Dangerous Mistakes In The Coaching Industry

I’ve had the honor of supporting hundreds of talented coaches. As the co-

founder of online learning and transformation space Mindvalley and lead coach,

CEO and Co-founder at popular digital coaching platform Evercoach, I’ve

mentored some truly amazing coaches from around the world.

I’ve come to know something about coaching that not many people talk about. I

think of it as the “ugly truth” of the coaching industry and it’s this: if you want a

successful coaching business, it’s not just about passion or a desire to help

others. Just about every coach has those traits (you wouldn’t want to be a coach

if you didn’t).

The difference between an extraordinarily successful and profitable coaching

business and one that slips into anonymity

Others are behaviors and

business decisions that can weaken your reputation as a coach or even tank your

business in less time that it took to start it.

So, no matter where you are in your coaching practice or how experienced you

think you are as a coach, you need to know exactly what these dangerous

mistakes are so you can make a conscious choice to avoid them.

Here are the 10 most dangerous mistakes that could ruin your coaching

business:

Dangerous Mistake #1 Not listening well

Coaches know that listening is one of the most important traits of a good coach.

Not paying attention to your client is a huge mistake but what’s more dangerous

than that is thinking you’re doing a great job listening to your client when you’re

not.

The truth is a coach listens not just to the client’s words but to the feeling and

intentions hidden behind those words. Listening during a coaching session goes

far beyond the kind we engage in, in ordinary conversations.

Seek to hear your client’s true emotions. Listen attentively and intuitively. This is

the foundation of building an amazing reputation as a great coach.

Dangerous Mistake #2 Not using easy-to- get

If you want to be taken seriously as a coach, you

need to take your business seriously. What I mean is that you have to step into

the mindset of running a coaching business and not just running coaching

sessions.

When you want to grow your audience and your reach, you need to understand

the moving parts of every successful business. These include marketing, sales,

growth, analytics and all the rest.

You don’t have an MBA to do this. Just aim for a good understanding of the

various areas of a business. You can find some great information online or in

some good books on coaching and marketing.

Dangerous Mistake #6 Not investing in your personal growth

Great coaches understand that their own personal growth is a priority. You need

to build your coaching skills and your ability to help all kinds of clients, from the

inside out.

Make sure you spend some time every week — every day is ideal — honing your

skills as a coach or working on your own beliefs and personal outlook on life.

One of the best ways to do this is to hire a coach. Coaches need coaching too! So

don’t be afraid to find a coach you can trust and who you know can help you