Life Coaching Articles
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| I am often asked how Life
Coach College and the US Life Coach Association developed into a
key player in the Life Coaching profession. From the time I was a
young man, personal growth and self-help have been of great interest
to me. I remember as a teenager going to the bookstore and library,
headed straight for the personal growth section. I always believed
that there is more to life. That we as humans have so much to be
thankful for and we only realize that when we lose a loved one or
enter the final phase of our life. When the founder of coaching, the late Thomas Leonard first began offering coaching, a friend told me about his service. At first I did not give it much thought since he was focusing on " life planning" and that was not where I really saw the need to help people. I always had a desire to help people in all areas of their life. At that time in my life, I was mesmerized with listening to talk radio. I listened to Bruce Williams of NBC Talknet each and every night. I had the pleasure of meeting Bruce many times. Bruce invited listeners to call in and discuss their issues in life. Whatever was on their mind. Topics ranged from finance, relationships, careers, real estate, business, family and health. Bruce always was careful to make sure the listener knew he was not a doctor, lawyer or banker, he was a man with years of experience, offering the callers a chance to talk out their issues and problems and often offering suggestions. He was always careful not to " tell a caller how to live their life." There seemed to be only one problem with Bruce, there were 100 callers for every one opening. Thousands of callers wanted to talk to him, but he was so limited with his time, especially when you add in commercials. So an idea was formed, what if I offered a similar service to a call in radio show, but the only difference is, you will be guaranteed an opportunity to talk to me. The best part would be that you have one hour instead of 5 minutes. So for me, Life Coaching was born. During this time, Thomas had a client who suggested he call his service, Life Coaching. The profession was developed by Thomas and a few assistants. Over the next 10 years, he developed many assessments, programs, skill sets and techniques. He started the ICF, which is a international coaching organization focusing on governing of the profession. When Thomas started Coachville, the ICF would not allow his new organization to join their organization, so a political turmoil began. Thomas being a rebel in his own right, started the IAC, another coaching organization that would focus on certifying coaches who graduated from his new school and would not be eligible to be certified by the ICF. On February 11, 2003, the entire coaching profession was dealt a shock that would never be forgotten. Thomas passed away of a sudden massive heart attack. After his passing, the profession began to take on new meaning. Many well known coaches began to discuss the future of coaching as well as the future of Thomas's business. Soon it was obvious, an agreement was not going to be reached in the near future. A few key areas seem to be standing in the way. The ICF believes that coaches should not suggest, give advice or warn a client. They follow a coaching model that believes we are there to motivate and monitor, and that is all. While this model sounds good in academia, it does not work well in practice nor is it a successful business model. The problem is, ICF member for the most part will not deviate from ICF protocol. Dave Buck, the heir to Thomas's business agrees this model does not work well in real life. He suggests coaches " go deep" in their conversations. While I agree with his theory, he himself will admit that the majority of the Coachville graduates are not making a living. Many experienced and successful coaches have their opinions as to why the majority of Coachville students are having a difficult time. Even with all of Dave's efforts, it appears to me that Coachville has lost something much larger than life when Thomas passed away. At that moment, I realized that the coaching community had lost more than a leader, it lost a direction. Thomas was the driving force and everyone followed. Even while competing and copying, their was so much energy in the right direction, that coaching was successful There was room for all coaching philosophies. In February 2003, Life Coach College and the US Life Coach Association was born. By the summer of 2003, the first life coaching class began. Students were hand selected, the training was educational and informative. The USLCA started to certify coaches in 2003. Currently the association offers basic memberships to coaches and other natural health care professionals as well as certifying coaches for the CLC, PLC, MLC designations. From that day in February 2003, when the coaching profession was dealt a terrible setback, a new era began and this is the way Thomas would have preferred. To learn more about Life Coach College and the USLCA, please feel free to contact me at 1-800-841-8776. |