I was recently asked to talk about a challenge I face as a coach, and what makes leadership on this challenge difficult. While the question could be answered with personal challenges, I chose to answer from an industry-level perspective. In other words, what challenges do we as coaches face and what makes the leadership of that challenge difficult?
We as coaches face the challenge of (1) educating the public on what coaching is (and what it is not), and (2) making the case on how coaching can be beneficial to the public. We wish to show coaching as a viable option for professionals in their own development, as well as their organizations. I personally wish to see coaching grow into a viable alternative or strategic partner with consulting as a modality for organizations small and large in solving their biggest challenges.
What makes leadership on this challenge difficult is the public perception of coaching. Many associate coaching with the Tony Robbins-type personalities who go on stage in front of hundreds/thousands with a headset microphone and yell positive affirmations to the crowd. Others think of coaches as thinly-credentialed pseudo-professionals who take the space of therapists and consultants. Even more, people are simply not aware of what coaching is at all.
The leadership that needs to take place tackles multiple groups of people, but they can be broadly categorized into two groups: (1) within the coaching industry; and (2) outside the coaching industry. I will explain the leadership challenges for both groups in the subsequent paragraphs.
The leadership challenge within the coaching industry is about forming an agreed-upon consensus of what coaching is (and what is not). Certain organizations, such as the ICF (International Coaches Federation) have done much of the legwork on this issue. However, the conversation on what coaching is and is not is far from over. It is a fluid conversation. Due to there being no centralized governing body nor any legal regulations on coaching, the industry is very much a free market of ideas flowing in multiple directions. It will take more than those with the highest credentials in the industry to continue to define what coaching is for the present and future of the industry.
There are some big questions for coaches taking on leadership (not in authority, but in activity). How do we distinguish coaching from other forms of professional help (ex. therapy, consulting, mentoring, etc)? How do we partner with other professional helping professions (listed above) in best serving the general public? How do we legitimize the coaching profession without centralized governance or regulation? How do we bridge the gap between those who are “credentialed” and those who are not? All of these questions will require reaching across the table to multiple factions in order to secure multiple perspectives, and subsequently come up with an agreed-upon solution that benefits the most amount of people possible in the industry.
The leadership challenge outside the coaching industry is public perception. Previously I had stated how coaching can be beneficial to other industries as a key challenge for coaches. However, I believe the challenge starts first with the public perception of coaching. Coaching as an industry is not well known. People may have heard the word coaching, but do not have experience with it as a professional service. Others may perceive it in ways that do not fit with the coaching industry's intended perception. The challenge, therefore, is in the minds and hearts of the public to perceive coaching as a legitimate profession that can help them.
Changing public perception of coaching will take leadership, not authority. Paradoxically, the public tends to look for authority in order to legitimize a person or profession. A doctor is seen as credible based, at the very least, on their medical license. A lawyer is credible based on their bar card. A therapist is credible based on their license as well. Coaching is starting to have a legitimate set of governing bodies to legitimize the profession, but none are centralized (although the ICF seems to be taking the lead over others here in the USA).
The leadership challenge I see is this: what else can be done to help legitimize coaching as an industry beyond authority? Also, how can we as coaches accomplish this while still having the ongoing conversation on what coaching is (and is not)?
I would propose the following action items for the coaching industry as a whole to address:
(1) Start a dialogue with the multiple factions on the topic of what coaching is and is not. Not everyone will agree on what coaching should be, and that's ok. We as coaches can have more of a democratized process of defining the practice of coaching. Coaches who abide by the guidelines of organizations such as the ICF can get into the habit of seeing the world through only one lens, which unintentionally pushes those with different viewpoints away from forming a more unified consensus on such important issues in our industry. If public perception of coaching is the challenge, then addressing the dissenting voices and unheard voices will provide a better chance at obtaining a more unified consensus.
(2) There are many coaches who do not have credentials or accreditations; start bringing them to the discussion table. It is important to bring different viewpoints into the discussion about the coaching industry. Therefore, bringing in the voices we may not necessarily agree with can help drive change in the coaching industry. We as credentialed coaches should ask non-credentialed coaches why they are not credentialed. Doing so is a very important step toward finding some form of unity and improving the public perception of the coaching industry. Maybe they do not have the time or resources to get credentialed. Maybe they do not want to be credentialed at all. Finding out the reasons why and addressing them will be greatly beneficial. Then, offer them the microphone to discuss their thoughts and feelings on the coaching industry.
(3) Find ways to get other coaches to think of the 'Big Picture' for coaching. Engaging in discussions with other coaches about our industry may start off with a "me, myself, and I" viewpoint. This makes sense, as many coaches are focused on what is in it for them. When we talk about the industry, try to shift the focus to a "what's in it for us" mentality. How does the industry as a whole benefit? Once there, go a step further - "What is our industry's intention to provide to society at large?
(4) Name the elephant(s) in the room for the coaching industry. This may not be easy, as most human beings tend to avoid being uncomfortable. But it is necessary to be at least a little uncomfortable in order to make progress on leadership challenges. The issues with public perception of coaching may not be easy to hear or admit for some coaches, especially if the goal is to bring more coaches to the decision table. Again, progress on challenges such as this one requires us to name the unspoken issues and discuss possible resolutions. (It goes without saying that naming the elephant(s) in the room should be done professionally).
In short, no industry is devoid of leadership challenges; not even coaching. We as coaches can do more to bring others to the discussion table, while also finding ways to reach a consensus on how to offer an improved public perception of coaching that is informed and in line with our industry's intended purpose.
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