One of my coaching clients recently asked me about a Facebook post she’d seen from a business coach discouraging people from taking certified programs, as you don’t need them…
She was also recommended not to use her certifications in her marketing because no one cares about them.
My client was confused…
Surely not every certification or accreditation I want to complete is a waste of time or a distraction? Especially if they’re focused on my specific field of work.
Why would you work so hard for a qualification and not use it in your marketing as positioning your expertise?
Here’s what we explored during our call together around the subject of signing up for certifications…
Should coaches even be giving advice?
Let’s begin by talking about the elephant in the room 🙂
Should a coach even be giving advice? Is this bad coaching? We’re not going deeply into coaching ethics here, but I will respond by saying it depends on the type of professional relationship you are creating with your client.
Is it actually coaching?
Some coaching relationships extend far beyond the traditional definition of pure coaching. Your work together might involve a combination of many things including mentoring, directing, and teaching. I know this can sometimes be the case in business coaching.
So it depends on the context of the relationship and the work you’re doing together…
I would always encourage guiding your client to find the answer for themselves, rather than offering advice or telling them what to do.
With that said, the answer to the question of whether this is good or bad advice depends on the context of coaching, the needs of the individual client, and the coach’s motivation behind saying it.
Why do some coaches say that you don’t need another certification?
Here are three reasons why coaches may challenge a client taking a certification…
1. Your coach’s own limitations
Many years ago, my consultant boss was also my coach. He used to joke with clients about how many letters I had after my name.
It was humorous, to begin with, but then it became a THING in conversations and during workshops when we trained together. My qualifications became a source of ridicule. I’d often feel embarrassed when it was mentioned in public.
He discouraged me from sharing my credentials when positioning myself. He’d brush them off by saying that “no one cares about your certifications and you certainly don’t need any more of them…”
On reflection, I came to realize my boss didn’t have any coaching qualifications and he later admitted he saw my continuous learning as a threat to his own credibility, status in the company, and self-worth. He personally chose not to keep learning.
His unconscious behavior was just the Ego’s way of protecting himself using his positional power, especially when we trained together. This pattern was undermining his coaching relationship with me.
So I hid my qualifications and played down my expertise with our clients to make him look good. I stayed in the shadows.
If I’d taken this guy’s advice I would not have continued with my own personal and professional development.
I certainly wouldn’t have had the confidence to create two successful international coaching businesses (one in the UK and then CoachBrilliant in the USA)!
2. Your client is avoiding something…
Sometimes a client will find it easier to get lost in learning about their craft rather than actually taking action to get clients and create their business.
This is especially true for individuals with a personality type that needs to gather more information before they feel comfortable jumping in and experiencing working with it.
I’ve seen this many times with new coaches, who are technically brilliant, and know what to do but they have never experienced having a REAL client to coach…
They stay busy in preparation mode because they perceive they still haven’t learned ENOUGH to make their coaching real, and falsely believe that they will gain confidence by gathering more information first.
This learning is wasted if you don’t use it directly with clients. This is how someone becomes a real coach – by the experience of actually coaching someone!
Check-in on what’s behind the stalling here. Is there something deeper going on? Look for ways to help them take action toward getting their first client.
- What am I really avoiding here?
- What’s underneath my desire to continue studying with another course/accreditation?
- What is driving this desire?
A good coach will call you out because you are now ready to experience working with a client or two. There never is a perfect time to get started.
It is time to apply what you have learned. This is what you need to focus on next… not another program or certification!
3. Bright Shiny Object Certifications!
You don’t have to scroll far online these days to see people claiming to be coaches offering general advice and giving platitudes. The internet is full of them – Including their inflated false claims about success! (rant over!)
It’s also easy to get drawn in and hooked by clever, compelling and hypnotic marketing. Before you know it, you’ve handed over your credit card and joined another program! Even though you had originally decided that you had no intention of signing up before you watched the webinar!
What just happened?! 😲
…Before you know it, you’ve added yet another course vault link to your laptop…an additional open tab gathering dust on your desktop!
It can be hard to discern authentic genuine help and advice from professional experienced coaches and the copycat versions popping up everywhere.
Only when the initial excitement fades do you realize that this work isn’t in alignment with your vision or goals. You feel the burden as it becomes another thing to spend time on when your time is already thinly spread.
A good coach will call you out on this if they are aware you tend to sign up for everything and anything in the moment, especially if you never follow through on completing the coursework.
How do you know if it’s a Bright Shiny Object (BSO) or not?
- Step back and do some research before signing up. Read more about the program and perhaps talk to someone who has completed it. Read client testimonials. How have they applied it to their business and their life?
- Ask yourself the following questions:
- Why do I want to complete this accreditation/certification?
- How would this investment pay off in my business financially? with my clients? What difference would it make to my value as a coach (or insert your field of work)?
- If I am honest with myself, do I just have Fear Of Missing Out, if I don’t sign up for this program?
It’s not about the qualification…it’s about the application of the qualification that makes a difference to your client’s results.
Most people can study for a certification program and pass an exam.
Having a qualification is one thing – actually applying what you’ve learned to create engaging and insightful conversations to help others move forward or make a change is another.
Being a brilliant coach is not about how many coaching hours you’ve accrued. 1,000 hours just means that you’ve had 1,000 hours of conversations, it doesn’t measure how many A-ha’s your clients got or if those conversations were any good.
I have known some qualified coaches who aren’t that great at coaching. They know the process, follow their system, and have some competency, but this can only take their clients so far.
It’s how you APPLY what you’ve learned and the transformative experiences that you create for your clients that make the difference.
You only truly learn how to be a brilliant coach when you bring together a combination of the depth and breadth of your life experience and your coaching expertise into creating meaningful conversations for your clients. Some of this cannot be learned in a classroom or a textbook, it has to be experienced.
What any potential client wants to know…
Potential clients want to know two things before they decide to work with you:
- Do you really know what you are talking about?
- Can you help me with my specific challenge?
I am proud to say that every accreditation or certification that I’ve taken has been chosen strategically. I’ve applied the learning directly into my life and then into my coaching work with clients. The learning I’ve transferred has increased my value and income as a professional coach.
This work helped me to win training and coaching contracts of up to $500,000 in large organizations, and build and grow two international coaching businesses from the ground up.
Applying the learning in both my personal and professional life has helped me become a better leader, coach, consultant, and trainer with my clients. In addition, I’ve also become a better wife, friend, and sister!
I ALWAYS use my qualifications in my marketing to position myself as an expert coach-mentor, and someone who has done the deep work on myself to become a professional coach.
This is what makes me different from all the noise on the internet – I’m proud to authentically be the real deal.
You are strategically investing in yourself and your business…
Keep growing!
Using the above information, as a coach, you can help your client to step back if they need help in their decision-making around taking another certification. You can call them out if they are unconsciously using it as a way to avoid, delay or distract from what they really need to be focusing their attention on.
This new certification might be an excellent next step forward for them in order to achieve their desired vision and goals.
Ultimately it’s your client who gets to decide!