Knowing how to start a coaching philosophy and eventually developing one is key to having a successful coaching career and practice. Let us look at five tips that can show you how to develop one.

What is a Coaching Philosophy? 

According to Positive Psychology.com, a coaching philosophy is a coaching tool to help guide coaches in their process of coaching. “Having a philosophy gives a coach clear guidance on the objectives that should be pursued and how to achieve them.” A simple definition of a coaching philosophy is that it is simply a set of values and principles that determine how you serve (coach) people. 

How to Start a Coaching Philosophy: 5 Great Tips to Develop Your Own 

According to Kelly Miller of PositivePsychology.com, The development of your coaching philosophy should start with core values. She states, “To show up as your best self for your clients, you should have a deep understanding of why you got into the profession in the first place.” A couple of questions to ask when discovering that “why” she says include:

What is my motivation for coaching?

What type of coach do I want to be?

What is it that I would like to achieve with my clients?

Answering these questions will help the individual create a coaching philosophy tailored to their moral standards, integrity, and personality. Let us look at the following tips to help direct you on how to start a coaching philosophy that is ideal for your practice.

1. Define Your Coaching Goals/Purpose – What is my motivation for coaching? What do I want to achieve as a life coach? These are questions that will help you determine your reason for coaching. Creating a coaching philosophy involves recognizing the reason or goal for coaching and working towards it. Defining your coaching purpose helps you design the type of care or service you would like to offer to your coaching clients. 

2.  Identifying Your Values- What are your values? What do you stand for? These are questions that will define your coaching philosophy. Your values, morals, and integrity will help you create the right approach and atmosphere in your coaching relationships.

3. Learn From Others – “No Man is an Island.” You will always need feedback or a helping hand from others, especially those who have been in the business longer than you. Regardless of your niche of coaching, the principles are still the same. There is always one or two things you can learn from others to help make you more efficient in your coaching. 

4. Write Down Your Coaching Philosophy – Scribbling your coaching philosophy down on paper can be helpful. You can reflect on it from time to time. There is a passage in the Bible where believers are encouraged to be doers of the word and not hearers only; James 1:22a.  This means that you  need not just hear what the word is saying, but it must be put into action (practiced regularly) for the message to be effective in the individual’s life. This could also be said about your coaching philosophy. It’s one thing creating it and writing it down. It’s another thing to daily live it, applying it to your professional and even personal life. 

5. Communicate Your Coaching Philosophy to Others – After you have produced your coaching philosophy and have written it down, it’s time to share it with others. Sharing your philosophy means that you have publicly declared your intentions, and as a result, you have now made it clear that this is what you stand for and are going to live and work by.

Keep in mind that developing a coaching philosophy for your life coaching practice is vital to the success of your career and life coaching practice. You have to take it seriously because people will hold you to your word.  I hope these tips have provided you with helpful information on how to start a coaching philosophy. If you are serious about becoming the best coach you can be for your clients, a coaching philosophy is a great tool to have. 

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Margaret K. Olubiyi
Life Coach
Writer, Coaches Training Blog community