Good Coach vs Bad Coach

A Good Life Coach can help you transform your life while a Bad Coach can ruin it.

As a life coach, I spend a lot of time researching life coaching Best Practices and learning from life coaching discussions on Reddit.

Reddit has a wealth of information and knowledge sharing - it's great for market research - and since life coaching is a lonely pursuit, having a sense of community helps keep up to date on the industry and community around the "water cooler" in a manner of speak.

On the LifecoachSnark Reddit customers come to denounce fraudulent life coaches or fellow coaches will discuss their dealings in the industry. And there are unfortunately so many many life coaches who overpromise & underdeliver.

Here are the Top 5 red flags that emerge:

1. Services not as advertised: the sales pitch was better than the reality.

2. Irreversible services: once you pay upfront there is no way to cancel the remaining portion of the services even if it is not working for you.

3. Over priced programs in the 10s of thousands of dollars that put people in debt and that can't be recovered since legal jurisdictions are often unclear and contracts hard to enforce.

4. Social media heavy marketing with catchphrases and predatory sales techniques: heavy focus on financial outcomes like 10K months instead of transformation and quality of coaching. Unless you are Tony Robbins or are doing executive coaching with decades of experience, life coaching costs should not be astronomical.

5. Following a script of questions and giving you a cookie cutter solution instead of listening and learning about your unique needs.

On the flip side, good life coaching consists of putting the client first and practicing with ethics and integrity:

1. Clear contractual terms and deliverables with the ability to cancel the remaining portion of the service if it isn't to the expectations of the client. Make sure you read the fine print and ask lots of questions.

2. Transparency and setting detailed expectations: Make sure you aren't just being sold on a one size fits all cookie cutter program but a program with clear outcomes. Otherwise, you can find a master class on YouTube. Accountability and goals are a very important part of coaching.

3. Makes you feel safe and understood: Your life coach will know you intimately and creating a safe environment where you can be yourself while also enjoying your time together is key. It is important that you feel listened to.

4. Real references and testimonials: you should date a life coach and take your time to know them. There could be so many different types of coaches and your unique dynamic will make a difference to how effective your time together is. A coach should be able to provide references and you should do your research independently as well.

5. Published books and certifications: just like any other profession, life coaching has certifications and achievements. Those of us who get published want to share our passion for coaching with the world as well as what makes us unique, while coaching certification mean at least a minimum level of training. They won't guarantee a great coach but they are a starting point for looking up licensed practitioners.

Like in any other kind of service relationship, we are dealing with people so it's essential to take your time, do your due diligence and build a long term relationship.

You can learn more about my unique coaching methodology D.A.R.E here and also subscribe to my monthly newsletter for Insights on Building Confidence, Finding your Purpose, Peace and a Balanced Nervous System.