Top 10 Qualities of a Good Life Coach

In recent years, the job description ‘life coach’ has soared in popularity.

It seems that everywhere you look, you see people with coaches; business coaches, relationship coaches, resilience coaches.

It looks like a great career too. For many of us, working from anywhere, setting your own schedule and having the freedom of being our own boss is a fantasy. Add into the mix the idea that your work is empowering people and that’s a dream come true.

There are certainly lots of benefits of becoming a coach.

But what actually is a life coach, and how does a coach help someone improve their lives? What makes a good life coach, and how can you become one? Do you have any life coach qualities?

Read on to break down the answers to these questions and list the top 10 qualities of a good life coach.

What is a life coach?

You wouldn’t think twice about getting a sports coach in to help your sports team do well. They are able to see the parts of your game that you can’t, and provide a training strategy for you to improve.

A life coach works in much the same way.

When you hire a life coach, they look at your situation and discover the obstacles and the challenges that are holding you back.

They provide support, guidance and accountability. They reveal their clients’ unique strengths and abilities and build on them to achieve success.

Then, they make a strategy for their clients to reach their goals. They provide actionable steps that lead on the path to achieving their objectives.

Whether it’s looking for financial freedom, making a career change, starting a business or even raising children, a life coach can help their clients get there quicker.

What makes a good life coach?

With such an important mandate, you might be thinking that to do this career life coaches must be very successful in their own lives.

Maybe you might think that life coaches have to have perfect relationships with the people in their own family, have built many successful multi-million dollar businesses and never have any problems they cannot resolve.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

The reality is that a great tennis coach is not the current world tennis number one. They may never even have had a tennis career!

The skills and qualities of a life coach are much more important than any achievements they may have had in the past.

So what makes a good life coach? What life coach qualities are necessary to become successful? And how do you become one?

Here are the top ten qualities a life coach needs to be a great coach for their clients.

The top ten life coach qualities

1. Excellent communication skills

The number one thing on this list is communication. A life coach must be able to communicate with clarity and express themselves clearly to their clients.

They must be able to convey their ideas clearly whether they’re speaking or writing to guide their clients efficiently.

2. Outstanding listening skills

A huge part of communication skills is listening, and this skill is so important it deserves its own place in this top ten list of what makes a good life coach.

Life coaches must be able to listen carefully to their clients and identify what their client is not saying as much as what they are saying. They must be observant.

3. Friendly

It’s so important to be able to build rapport and trust with your clients, and be friendly and approachable.

4. Empathetic

Being able to empathise with your clients and understand part of what they’re going through is important.

There is no requirement to have been through it yourself, but you must be open-minded enough to understand how it might feel.

5. Optimistic

No one needs a pessimistic coach.

There is always the good to be found in every situation, and there is always hope if we search for it. Things can always get better, and it’s important to share those values with your clients.

On the other hand, it’s important to understand the distinction between optimism and blind optimism. Knowing when to give up and try something new is important.

6. Patient

Sometimes, things take time.

Building a business and a personal life coaching brand takes time. Encouraging your clients until they see success takes time.

It won’t happen overnight, and it will be a difficult road to reach success. That’s true for you and your clients. Your job in the dark moments is to make sure that you stay consistent and patient.

Recognise that good things take time, and model that behaviour to your clients. With patience and consistency, you will build something amazing, you just need to be patient to see it.

7. Motivated

Alongside patience, motivation is key.

Knowing that each day is different, but you need to show up nonetheless is crucial. Not everyday is a day of celebration. There are days of hard work that go into that moment.

But if you stay motivated and keep the bigger picture in your mind, then building your business and your clients’ dreams will be worth it.

8. Sense of humour

It’s absolutely crucial to have the ability to laugh at yourself.

In coaching, life and business, everything is a journey. Something that you think is very serious now will become a funny story tomorrow if you have a sense of humour.

Take a funny client moment, or a great idea you had in business that turned out to be an epic flop. That’s funny! If you take it too seriously, there is no joy in it anymore.

And remember above all, our lives should be a joy.

9. Enthusiastic

And to make life a joy, we must embrace enthusiasm.

Life coaches need to be enthusiastic about the work they do and about the clients they have. They must be driven, eager and animated for success. They must relish the idea of beginning a new challenge, and know enough about themselves to keep up their enthusiasm.

The reason for this is that enthusiasm is infectious.

If you’re enthusiastic about your clients’ goal, the chances are that they will catch that enthusiasm for themselves. They’ll feel as motivated and animated as you, and work hard for themselves to reach their success destination.

10. Curious

Finally, coaches need to stay curious.

The process of coaching is not a single point on a line: it’s a journey. Over your lifetime, you must learn and improve yourself to make sure that you model these habits to your clients.

Your work is never done, or complete. It’s an ongoing process that begins with your curiosity.

Bonus! 11. Coaches need to be non-judgemental

Your clients are about to share their deepest desires. Are you going to support them? Can you provide a safe space for them to share?

You must be non-judgemental and take them seriously when they take you into their confidence.

How do you become a life coach?

Are you feeling like this list describes you?

If you recognise these life coach qualities in yourself, perhaps becoming a life coach is calling your name.

Becoming a life coach is an exceptional career that changes the lives of people around you. It helps them be motivated, enthusiastic and curious about their goals and the success that they can achieve.

It’s a rewarding career in an industry that is booming; life coaching is the second fastest growing industry in the world and has been for over ten years.

The demand for good, quality, certified coaches is only growing, and there are many people with these life coach qualities who have made their millions by delivering outstanding coaching to their clients.

Are you ready to join the industry and become a life coach?

If you have some of these qualities, then life coaching could be an amazing career for you. But how can you take the first step in this outstanding career?

The best coaches begin with a passion to help others. Then, it’s time to learn about coaching and becoming certified.

This doesn’t mean that you need to go back to university. In fact, the best online coaching courses are available online so you can study in your own time and at your own pace around your other life commitments.

The Jay Shetty Life Coach Certification

One of the most reputable coaching schools available is the Jay Shetty Certification School, where you can become a certified life coach through a comprehensive and rigorous life coaching certification training course.

The coaching certification is split into three areas.

Firstly, learn the fundamental personal development methodologies developed by Jay Shetty. Work on yourself to become the best success coach you can be.

Then, discover how to deliver for your clients. Learn and practise advanced coaching frameworks to help your clients recognise their vision for success and overcome challenges.

You can even benefit from exclusive access to Jay’s own coaching toolbox with over 50 coaching templates included to help build your own coaching strategies.

Finally, you’ll be equipped with the skills you need to build your coaching business. Find out how to build a successful coaching business from the ground up and master marketing, accounting and bureaucracy basics.

Study all this at your own pace from wherever you are in the world as the whole programme is online. It’s designed to bolster your success in your new career and is a great place to begin your new role as a life coach.

Discover your coaching niche and coaching style

After you’ve become certified, it’s time to find your coaching niche and coaching style.

A coaching niche is the type of specialist coaching you offer your clients. For example, you may be called to help people become the best parents they can be.

You may wish to be an entrepreneurial coach, or a women’s empowerment coach. You may be a health coach, or coach people to rebuild their lives after an addiction.

Whatever you’re calling is, there are people in need of support in your coaching niche.

Then, make a decision about how you would like to work as a coach: your coaching style.

Are you interested in working as a private coach, one on one with your clients? Would you prefer to work online, so you have the freedom to run your sessions from anywhere?

Perhaps you think your coaching sessions are best delivered in a group setting.

Once you’ve thought about these questions and earned your qualification, you’re all set to embark on the career of a lifetime.

Are you ready?

Life coaches need to be approachable, personable, friendly and helpful. They should be enthusiastic, empathic and have a sense of humour and patience. They must be curious, and stay learning through their coaching career.

But most importantly, they need to be passionate about radically transforming the lives of others.

Possessing these key life coach qualities are important in helping coaches to gain new customers, but also new business contacts, building a career.

As the life coaching industry grows, perhaps it’s time you thought about making a change and embarking on the incredible journey that is becoming a life coach.