Common challenges coaches experience (and their solutions)

Running a coaching business isn’t a walk in the park. On top of keeping your coaching knowledge and skills up to date, you need to secure clients, get them results, market yourself and work on growing your business. 

As you know, none of that is easy. So, you’re bound to come up against a few prickly challenges during your career. Let’s explore what challenges you could be facing, and what you can do to overcome them. 

Coaching problem: struggling to get results with your clients

Solution: a commitment to evidence-based approaches 

There are hundreds of coaching techniques available to use in the coaching world. However, not all of these have evidence behind them. Some exercises might seem clever and helpful, but if there isn’t any science supporting their usefulness, don’t add it to your coaching repertoire. You can improve your chances of success by selecting approaches and techniques that are backed by research, and are therefore shown to be effective.  If you would like to get further information on how to get results with your clients email me ruth.kudzi@optimuscoachacademy.com

Coaching problem: failing to attract clients and stand out from the crowd

Solution: ICF-accreditation 

Are we experiencing a shortage of coaches? No. But, there is a shortage of ICF-accredited coaches. Most individual clients and organisations expect their coaches to be accredited, yet only 1.6% of all coaches are accredited. There’s a demand that isn’t being met. ICF-accreditation reassures your c;ients that you’ve been trained to a high standard. It tells them you’re a competent coach – not just because you say so, but because a legitimate governing body does!  Some organisations will not consider hiring coaches without ICF-accreditation. If you’re hoping to attract corporate clients, this is something worth considering. 

Coaching problem: your coaching feels stale and uncreative

Solution: a supportive and educated coaching community 

If you aren’t connecting with other coaches, you could struggle to move forward and develop your practice. Other coaches can help you access different perspectives and can provide solutions you haven’t considered. They can also reassure you that you’re not alone and can instigate creative thinking by being there to bounce ideas off. Through sharing ideas, resources and advice, a coaching community can help you reach your potential as a coach. 

Coaching problem: you don’t know how to grow your business

Solution: business mentors and business-centred training 

Coaching success doesn’t just rely on your coaching abilities (though, obviously, that’s a huge part of it). The truth is, you could be the best coach in the world, but if you can’t set up a business or market yourself, then none of that matters. If you want to be a successful coach, you need to learn how to handle the business side of things. Unfortunately, not all coach training programmes teach you how to run a business, or even how to acquire clients. That’s why we dedicate a portion of our course to teaching business. We provide our students in-depth training from experts and offer business mentoring sessions as part of the package, so they can become capable businesspeople. 

Coaching problem: you don’t know how to help some of your clients

Solution: a diverse kit of coaching methodologies and approaches 

Did you know a coach could call themselves a coach and only be proficient using the GROW model?  In fact, that could be all they use. Could that coach support a diverse client base? You need a range of approaches under your belt, so you can select the most appropriate one for your client’s situation. Positive Psychology might be the best approach for one client, but another might require a somatic approach. Even if you choose a primary approach to work with, it’s useful to have a working understanding of other approaches. At Optimus, we thoroughly investigate each approach and leave our students well-versed in each. 

The ultimate solutionIf you’re experiencing a few of the coaching problems above, we have one simple solution for you: join our ICF-accredited training programme. It gives you everything you need to thrive as a coach throughout your entire career. 

We offer a no-gaps course that places a heavy emphasis on practical experience and evidence-based practice. There isn’t an area of coaching we leave untouched, including the business side of the field. We aim to make you experts in your field, and we support you with feedback, mentoring and a life-long community of highly-qualified coaches.