The very essence of coaching is helping people to change for the better. Whether it’s developing new habits, making better decisions, or improving their lives, coaches all around the world work to provide their clients with the necessary knowledge and skills to move forward.
And when it comes to transformational coaching, it takes this core idea of coaching and brings it to a whole different level. While all coaching tries to get clients moving in the right direction, transformational coaches take a much more aggressive approach.
The process involves getting to the very core of the issues or challenges standing in the way of a better life and addressing them head-on. The result? An astounding transformation that can sometimes happen seemingly overnight.
If you want to provide such powerful outcomes for your clients, then transformational coaching can be an excellent path for you.
With that in mind, let’s look at what transformational coaching is, how it’s different from other types of coaching, and how you can become a successful coach that transforms people’s lives for the better.
What is Transformational Coaching?
In some ways, transformational coaching is similar to life coaching. Both types of coaches work with clients to improve their lives and align their efforts with what they want to achieve. But the main difference arises when you look at the depth that the coaching goes into when seeking to attain those goals.
In life coaching, coaches and clients primarily work on changing the behavior and habits of the clients. By teaching people how to use their time better and removing some of the negative patterns they might have developed, life coaches can put people on the right path to make steady improvements over time.
Meanwhile, transformational coaching does all that as well but also takes on the challenge of changing how clients view themselves. One of the most limiting factors to success is often rooted in self-limiting beliefs, which can even cause a person to actively sabotage themselves because they lack confidence.
By increasing the self-worth of their clients, transformational coaches can enhance the confidence and make people become open to the idea that they deserve to and are capable of succeeding.
While life coaching focuses more on the action and doing things that result in positive change, transformational coaching will start with the client and get them to introspect the inner motivations and limitations before turning to external actions that self-beliefs can propel forward.
And for that to happen, transformational coaches use a few key elements present in almost all parts of the coaching process.
What Are the Elements of Transformational Coaching?
Transformational coaching can be incredibly successful, but coaches must understand the fundamental elements they must use with each client.
Here are some of the elements that play a vital role in how successful transformational coaching can be:
- Personalization. One of the biggest benefits of transformational coaching is the ability to provide personalized guidance and support. That’s why getting to know the client plays an integral role in the process, allowing you to better understand the current situation and provide relevant suggestions.
- Focusing on growth. As a coach, you must have a deep understanding of the growth mindset principles and be able to help cultivate the mindset in your clients. They must be willing to accept failure as an option but not get discouraged by it, instead looking at them as growth opportunities and seeking to progress from it.
- Keep course on goals. Transformational coaching can only occur if the goals that you and your clients set out remain the primary focus throughout the process. Everything must be aligned with the bigger-picture goals because otherwise, it’s easy to lose direction and focus during coaching sessions.
- Providing the necessary resources. Transforming one’s life and mindset is a complicated process, which requires a lot of learning. As a coach, it’s your duty not just to guide the clients yourself but also to provide them with the necessary resources for success.
- Continuity. Finally, your clients should be able to continue on the path you set out for them once they’ve graduated from your coaching. That’s the only way to ensure they don’t fall back into old habits and thinking patterns, which can happen without the right preparation.
What Does a Transformational Coach Do?
A transformational coach gets clients to change their lives for the better and achieve their goals. But as mentioned before, it goes deeper than that.
A good transformational coach primarily focused on using conversations and growth mindset techniques to change how people see themselves. That fundamental change in self-perception is what actually helps the transformation occur, as it’s the foundational driving force behind the action that the person is willing to take in their life.
Sure, transformational coaches help with setting goals, developing habits, and going through tough challenges. But in the end, they empower the person to find the best version of themselves and believe that they are capable of living up to those aspirations.
How to Become a Transformational Coach?
Most coaching careers are very rewarding, but the massive and sometimes rapid change seen in transformational coaching makes it one of the most fascinating careers you could have. But if you’re considering it as a career option, you might not be completely sure how to get started.
Breaking into a market like transformational coaching isn’t always easy, as there are many established coaches that already have big followings and a strong reputation. But the good news is that if you follow a structured process and get the necessary education, you can quickly get on the right path and start helping people transform their lives.
Let’s look at the essential skills you must have as a transformational coach. We’ll also cover the necessary training that will ensure you provide comprehensive help to each client.
Transformational Coaching Skills
There are many skills you must have as a transformational coach. But these are some of the most important ones.
Ability to Listen
Being a good listener is an integral part of being a coach. But when you’re a transformational coach, you need to have exceptional listening skills that allow you to not just hear the direct message but also understand the deeper meaning behind the things your client is sharing.
Transformational coaching is all about changing self-perception and reshaping the person’s thinking process, so you need to have a very precise understanding of where they are right now and how their preconceptions are getting in the way of achieving the goals they set out.
A lot of the things you might end up using could remain unsaid at all. You need to notice the parts of the conversation that the client avoids or omits and look at them as potential areas that you should address.
Observational Skills
Having in-depth conversations is essential, but you should also observe your clients’ behaviors and body language to gain a better understanding of the underlying issues they are facing.
When it comes to achieving a transformation in a client’s life, you can’t rely solely on the narrative they are constructing but must use non-verbal cues to identify behavior patterns and find ways to address them in a way that benefits your clients.
The good news is that as you work with more clients, you should get a very good sense of the typical issues people are facing and the clues that can point to them. Then, you’ll always be able to get to the very heart of the problem and be confident that you’re providing the right path for your client to take.
Accountability
Coaches that want to achieve transformation in their clients can’t get complacent and allow the people they work with to fall into bad behavior patterns. But unfortunately, even the most motivated clients can sometimes lose the growth mindset and start looking for excuses for being stuck.
As a coach, you must be willing to have uncomfortable conversations and ask tough questions that keep people accountable for their situation and goals.
That might not always be pleasant, and you might face resistance, but once you get the client to move forward and stop making excuses, that’s when the transformation can actually happen.
Building Trust
If you want to help your clients, you need them to open up. Some of that comes down to being a good listener, but you also need to ensure that your client feels like they can trust you.
In your sessions, strive to create a safe space where clients feel like they can talk about anything and air out all of their concerns and fears. Then, you can address them openly and without criticism, allowing the client to see the bigger picture and how they can use their situation to move forward.
Reflection
Finally, you need to help the clients see their progress so that they don’t get discouraged when faced with difficult challenges.
The ability to crystalize the key milestones in their transformation and show them how far they’ve come is essential for maintaining motivation, so your ability to do that will largely influence how much your clients are able to achieve.
You should also be able to use experiences with past clients as ways to illustrate your point. Real-life examples of similar situations will always be more impactful than theoretical suggestions, so you will need to learn to draw from past experiences and connect them with the situation your clients are facing.
Transformational Coach Training
Having the right skills is what will ultimately determine your success. However, it’s not always wise to rely on your own experience and knowledge when you want to provide truly transformational outcomes for your clients.
That’s why you should consider going through transformational coach training that can help you get a more rounded education on the subject. Even if you’re already a successful coach, acquiring training and accreditation will allow you to hone your skills, learn new practices, and enhance your services in a way that provides your clients with more value.
What’s more, getting an education will also increase the perceived value of your services, as your clients will have more confidence in what you have to offer.
But what type of accreditation should you seek out?
Ideally, you should look for ICF-accredited life coach certifications that will provide you with comprehensive education, ensuring you don’t have weak areas in your training methods. What’s more, IFC (International Coaching Federation) is a respected institution which means that these programs will carry more weight in the eyes of your clients as well.
These programs will give you all the tools you need to seek out one-on-one coaching clients and ensure that you get the most of the time you have available.
Over time, you can leverage the knowledge you gain and the experience you accumulate to transition into group coaching, where you can leverage an all-in-one coaching platform like Upcoach to systemize your coaching business and scale it as much as you need.
But for any of that to happen, you must first be ready to help clients succeed and transform their lives. And that requires dedication, a willingness to learn, and the right resources at your disposal.
Bottom Line
Transformational coaching is one of the most fascinating fields you could enter. People like Tony Robbins have helped millions of people around the world, amassing large fortunes in the process, and there’s an abundance of opportunities for new coaches as well.
But to be successful as a transformational coach, you need to understand the foundational elements, acquire the right skills, and seek out education that will help you provide comprehensive services to your clients.
You must also treat your coaching as a business, using the right tools to streamline various processes and thinking about how you will grow your coaching in the long term.
