Five Steps To Discovering Who You Are As A Big-Hearted Coach
A big lesson I’ve learned in my coaching journey so far is this: self-awareness and knowing who we are as a coach is the secret to doing meaningful, fulfilling, and sustainable work along the way.
No two coaches are made the same.
Our own stories and experiences have shaped who we are and how we show up in our coaching work. Doing the deep and sometimes challenging work of truly taking ownership of who we are as a coach is how we can become the best coach we can be - the magic never happens on autopilot, we have to be fully present in our work and our practice along the way.
Especially if you’re just getting started, discovering who you are a coach can sound like an overwhelming task. So many of us battle with imposter syndrome and fear that we’re not good enough and sometimes it's easier to shy away from the deep and big-picture tasks that can bring up these fears, but my encouragement to you today is to work through these next five steps and start to really find clarity on who you are as a big-hearted coach.
Even if you’ve been coaching for a few years now, I find these tasks can be a great tool to help us recenter in our business and rediscover what makes the work we do unique and important too.
Step 1: Your Why
Why did you start your coaching business? What inspired you to pursue being a coach? What is the core purpose in the work that you do? Why is this the work you want to be doing in the world?
Dig deep and go back to your why - this can be great for finding clarity and direction if we’re too lost in the nitty gritty parts of running our business to see the bigger picture. Remind yourself why this is the path you have chosen. Reconnect to the desire and inspiration that first fuelled this journey for you.
If you’re just getting started in your big-hearted coaching practice, use this as your north star - let it guide you as you start to make purposeful and profitable decisions along the way.
Step 2: Your Core Philosophy & Methodology
Here’s where we dig into the nitty gritty of your coaching practice. What has shaped your core philosophy and methodology as a coach? What tools, books, research, theories, and more have guided and influenced how you show up with your work?
What are the core philosophies, ideas, and methods you hold true in your work? What belief systems and approaches guide you in the work you do? Break down your methodology and core beliefs step-by-step - get a full picture of the knowledge and ideas that shape up your coaching practice.
This is a great starting off point for any new coaches who are trying to bring to life packages and services that both you and your new clients can be excited about. This step can also help you to discover how best to position yourself in your industry.
If you’ve been coaching for a while now, this step can help you to revisit your core methodology and adapt your business to anything that may have evolved and changed since you first started years ago.
Step 3: Your Gifts & Strengths
Owning your gifts and strengths as a coach isn’t arrogance - it’s how you play bigger in your work and truly deliver and show up for your clients along the way.
This step is great for really helping you understand how you show up as a coach and understanding your approach in your work. Are you great at tough love? Are you great at creating space for breakthroughs and a-ha moments? Is compassion and killer listening skills your thing? Do you always know the right questions to ask to get your clients thinking and working through whatever’s holding them back along the way?
You have many gifts and strengths as a coach - take ownership of them, cultivate them, and, more than anything, just show up and use them every single step of the way.
This step is also great for helping you to discover the areas in your coaching practice where you’d like to improve, any new skills you’d like to develop, areas where you’d like to learn or research more. Our personal growth as a coach is never done - investing in our own skill set and strengths is as much a part of our job as showing up for our clients is.
Step 4: Your Who & Your What
Who are the people you truly want to be of service to? What do you want to help them achieve throughout your work together? What journey do you want your coaching services to take them on?
You’ve probably figured a lot of this out when developing your business plan and model, but it’s always good to revisit it and truly understand who it is you’re here to serve as a coach. The secret? Be okay with this evolving along the way as your business and brand and vision evolves too.
Step 5: Your Core Values & Intentions
Here’s where you can really dive deep into the values and intentions guiding your business along the way. What are the core values that shape your approach and mindset as a business owner and coach? What are the values and intentions you want to honour in your business and coaching practice?
Explore how you core values and intentions guide and direct your marketing, your content, your client on-boarding, your client process, your offerings and products, and how you scale and grow your business along the way.
Being a big-hearted coach means being brave enough to run a values-based business and making decisions that are fuelled by our values and our purpose along the way. It’s choosing to build a profitable, sustainable, and impactful business without compromising our integrity or who we are while we make things happen as we go.
To finish
The reality is, discovering who you are as a big-hearted coach is an ongoing process. You’ll always be evolving, growing, and changing along the way. When we stay present and self-aware in our practice, that’s when we can do truly meaningful and impactful work for our clients and the people we’re here to serve. A big part of discovering who we are a coach is learning to trust ourselves, being comfortable in our own skin and our voice, and taking ownership of how it is we can truly serve others along the way.