has a direct impact on coaching relationship success is the “commitment” of the client.
In my experience as a certified coach for many years now, there are typically three types of clients in a professional coaching relationship:
Apathetic coaching clients are people who are not interested in changing things. Maybe they are acting this way because of their beliefs or a condition they are against. Maybe they are only "curious". Maybe they only talk to you because they are forced to. (Example: their company forced their participation in coaching)
Maybe they might have heard or come to you through the reference of a friend. Maybe this person does not think there is a coaching goal to be reached or is not aware of that necessity yet.
With apathetic clients, there is no intention to change things around at the moment of the relationship. Another possibility might be that there isn’t enough chemistry and trust built between coach and client.
As a professional coach you should always:
A complainer is a person who complains and tries to reach a goal by changing things but does not take the steps necessary to reach their goals. They believe that the goals are impossible or very hard to reach. Usually, either their self-awareness is not there yet or they are not ready to dedicate themselves to creating change.
The coach's answer to the complainer:
This group is creative, ready, and willing to do something to reach their desired goal.
The coach's answer:
As an ICF certified professional coach it is useful that you know about these three client types. Beware that most of the time the coaching relationship with apathetic clients will not continue.
However, there is a high chance that complaining clients might turn into performers if you set the relationship right from the very beginning. Start with building trust and chemistry.
If you are looking to get yourself certified as an ICF Certified Coach, head over to our program page to find our latest programs for less than 2000 CAD.
Positive Psychology research is often associated with an increase in happiness. Gratitude helps people cherish good experiences, build more positive emotions, face adversity, and build strong relationships.
It is possible to feel and express gratitude in many different ways. It can be applied to the past such as reliving positive memories, the present such as not taking anything for granted, and the future such as maintaining a positive attitude.
This article discusses the key benefits of practicing gratitude on human well-being.
Studies have found that maintaining a gratitude diary or reflecting on positive daily occurrences can facilitate social well-being. Research has shown that expressions of gratitude by managers increased motivation and productivity in their employees.
When someone is able to practice gratitude, the way they view the world shifts and they are able to empathize more and also look at the positives in life a lot more.
Emotional well-being means emotions such as happiness and life satisfaction. Studies show a positive relationship between gratitude and emotional well-being It was found that people who wrote three things that went well for them at the end of the day showed increased flourishing.
Grateful people are less likely to exhibit psychopathic habits:
Studies found that the beneficial effects of gratitude can have a long-lasting positive effect moreover it reduces negative effects and increases psychological resilience.
Many studies found a positive relationship between gratitude and many physical health markers such as stress and inflammation, pain perception and sleep. It was found that keeping a gratitude journal improved diastolic blood pressure and doing it at night induced pre-sleep calmness.
Studies emphasize that gratitude is beneficial, although modestly, linked to social well-being and to a lesser extent psychological well-being. Gratitude helps people refocus on what they have instead of what they lack. And, although it may feel forced at first, this mental state grows stronger with use and may have social, physical, and psychological benefits.
FLOW Coaching Institute’s programs are based widely on the teachings of Positive Psychology and Solution-focused approach. Learn more about Flow Coaching Methodology and visit program schedules to enroll in one of our life-changing online coach certification programs.
Is your company a collectively led organization? A culture is a combination of beliefs, behaviors, attitudes, rituals, and social activities. A culture can be defined and developed with collective actions in a workplace. If it's not done well it could lead to unsatisfied employees, lack of leadership, and absence of passion.
Purpose of Culture in The Workplace
Great company culture helps the team grow together. With a great culture you will get some of these amazing benefits:
As an ICF Certified Business Coach, it is our responsibility to coach organizations to create a growing and thriving culture by empowering managers, leaders, and teams.
As a business coach, we can work towards creating an environment where employees are empowered, and talents are leveraged to create a healthy budding workplace culture.
It is easy for organizations to end up creating an “I” based individualistic culture where everyone looks after themselves and their interests. However, employees like to be a part of a company that encourages collaboration and honor amongst team members. Business owners have the ability to affect the lives of employees in a negative or positive manner.
They can lead an organization to be a “we” oriented organization. “We” led businesses are more successful with employees making strong contributions and fewer turnovers.
Nowadays a growing number of leaders and business owners seek out business coaches to influence their organizations by learning how to practice the “we” attitude in their businesses. The collective spirit of an organization is made possible by holding others accountable as part of the team.
Interestingly, ‘We’ leadership applies to and works for the betterment of family, government, and religious cultures too. There is power in ‘We’ led people who align their mission, goals, and plans with other team members, creating forceful support and goal accomplishment. Certainly, ‘We’ leadership is needed more in company cultures as well.
With ‘We’ leadership, everyone is part of an action team. Employees using more of their wisdom and skills may make your company more successful and profitable than you could have dreamed.
As a business coach, the definition of success is not limited to just getting results. It not limited to profits and cash flow only but it's about creating a caring and lifting leadership. To create a win-win situation presidents, entrepreneurs, executives, and business owners all work as a team.
FLOW Coaching Institute’s Business Coaching Certification Program provides you the tools and methods on how to coach business owners, executives, and entrepreneurs. It helps you in becoming a Success Partner in their journey.
Email us now for more information at info@flowcoachinginstitute.com
Certified professional coaches follow many different disciplines and niches. There is executive coaching, business coaching, life coaching, career coaching, and so on. After so many years in the industry, we get many inquiries regarding the differences between a business and an executive coach. We have decided to bring clarity to these questions. Let’s examine and check what are the similarities and what sets business coaching and executive coaching apart.
Even though they are fundamentally different, business and executive coaching do share some similarities.
Keeping their approach aside both coaches come in with one goal in mind - which is to help their clients improve their business goals or try to come up with solutions for the business-related issues they might face.
The bottom line is they both want their clients to succeed and grow.
Business-related coaching is where the business coach’s focus lies. This type of coach has gone through certified coach training which allows them to work with business owners. These can be start-up CEOs or even seasoned entrepreneurs.
A business coach may work on a variety of goals such as building an effective business plan, reviving strategy, identifying marketing needs, boosting overall motivation and performance of the organization, and so on.
Business coaches are trained to resolve the obstacles lying in the way of the business.
As a business coach, you will understand successful business practices, productive team environments, motivational approaches, and provide tools to overcome any obstacles. A business coach, therefore, works in a partnership and in tandem with their client (a business owner) to grow their company and/or solve business-related obstacles.
Comparatively an executive coach can be hired independently to coach senior managers or management teams for a specified period or can be working in-house such as to coach employees consistently. The goal of an executive coach is to focus on both leadership skills as well as personal development.
It comes with the understanding that improving leadership skills and the personal development of executives will ultimately lead to the improvement and success of the organization.
Executive coaches are typically hired to help C-suite, VPs, and other executives with setting, tracking, and achieving personal improvement goals. These goals are able to improve overall staff motivation, increase productivity, improve communication skills, and so on. Facilitating desired behavior will indirectly result in them achieving their goals and in turn the success of the organization to take place.
If you are an entrepreneur or a business owner the question to ask yourself is whether you or your staff requires a strategy or personal development. This question will help you choose which coach is suited best to your needs.
If you are a budding coach yourself, it will be useful to understand and take a closer look at the main focus of both of the niches and decide which one attracts you the most.
FLOW Coaching Institute offers our Business Coaching program which can help you to become a Success Partners for entrepreneurs, business owners, and business executives. Check our program schedule for our upcoming Business Coaching online coach certification program.
Every day we ask ourselves many questions such as what should I do today? What should I wear? What should I eat? And so on. But we usually forget to ask ourselves the most important questions which are necessary to give value not only to our day-to-day lives but also in the long run to give us the clarity that we need.
So, what are the most important questions we should be asking ourselves every day?
We should frequently take a moment for ourselves and think about what really holds value for us to find our purpose and motive in this world.
As George Bernard Shaw said: “Life is not about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself”.
Here are simple life coaching questions to ask yourself which you can also ask your coaching clients. These may help you reflect back on your life and make some tweaks. Take some time for yourself, at a calm, quiet place and ask yourself these questions.
Take a step back and give yourself a chance to look at your life from a bird’s eye view. Consider all areas of your life and then think of an honest number to allocate. Once you have this, it will be a foundation for you to work on.
Visualize a life 5-10 years from now. Where do you want to be? Are you satisfied with the life you have then? What changed? What didn’t change? Are you happy with your personal life? Are you happy with your professional life?
Are you content health-wise? Imagine an ideal life and try to understand what factors are involved.
Success looks different to different people. Some people want to reach the peak of their professional career, some want a happy family, some want to travel all over the world, etc. Don’t let others' dreams and goals affect you. Your life is your dream and something that would bring a sense of fulfillment to you.
Think about your hobbies, your interests, your passion, and your wishes. What is it that you would want to devote more time to? What is it that you wish you did more of? What is it that you want to achieve in life?
This is the most important part. It is time to climb the ladder. You have figured out what needs to be done by this step but it won’t make a difference until you act on it. Start with small steps. Get more information about what you want to do. Find support. Make plans.
All the answers are within us we just need to dive deep inside the clutter of our thoughts to find out what is truly meaningful. It is never too late to act on what you have been putting off.
If you want to become a professional coach you can enroll in one of our upcoming ICF ACC Core Foundations Programor send us an email at info@flowcoachinginstitute.com for more information.
Choosing your ideal business model doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It is really a simple process of smart decision-making and keeping a ‘winning’ perspective.
Yes, it’s true. This is sometimes easier said than done. The good news is, it’s all in your control! So, while this article is mainly focused on which decisions you need to make to build your coaching business, let’s start with framing up a constructive attitude on decision-making.
Some people fear making decisions because they are afraid of ‘losing’. Instead, you can turn that around and look at every decision-making moment as an OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN!
Here are three ways to reframe decision-making when BUILDING YOUR IDEAL COACHING BUSINESS MODEL
You don’t know everything. You will learn new information all the time, sometimes from experiences that didn’t go exactly as you planned. And every time that happens, you GAIN more information about what you can do to make you more successful. Be open to it.
People label things as ‘bad’ after the fact. They judge the decision based on how it delivered against a specific outcome. What if you reframed that ‘judgment’ by asking yourself, what opportunities came out of making that decision? How did making that decision help me move towards my goals, even if it didn’t turn out exactly as I planned? You’re in control of your perspective. Choose a winning one!
If a decision you made isn’t performing the way you want, then reflect on what you learned, then shift gears. No big deal. Ask any successful person. None of them made it on the first go. Take the pressure of perfection off yourself, and just go forward.
OK… now that you’re prepped and ready to make some powerful and determined decisions, here are the five decisions you need to make when building your ideal coaching business model.
Note – you don’t have to do these in this sequence. I’ve listed the key actions in a sequence that makes sense, but let’s be honest, starting a business is not a linear process. All five of these decisions must be made to solidify your business model. However, it is likely you will circle around these steps a few times before you get to your ideal state. It’s normal.
Just start somewhere and work through all five.
If you’ve attended an ACTP Coaching School, like Flow, you understand that establishing your niche is a critical foundation in building a strong coaching practice. Having worked with many coaches who are just starting out, I know it can be a tough decision to make. And likely, your niche will evolve as you evolve as a coach. But you must choose a place to start.
My suggestion is to start with something you know and feel connected to. Perhaps your niche is connected to previous work experience. Perhaps a personal passion. Or maybe even a personal or traumatic experience that has inspired you to support others. Those are all rich places to start.
Give yourself a deadline. Do your research. Pick your niche.
No matter what new business support mechanism you choose to embrace, be it a course, training, blog, podcast, etc., they will all say the same thing. In order to be successful, you need to build a clear picture of your potential Client.
This is another place where new coaches stumble. They are afraid of limiting themselves. And that’s a normal instinct if you’re just starting out. But I’ll share something with you that was kind of a mantra in my marketing days.
IF YOU’RE GOING AFTER EVERYBODY, YOU’RE GOING AFTER NOBODY.
When your messages are so broad, that it encompasses everyone, they aren’t specific or intriguing enough to engage anyone. You need to pick a bullseye Client and then get into their world. Build a profile of them, who they are, and what they do.
A demographic profile is useful, but it’s more important to understand them attitudinally vs. demographically. That’s where all the really juicy stuff is. Find out what makes them tick, what they care about, what keeps them up at night, what their top three problems are, and why they can’t seem to fix them. That’s where you come in.
Don’t get stuck here. Do your best. Ask for help from people who represent your potential client. Do some research online. Join some Facebook groups where your potential client may hang out, and just learn as you go.
Money is an important ingredient in establishing your business model. Pick a number based on what you want to make a year, three years from now. Why three years out? I’m glad you asked. There are two main reasons;
My best advice here is to not let your inner critic hold you back. Send him or her on a coffee break, and pick a number that feels good to you. Be ambitious. Stretch a little beyond what you think is possible.
40 hours? 20 hours? What is realistic for your lifestyle?
And once you pick your working hours, it’s now time to identify how many of those hours will be coaching vs. business growth and maintenance.
On the coaching side, it’s important to be realistic about how many hours you can coach depending on the coaching modality. Let’s say you believe you can effectively coach for 15 hours a week. The next question is what type of coaching will you do in those 15 hours to reach your income targets.
As an example, perhaps (on average) 10 hours are spent 1:1 coaching, and 3 hours spent on group coaching. The other two hours a week (or 8 hours/mo) are spent building up online content as an income source.
Separately, you may decide to spend another 20 hours a week on the business growth & maintenance side. This may encompass financial management, live and social networking, content generation, website management, marketing, etc.
Decide how much you want to work. And then how many of those hours will be spent coaching vs. other income-generating or business management activities.
There are so many coaching modalities out there. There are those for the coach purists, like 1:1 coaching, group coaching, and workshops. And then for the slightly less purist, you have things like masterminds, public speaking, courses, writing, and a whole myriad of online content generation modes.
These are all potential income streams. Which ones are the best fit for your niche, address your Client's needs and fulfill your lifestyle goals.
Make a list of the opportunities that best suit your skillset, and see what fits. Move the pieces around until you get a picture that feels right.
And then just go for it. Tweak a bit. Go for it a bit more. Tweak. And repeat.
Mel Savage is a Certified Career Coach focused on helping people find purpose and fulfillment in their careers. Mel is President of Flow Coaching Institute, Canada, an ACTP Certified Coach, a 20+ year Corporate Marketer & Advertiser for brands such as McDonald’s, Kraft, Ford, and General Motors, and Owner of Savage Success Coaching.
We all want to be confident. Don’t we? We also all want our children to be confident as we know that part of our happiness is connected to how confident we are of ourselves at school, work, social bonding, and so on.
Confidence is a quality that is part of our temperament. Our temperament shows us as early as when we are four months old whether we tend to have the confidence or not. Then on top of that our early childhood experience with our parents, caregivers, school, etc either help us to build it or vice versa.
However, neither our temperament nor our early social experiences define our destiny. We know that as long as there is an intention, we can change our habits and learn new ones if we use the right strategies.
Part of life coaching conversations revolve around helping people with their confidence. There are specific tools and processes that might be useful for building confidence, but there is no one size fits all approach. All of these approaches and life coaching strategies need to be customized from person to person.
Building healthy confidence in a person requires cooperation with their brain. Since we are talking about breaking a certain habitual pattern here, we need to invite their brain to get creative in imagining their full potential about confidence. How does a life coach do that? The simplest approach is to ask creative coaching questions that we teach in our core foundations program.
Once you start asking yourself these questions you will start to learn just how your brain works and how it responds to these questions. Do this exercise at least every 3 months. Also, pay attention to how your answers change over time. This way you can track your growth and changes that happen to your confidence and the way you think over time.
Coaching methodologies are made to help you improve the way you think and see things. These questions are specifically designed to make you think and internalize so that you can improve your confidence in the long run.
If you are looking to become a coach yourself, head on over to our program schedule page to see when you can join us for the next intake. We can't wait to see you!