The Not-So-Sexy Side of Being a Professional Coach

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At least once a week, I’m approached by someone eager to create a career as a Professional Coach.

They often ask for my advice and sometimes the opportunity to work with me to build a thriving Coaching business.

I’ve previously written about the qualities that define an extraordinary coach. Today, I want to share twelve non-starters on the path to becoming an impactful and successful professional coach.

You won’t be successful as a Professional Coach if:

1. You’re not willing to be a Blue Collar worker and just do the work, day after day.

If you’re drawn to Coaching as a profession because you want its flexibility, know that flexibility is gained way down the road. The truth is that you need to be prepared to coach your ass off anytime, anywhere, and with anyone for a long time before you get to charge strong fees and work with your ideal clients.

2. You talk more than you listen.

Here, you’re going to have to be super honest with yourself. Do you love the sound of your own voice? Many of us, and I’m embarrassed to confess—myself included—often enjoy telling others what to do. We love to share inspirational quotes and stories of redemption and success against all odds. However, the core competency of coaching is deep and practically devotional listening. Listening to what is not said is often—even more important—than listening to what is!

3. You believe you’re smarter than any of your clients.

Coaching is not about your IQ, advice, and knowledge. It’s about your ability to lead your client to their own higher wisdom. If you love answers more than questions, reconsider a career in coaching.

4. Your primary reason for choosing this career is because you believe it’s a relatively easy way to make a living.

There’s nothing easy about a profession that requires such a deep commitment to another person’s life. If clients could achieve their transformation alone, they wouldn’t be turning to a Coach, investing their time, energy, and money. So, a measure of humility is required to understand and honor the gravity of this work.

And, if you’ve built any business from scratch, you know there’s nothing easy about doing so. A coaching business is like any other in that aspect– you underestimate it at your own peril.

5. You just want to show up and coach and believe you can leave the business development to someone else.

When I first started coaching, I refused to put my name on the business. Today, I look back with amusement at the extraordinary time I spent developing what I thought to be the perfect professional name!

I soon learned that people didn’t want to be coached by some smooth named company; they wanted to know the person guiding them through this sacred process. Nurturing relationships, building trust, and letting people know who you are can only be done by you, not a “Business Development Expert” on Linkedin.

6. You’re not committed to investing in your own continuous growth, expansion, and learning.

You can’t take anyone where you haven’t gone yourself.

7. You believe imparting knowledge will change anyone’s life.

There’s another profession for that—it’s called teaching, and it’s a profoundly impactful job. But being a Teacher is different from being a Professional Coach.

Data shows that most people aren't driven to action just by acquiring knowledge. We take action when we gain insights (literally a sight from within). A great Coach leads her clients to uncover their own unique insights and then allows them to decide whether to take action based on those insights.

8. At least 80% of your clients don’t sing your praises.

The most successful coaching practices are built almost entirely on referrals and renewals. If you don’t have the desire or attention span to keep serving your existing clients so fully and outrageously that they can’t help but speak about you, you’ll always be searching for new clients, which is an exhausting and endless hustle.

9. You’re not willing to be a 100% example of living the principles you share with your clients.

This does not mean you have to or will be perfect, but it does mean you’ll always make every effort to be in full integrity. This is not easy. It’s also not a requirement in most other professions. The most outstanding brain surgeon or lawyer can still be a total ass outside of the OR or courtroom, but as a Professional Coach, that’s not an option.

10. You haven’t fully separated your Social Self from your Professional Self.

Coaching is, by nature, intimate work. That’s why it’s so easy to take things personally or feel like you need to coach under all circumstances. But the opposite is true. A doctor, for example, wouldn’t dole out a diagnosis in the middle of a cocktail party. They would invite their friend to call the office and make an appointment to see them. Remember this—Coaches who coach everywhere risk not coaching anywhere.

11. You’re not willing to be generous but unattached.

I worked in retail for decades and couldn’t imagine expecting a potential customer to buy a simple dress without trying it on first. So why do so many Coaches believe a potential client should pay for coaching without first experiencing the process? This is one of the issues I see with many coaching certification programs. They often devote half a day to "Business Development," teaching students how to get people interested enough to commit to a coaching engagement. But what if, instead, you just coached them and trusted that your work would speak for itself? That’s the generous part.

The unattached part is being genuinely OK with the client saying, “No thanks”—without taking it personally.

12. You think that clients will seek you out because you have one or more coaching certifications.

Every time I got a new certification, I was excited to share it with the world. Certifications made me feel legit. I’m sorry to report that not one person has asked me or cared about my certifications in the past decade.

I’ve learned that when it comes to choosing a Coach, all anyone cares about is:  “Can you help me?” and “Can I trust you?”