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Life Coach Duties and Responsibilities

To accomplish their main functions of helping clients realize and achieve their goals, Life Coaches perform various tasks. We examined multiple job listings to identify these primary Life Coach duties and responsibilities.

Goal Identification and Achievement Life Coaches often help clients interpret desires and create goals. They can also help people who are struggling with their current goals. Sometimes people create goals and find that the goals are not achievable within their certain circumstances. Life coaches can help people refine their unattainable goals into ones that are actionable. They can also help monitor and redirect clients so that they can achieve their new goals.

Validation and Approval Life Coaches can serve as objective voices in the sea of advice from family members and friends. They can offer the approval that many people seek to pursue their hopes and dreams. Life Coaches examine clients’ ideas and goals in an unbiased way and validate them, which can help clients start moving toward the achievement of their goals.

Motivation Life Coaches often serve as sources of motivation and inspiration that push clients to their true potential. Sometimes clients need help navigating through a stubborn obstacle that’s preventing success. Life Coaches have professional training and mindset techniques that can help motivate clients to get on track, stay on track and achieve their dreams.

Strategy Building Through effective strategy-building techniques, Life Coaches can help their clients figure out how to accomplish their goals in a focused and efficient manner. One of the ways they accomplish this is to ask clients specific questions about their goals and how they will achieve them. Then, Life Coaches help clients build strategies that will be the most effective to enact the changes that the clients desire.

Accountability Not only do Life Coaches help clients realize and create actionable goals, they also hold clients accountable for reaching those goals. They monitor clients by checking in with them at specific times to help them with any issues such as lack of motivation or challenges and keep them on track toward the achievement of their set goals.

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Life Coach Skills

Successful Life Coaches must possess empathy as well as an ability to think analytically. They enjoy helping others and are well-versed in organization, communication and leadership skills. In addition to these general skills and personality traits, employers are looking for Life Coach candidates who have the following skills:

  • Collaborating with other professionals, conducting research and utilizing critical thinking skills and knowledge to address client needs
  • Conducting client sessions in person, in groups, by phone, via email, webinars and video conferencing
  • Creating and organizing confidential client files including intake and session documentation
  • Utilizing focused questioning techniques to aid clients in developing actionable goals
  • Listening actively to client concerns while providing helpful and positive feedback
  • Empowering clients to make life-changing decisions by providing appropriate and specific evaluation, analysis and problem-solving techniques

Tools of the trade: Life Coaches utilize various tools in their daily work. If your goal is to become a Life Coach, you should be skilled in using the following:

  • Client Assessments– Life Coaches use assessments to help clients discover their individual needs, articulate goals, advance their personal development and more.
  • Slide Shows and Webinars– One of the tasks of Life Coaches is to educate others on how to identify and achieve goals. Knowing how to create slide shows and operate webinars are helpful skills that Life Coaches might use when teaching others.
  • Video Conferencing– Life Coaches often find the need to be able to communicate with clients across the globe. Videoconferencing options such as Skype and Google Hangouts are key for these interactions.
  • Computer Software – Familiarity and proficiency in office software applications such as a word processing program is helpful to Life Coaches when creating new handouts, worksheets and promotional materials.
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Life Coach Education and Training

According to our analysis of online job postings, many employers are seeking Life Coach candidates who have at least a bachelor’s degree with hours in psychology or a related field. Management experience is often valued for life coach applicants who want to engage in leadership coaching. Keep in mind that this profession is unregulated and many people use their life experiences as a “credential” to offer services to clients. Any high-quality training or certification applicants have received can help them stand out from the competition.

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Life Coaches Salary

The median annual salary for Life Coaches, categorized by the BLS as School and Career Counselors, slightly exceeds $54,000. Life Coaches in the 10 percentile earn about $32,000 annually, while the highest paid make in excess of $90,000 per year. Life Coaches in New Jersey, Alaska and New York earn the highest mean salary rate in the U.S. – $72,200, $71,630 and $66,350, respectively.

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Life Coach Resources

We checked the Web to find the top industry resources to aid you in your exploration of a career as a Life Coach. From relevant books to industry groups, this list offers opportunities to learn and connect.

International Coaching Federation – Founded in 1995, this organization, dedicated to professional coaching, has over 30,000 members in 140 countries.

International Association of Coaching – The IAC offers education and certification for those interested in personal coaching as a career.

Christine Hassler – Hassler is a well-known credentialed life and business coach who is considered a millennial expert. She is also a published author and frequently a keynote speaker.

The Life Coach School Podcast – Join host Master Coach Brooke Castillo to learn more about life coaching and what it’s all about. Becoming a Professional Life Coach: Lessons from the Institute of Life Coach Training by Diane S. Menendez and Patrick Williams – Learn about the ideas and techniques associated with the life coaching process in step-by-step bites.