School of Coaching Mastery has been making lots of upgrades to its programs and this is one more in a series of blog posts so coaches know what we're all about going forward.
We started by announcing the Free Coach Training Program, then we announced why we aren't renewing our IAC License and that we're changing our coach certification.
Part of the whole package of change involves our 'ultimate' students and how they fit into the overall coaching picture. The focus here has always been on training the coach who is destined to become a coaching leader. It's a whole different process than training to just be 'good enough' to coach.
That might sound a little snooty if you don't know us. Actually, great coaches are simultaneously both confident and pretty humble.
Anyhow, the point isn't to be 'great' or 'masterful' or 'certified'. The whole point is for every coach and every coaching client to have the life and career they really want. A less idealistic way to say this is we help coaches build coaching businesses that aren't crappy. ;-)
Let's face it, traditionally coaching schools have done a lousy job of preparing new coaches for success in the coaching business. In my own research, I've found that 80% of coaches wish they were more successful. While dissatisfaction is a universal human condition, I think coaches who are prepared best, fare best. And I think coaching schools can prepare coaches better.
Mastering yourself, your skills and your business are the steps that breed coaching success. Then there is what you actually do with all of that mastery.
But I digress...
So why are we giving a license to teach our curriculum to our paid students who become certified by us?
- The market has been flooded with coaching schools in the past few years. Some of them are a bit dubious. By empowering Certified Coaches to go out and teach quality coach training to whomever they want, we hope to discourage those who are in it merely for profit.
- Coaching skills aren't just for professional coaches, anymore. Everyone from parents to corporate CEO's are coaching their people and getting great results. Coaches who can teach coaching skills are in high demand.
- The days of big for-profit coach training schools are numbered. In the future, coach training will be highly niched or offered by universities and employers. Our Certified Coaches will be among those teaching it.
- I won't be teaching forever. I'm looking forward to my students picking up the coaching mantle and taking it places I've never dreamed of.
So there you have it. In addition to good coach training, our students are getting a free license to teach our curriculum, once they pass our certification. Those who need it and want it will also get the Certified Coach Trainer program, which we believe is the first of its kind in the world. And it's no extra cost for our 'ultimate' students.
Oh, by the way, we're also working out a way for coaches to join the Ultimate Coach Training Program without paying us thousands of dollars upfront or going into debt. And no, I'm not talking about 'work-study'.
Stay tuned for more announcements!
School of Coaching Mastery is undergoing several exciting changes at once, including our Coach Certification process.
It's all to streamline our coach training and certification options, so they are as meaningful and valuable as possible to the coaches we serve.
One of our biggest concerns is our Coach Certification. It's a dauntingly high hurdle that potentially shuts out thousands of great coaches. That doesn't serve coaches or their clients.
This came to my attention when I was considering whether to renew our IAC Coaching Masteries(tm) license this December. One of the many reasons I'm choosing to not renew our IAC license is that fewer coaches than ever are seeking IAC Coach Certification. Even most of my own students aren't applying for it when we offer to reimburse their fees! SCM's old certification is at approximately the same level as IAC Certification.
Does this mean we're going to lower our standards? No. I think high coaching standards are more important than ever. What School of Coaching Mastery is going to do is offer a 2-step process that recognizes the outstanding value of proficient coaches who get results, while actually raising the bar for master coaches.
Let's bring the fun back into coach certification!
I think there are two main reasons why more coaches aren't pursuing IAC Certification. One is that Thomas Leonard is no longer out there evangelizing it. Thousands of coaches were already fired up to get certified when Thomas passed away. Without him, the excitment has just melted.
The other reason is that IAC certification is harder to achieve. Over the years, especially after the advent of the Coaching Masteries, I noticed that coaching sessions that I would have passed back in 2004-2005, weren't passing any more.
Harder can be better, except when it's not.
Back when we were using the proficiencies, we passed about half of the coaches who applied. Now only 1/4 of all coaches pass IAC Certification on the first try, which suggests that it is now twice as hard to pass. (SCM students pass at the rate of 2/3.)
As any great coach knows, the perfect goal is one that is difficult, but doable. If we set the bar too high, the client gets overwhelmed and gives up.
It take courage to let other coaches grade your coaching ability. When there is a only pass out of every 4 applications, it's just easier for coaches not to bother - or to opt for rubber-stamp certifications. That doesn't encourage growth in coaching. On the contrary, it discourages it.
I'm not blaming the IAC. I took their lead, but I'm the one who set up the Certified Mastery Coach designation as one huge leap, with no intermediate steps along the way.
Thomas had it right: Inspire coaches with a certification that recognizes great coaching, but don't make it so hard that they don't even apply for it. Otherwise, there's just no point.
I do, however think there's a place for a more advanced certification, because as the coaching profession continues to mature, it's becoming more competitive. As Thomas used to say, the best way to be successful is to master your craft.
In addition, I think coaching skills, alone, are really not enough of a basis for certification, any more than coach training and coaching hours guarantee effective coaching. We need evidence of great coaching results. That's what clients want and deserve for the high fees that they pay us.
So going forward, SCM will have two certifications available. First, the SCM Certified Coach, who has demonstrated a proficient level of coaching, along with recommendations that speak to the coach's effectiveness. SCM-CC level coaching is significantly more effective than most coaching and deserves recognition.
And we'll have the Certified Master Coach who has demonstrated masterful skills and results. Our old Certified Mastery Coach designation will be phased out by December, when we drop the IAC license, but coaches who are currently working on it will be able to achieve it by then.
What excited me about the old proficiency-level certification is that it inspired coaches to reach their full potential, rather than settle for what they previously thought was possible.
That's what coaching is all about, right? Helping clients be, do and have much more? Why not a certification process that does that for coaches? That's my intention for our 2 new levels of certification.
As for IAC Certification, I believe our student/coaches will continue to pass it at a reletively high rate even after we stop teaching the IAC Masteries. At least if they apply for it.
Applications for the two new SCM Coach Certifications will be available in September. In the meantime, if you're curious, you can see the requirements for our new certifications here.
If you'd like to be kept updated about upcoming opportunities to get certified by us, go here. And scroll down to the right to fill out a short form.
I've talked to hundreds of coaches and nearly all of them say the same thing:
They see themselves equally as entrepreneurs and professionals. I'm not surprised.
DEFINITION:
Entrepreneur: Someone who starts businesses for fun. May or may not be successful.
Professional: Someone with professional training & credentials who offers professional services for a fee. May or may not be successful.
Coaches don't just wear two hats. You could say we have two brains, when it comes to running our businesses. One for the entrepreneur (Fun & profit!) and one for the professional (I'll learn everything I can to give the best results and I have credentials that confirm that.)
I love being an entrepreneur. It's loads of fun. I bet you do too. And I bet your inner professional held you back until he/she was convinced you'd done what it takes to be the best you can be. Not always fun - but worth it, if you want to be a professional with integrity. And necessary, if you want to be a professional who succeeds.
You see, to your inner professional, practicing your profession without the appropriate credentials is as terrifying as walking down the red carpet stark naked!
- Or performing brain surgery without being a doctor.
- Or flying a plane without a pilot's license.
There's no getting around this, if you see yourself as a professional. So, if you're a coach who wants more clients and you're trying to do it without training and certification (the coaching profession's recognized credentials), then your inner professional is just trying to save you from disaster and humiliation.
You can thank it for that.
Your inner entrepreneur doesn't get this. It's busy running a cool business and it doesn't have time & money to spend on more training. And anyway, coaches don't really need certification, right?
Actually, according to a number of studies (See Coaching Sherpa), professional coaches without training & certification earn less, become successful more slowly, and/or drop out of the profession after a couple of years.
No surprise, eh?
You've got to get your inner professional and inner entrepreneur talking to each other. They need to work together so you can have the fun, ease and profits you planned on and the integrity you require.
Fortunately for you, there's something that will make both your inner professional and inner entrepreneur very, very happy.
It's called Certification Bootcamp. It's for practicing coaches, only, and it's short on both time and money, long on fun, and high on quality, value and results (Listen, I'm a professional, too).
The premiere edition of CERTIFICATION BOOTCAMP is coming up in a few weeks.
IT INCLUDES:
- 10 TELE-WEBINAR CLASSES
- 4 TELECONFERENCES
- 1 LIVE EVENT
You can customize it and take only what you need.
It's fast and fun and priced so low, even your inner entrepreneur will love it. If you jump in quickly, you inner professional will breathe a sigh of relief and will finally, FINALLY, let you succeed like you know you are meant to.
NO MORE GOING NAKED.
This program is only open to a few good coaches and it's already filling, so if you're at all curious, check it out right now. Your inner professional will thank you.
If you have more questions, call us at +1-877-224-2780
