Coaching Certification – The Future Looks Different For Executive, Life, And Business Coaches

As a recent Harvard Business Review article recently stated, coaching is still like the Wild West. The field is expanding, dynamic, and quickly evolving. As a result, it’s not clear where certification is going. However, there are a few predictions that can be made based on current trends.

For executive coaches: expect for certification to become the norm. In the fields of HR, organizational behavior and development, and leadership development (which is what coaching falls under), advanced degrees are the norm. If you’re serious about your practice, you’re going to need to pursue advanced coach training and eventually, an advanced degree.

For life and relationship coaches: while the trend isn’t as clear as it is with executive coaches, it DOES appear that ICF certification is growing in popularity and gaining more and more influence each year. This piggy backs on two other major trends in life coaching: psychologists and therapists have been pouring into the field, and there’s a push in some places for regulation. This doesn’t mean that you need to get certified – you don’t, and you certainly don’t need it to be successful (you need good marketing for that!). Also, your need for certification in this market depends largely on WHAT you’re coaching!

For business & small business coaches: certification is meaningless in this market…and will continue to be so. Business experience, the ability to think strategically, and understanding of business process etc. are the things that the business and small business market really values, and these aren’t the kinds of skills you learn in a coaching certification program.

For corporate coaches (coaches working within a large company or organization): expect trends to mirror those of the executive coaching field. HR professionals are now getting extensive training in one-on-one coaching and the responsibility for internal coaching is increasingly falling to them. Many of them have also begun to take on responsibility for coaching executives within their organizations, which means the need for independent contractors may decrease over time.

What does all this mean for you? Be clear on where YOU’RE going. If executive coaching is your focus, then do the things that are going to make you successful in that market. Get certified. Pursue advanced education in HR or psychology. And, get experience working for large organizations.

If small business coaching is your thing, then get into the trenches and start helping small business owners build their businesses. Help them with their strategy and marketing, work with them on improving their leadership style, etc.

If you know where you’re going, the rest (for the most part) is plug & play!

Learn about Lawrence’s book for beginning coaches The Truth About the Business of Coaching (Tao of Business Press) or visit his website at http://www.lawrencemortenson.com