Coaching Philosophy

Coaching comes in such wondrous variety, and so do the people who are lucky enough to work in this profession.

Fortunately, most coaches get into the business to serve others, and with that heart of service comes a pathway to personal coaching philosophy.

Personal values and integrity in the field are essential steps in understanding the benefits that coaching brings to the world.

If you’re lucky, your trainer will help to develop this coaching philosophy well during training. Coaches are responsible for how they show up to serve their clients, and being mindful and self-aware is an integral part of that service.

Come along to read more about coaching philosophy and how it can add value to any coaching practice.

What Is a Coaching Philosophy?

Having a well-defined approach for the way each client is served is a crucial part of being a coach. As coaching is used in a wide variety of areas, so too will there be a wide variety of coaching philosophies. The development of a coaching philosophy is a way to set expectations for the coach and the client.

A coaching philosophy is a coaching tool to help guide coaches in their process of coaching. Having a philosophy gives a coach clear guidance on the objectives that should be pursued and how to achieve them. While adhering to values, a coach can make consistent decisions and broader life coaching questions by sticking with their philosophy.

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) has a code of ethics for credentialed coaches, and the coaching philosophy is a part of this code. True coaching involves holding space for a client to allow their personal growth to lead the coaching conversation. Coaches are not advisers, but rather active listeners who are not wedded to the outcome of any coaching conversation.

Becoming well versed in the ICF Code of Ethics will aid coaches in developing the personal standards by which their clients are well served.

A coach’s stand is a great way for a coach to begin effectively determining their coaching philosophy. Through utilizing the commitment portion of the coach’s position, what one stands for clears the way for a well-served client. Unconditional positive regard is a big part of this, but a clear philosophy can be fully developed through a deep understanding of core values.

Developing Your Coaching Philosophy

The development of your coaching philosophy should start with core values. This philosophy will reflect your moral standards as well as your integrity. To show up as your best self for your clients, you should have a deep understanding of why you got into the profession in the first place.

Here are a few questions to ask when discovering that “why.”

• What is my motivation for coaching?
• What type of coach do I want to be?
• Why is coaching the right fit for me?
• What is it that I would like to achieve with my clients?
• What will I achieve for myself?

All coaches tell themselves stories that may bring forth the commitments that will undermine the effectiveness of the coaching. Self-awareness in coaching is vital in delivering effective service to clients.

Here are a few examples of what a coach might unintentionally be committed to that hold them back from their philosophy and power as a coach (Lasley, Kellogg, Michaels, & Brown, 2015).

• The need to be admired
• Ensuring the process is being done “right”
• The need to highlight personal knowledge
• Being consumed with the client’s level of comfort
• Being too polite

To be an effective coach, one must step into the shoes of someone whose focus is not on the self. Most coaching philosophies are “others” focused, which allows for coaching environments where creativity and collaboration can flourish.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself in developing that coaching stand.

• Can my clients expect that I bring my best self to every session?
• Do I speak to my client’s excellence and accept nothing less than that?
• Am I problem-solving? Or am I tapping into my client’s resourcefulness?
• Are the coaching questions I ask in tune with the client’s agenda?
• Am I actively listening?
• Am I in tune with my intuition?
• Am I bringing my whole self to every coaching conversation?

When a coach chooses the style in which they’ll serve their clients, there are perspectives on growth that must be acknowledged. The model or personal style of coaching can be developed by answering these questions. Expand upon the training you’ve already received to more intensely focus on the personal integration necessary for effective coaching to occur.

• What type of client will you choose to serve?
• What personal view of the process of change do you have?
• What objectives does this personal view require for growth?
• How is accountability established for yourself and your client?
• What personal standards will you bring to each client?

A coaching philosophy will directly impact the coach, their clients, and the world around them. Developing this philosophy allows for a type of “standard of care.” Though each conversation will be creative and unique, having a philosophy for the approach will allow the coach to show up in the same way for each person served.

Coaching conversations can shift and change direction. A coach who deeply understands their coaching philosophy can approach each of these conversations with curiosity and ensure their values are respected in the process. When fully in service, a coach will create space for a client to explore possibilities fully.

Here is a graphic to follow in developing your coaching philosophy.

A step-by-step example of a pathway to developing a coaching philosophy is below.

1. Identify your values.

• List three or more specific values. For example mutual respect, organization, and integrity.

1. Develop a personal belief system by developing actions for each value.

• Mutual respect — Always approach clients with unconditional positive regard.
• Organization — Always be organized with meeting times, administration, and keeping track of progress and discussions.
• Integrity — Always honor the trust and confidence of your clients.

1. Build a mission statement from the answers to the second part of the path.

To be a source of open-minded support for clients as an organized, safe, and honest coach, providing collaborative and creative space to explore personal growth.

Why Have a Coaching Philosophy?

Why do you need to articulate a coaching philosophy? You may feel that you already know what you value and how to behave and have no need to write anything down.

However, there are benefits to setting out a philosophy, including:

• Ideas that are not articulated are often forgotten. When you start coaching, you may believe that you are clear about what guides you. Over time, however, you may become cynical or jaded. Being able to return to your guiding principles will help you to remember why you became a coach, and what matters.
• We have many beliefs and values, and not all of them are always relevant to the situation. We all bring ‘baggage’, including values that may not be relevant in coaching—or may even be harmful! It is therefore helpful to be clear about which values are guiding your approach, and which you wish to put aside.
• It will enable you to coach within a clear framework and manage any ethical dilemmas. If your philosophy is clearly defined, you can set any ethical issues or dilemmas clearly within that structure. This will make it easier to avoid problems and make sure that you behave consistently.
• It will help others to see if your values and principles fit with theirs. Potential clients can look at your philosophy to see if it chimes with their values. This helps ensure a good ‘fit’ between client and coach.
• It supports the reflective practice. Your philosophy can be used as a framework for reflection on your practice, including with any kind of peer mentor or coach support.

3 Examples of Coaching Philosophies

Let’s talk a look at the different philosophies of coaching.

1. Sports Coaching

When you say the word ‘coach’ to most people, an image of someone with a clipboard and a whistle often comes to mind.

Though athletic coaches have an alternative role to other types of coaches, many of the philosophies are similar. A coaching philosophy may be developed by acknowledging the objectives of the athletes and the team, followed by the type of coach you want to be, and completed with your ideals.

The head football coach of the LSU Tigers, Ed Orgeron, developed his coaching philosophy by channeling Pete Carroll of the NFL (Crewe, 2016). The two are wildly successful leaders of young men in the sport. They are clear about why they are serving their athletes and how they are going to build their team into the best possible versions. They stay true to their values in the process of doing so.

Coach Orgeron’s use of Carroll’s mantra, “Always Compete,” highlights his mentality toward coaching. He considers himself always improving and learning from mistakes. He brings his whole self to how he coaches, and the results are evident in LSU’s 2019 record. Mr. Orgeron’s coaching philosophy has played a large part in the team’s success.

2. Executive/Business Coaching

The relationship between executive coaches and the businesses they serve should be similar to an individual coaching relationship. The personal coaching philosophy can serve as a mission statement for the way a coach approaches coaching in business.

Creating a clear vision of the type of clients served and the way they’ll be served will allow the process of coaching to reach exponential growth.

Here are some examples of coaching philosophies from several coaches established in the field:

Coaching is a relationship of equals, where accountability for moving oneself forward lies with the individual being coached, and responsibility for providing the insightful and challenging coaching to support that happening for the client lies with the coach.

Dave McKeon

We exist to make the world a better place – one courageous conversation, one liberating truth, one great leader at a time. We partner with individuals, teams and organizations to help leaders and their teams enjoy the journey.

Greg Salciccioli of Coachwell.com

3. Health Coaching

Everyone’s health is important. What health coaches hold is that nobody is the same. Coaching philosophy in this area of coaching must acknowledge that a “one-size-fits-all” mentality won’t work for improving health or supporting someone going through a health crisis.

Here is an example of a health coaching philosophy that would serve clients well.

They recognize that everyone is unique and different, so no one diet, exercise, or way of life will work for everyone. Health coaches tailor recommendations and plans for each individual based on the individual. It’s personalized information for you.

A Look at Some Examples of Life Coaching Philosophy

Life coaches are similar to personal trainers. There is an element of motivation that is harnessed within a positive coach-client relationship. A life coach’s philosophy will usually align with the ignition of personal responsibility and action toward desired outcomes.

Life coaching can be seen as an umbrella term for coaching. Beneath this umbrella, life coaches can coach in the following areas: personal growth, career, business, health, and relationships, among others. It is a powerful process through trained, skillful interpersonal interaction.

Motivation is followed by strategic planning, which is generated by the client through open-ended questioning. Once a plan is forged, a life coach will then create space to explore how the client wants to be held accountable. The process can be therapeutic, though it is not therapy. It can also bring clarity and greater illumination of purpose.

The Flourishing Center trains positive psychology coaches who may serve others as life coaches, in addition to other areas of coaching. The philosophy taught in this Applied Positive Psychology Coaching certification is one of “purna.” The word means ‘complete,’ and in this training, it is the understanding that both the coach and the client are whole and resourceful. The philosophy taught in this certification program is as follows:

I have within me all that I need. All that I have, I need. They have within them all that they need. All that they have, they need.

This philosophy allows for trained coaches to view clients as whole and resourceful. It keeps the coach working in an approach that is not advising or mentoring but instead attached to intuitive questioning.

This philosophy enables the coach and client to create a collaborative space for personal growth. It allows coaches to adhere to ICF core competencies and stick to the ICF Code of Ethics with a mindset that can approach each client in the same way.

Each client is seen as the expert in their own life. With mutual respect, integrity, and commitment, coaches can serve their clients in reaching their best selves, as determined by the clients themselves. Not all life coaches are created the same, and a solid coaching philosophy will make all the difference.

This informative article outlines the differences between life coaching and positive psychology coaching.

At Positive Acorn, coaches are offered training in developing a personal coaching philosophy. Though the coaching profession is highly unregulated, training opportunities adhering to ICF standards are creating quality in the profession. Coaches who are taught to develop their personal coaching philosophy will serve their clients with increased self-awareness, confidence, and ethical integrity.

Here are some principles that every coach, in every modality, should hold true for themselves and their practice:

1. Living life well is a responsibility to the gift of life itself. Purpose is found in the pursuit of a life well lived. Serving others in this pursuit should be the foundation of every coaching conversation.
2. The pursuit of a well-lived life cannot come at the expense of another. The pursuit of our personal best should never deprive another of the pursuit of theirs.
3. Coaching does not exist to change or fix others. It is about helping others become fully functional in the pursuit of their higher selves in any arena.
4. Life well lived requires interconnection. To achieve it, one must serve others in pursuit toward their best selves. Meaning and purpose are illuminated when this service releases ego in favor of abundance and calling.

Coaching Philosophies: 5 Examples & Samples

Examples of coaching philosophies can give you some ideas of what to include in your own statements. However, never use another coach’s philosophy as is because coaching philosophies are unique to each coach. Besides, you don’t want to attract clients who will be better off with another coach.

In the sports world, many coaches have explicit coaching philosophies. Here are a few for your inspiration.[1]

How To Develop Your Coaching Philosophy

Developing your coaching philosophy shouldn’t take too long. Here are the steps you can follow to develop a unique coaching philosophy for your coaching practice.

1. Really explore why you coach. For many of us, it’s because we believe in the human potential to transform. But go deeper than that. What makes us believe in this human potential? Spend some time journaling about this. You can use Quenza Expansions like Values Vision Board and Strength Interview to clarify your values and strengths connected to coaching.
2. What do your past clients say? Clients may notice certain aspects of your coaching approach that you may think are normal to all humans. You can use the Coach Evaluation Form or The Session Rating Scale to collect feedback from existing or past clients.
3. Write down 3-5 statements. It’s always best to tweak the sentences and see what feels right for you. When you have a few versions, you have options and can combine sentences as needed.
4. Get feedback from others. We don’t see our potential, but neither do we see our flaws. Get others to read your coaching philosophy and poke holes in it.
5. Finalize your coaching philosophy. You have enough information to pick a final coaching philosophy statement now. Congratulations!

5 Tips To Write Your Coaching Philosophy Statements

It’s important to keep the following tips in mind when crafting your coaching philosophy statement.

1. Don’t be afraid to be creative. If you’re a naturally creative person and use a lot of metaphors and visuals, bring that aspect of you to your coaching philosophy. On the other hand, if you’re all about equations, throw in a few of them into your coaching philosophy.
2. Don’t shy away from your real values. Some of us try to perceive what “good” values are for a coach and put in things like transformation, empathy, and service. You definitely have those values in you because you’ve chosen to be a coach. But if your top value is freedom or adventure, reflecting that in your philosophy could be a real differentiator. Quenza’s tool, The Scoreboard Metaphor, can help clarify the differences if you’re unclear of goals and values.
3. Don’t be married to one belief or statement. We are complex human beings. So, there could be a web of coaching beliefs and approaches that you may need to explore before narrowing down on one.
4. Check if the philosophy aligns with your life. Once you’ve picked a statement, verify if this aligns with how you live your life. If not, go back to the drawing board because clients will catch on soon enough if your coaching philosophy is not authentic.
5. Consider hiring a copywriter if writing is not your best strength. If you are not a word wizard and want your coaching philosophy to have some rhythm and punch, you may consider hiring a copywriter to turn your ideas into catchy sentences.

Why do you need a coaching philosophy?      

As a coach, you need to be clear on where you are heading and how you will get there. Your coaching philosophy forms some guiding principles that help you to identify where you want to go and what methods you will use to get there. This will impact on how you design and deliver training sessions for the development of your athletes. It also guides how much emphasis you place on winning versus player development.

Coaching is challenging, as you will often need to make ethical decisions. By having a clear philosophy you are able to make appropriate decisions and to coach more effectively. Being consistent is an important quality for a coach; a clear coaching philosophy helps you to make consistent decisions, and to stay firm in the face of external pressures. For example, if you have a philosophy of developing all of the players that you coach, you are less likely to cave in to the pressure to field your strongest athletes.

As well as promoting consistency, a clear coaching philosophy will remove uncertainty around areas such as team rules, style of play, player discipline, competition, and your long-term objectives. Each of these should be based on your coaching philosophy and you should be consistent in applying them. A clear philosophy statement will also help your athletes, their parents, and other people within your coaching environment to understand the decisions you make.

Everyone who coaches has a coaching philosophy; not everyone has taken the time to examine it and write it down. If you have not examined it, then your coaching philosophy will be at a subconscious level. It will still be impacting on how you coach, however, without a clear understanding of what it is you are unable to ensure that it is appropriate. You will also struggle to use it to guide you in your coaching practice. It is an important step for all coaches to write out their coaching philosophy.

How do you write a coaching philosophy?

To formalize your coaching philosophy you need to write a statement that explains your coaching objectives and your coaching approach, which is based on your values. This requires you to identify:

1. Your coaching objectives, and
2. Your values.

Your coaching objectives should cover what you want to achieve, what you want your team to achieve, and what you want your individual athletes to achieve. Before you can identify appropriate objectives you first need to be clear on your values, as these will inform the objectives that you set. Getting to know your values involves raising your self-awareness.

Raising your self-awareness

Self-awareness is the process of understanding your strengths, your weaknesses, what is important to you, and how you react to different situations. It also involves identifying the level of importance you place on player development and winning. To raise your self-awareness you need to reflect on your coaching and on yourself. This is often done by asking yourself some questions, and then looking at your coaching and the reactions of the people around you to determine how to answer them. These questions could include:

• What is my objective?
• How should I react?
• How do I react?
• What does this tell me / what should I change?

An example will help to illustrate this process:

Reflecting on your responses to situations will help you to understand yourself. To help you to get a better understanding of your values, and to start thinking about what your coaching philosophy could include, consider how you would answer the following questions:

• Why do you coach?
• Who do you coach?
• What kind of coach do you want to be?
• What is the most important thing to teach?
• What do you want your players to get from their sporting experience?
• How do you define success?

Through reflecting on your practice and thinking about what is important to you, you should be able to come up with some values that you feel strongly about. These values should underpin your coaching, and be a key part of your coaching philosophy. They should help you to identify the emphasis you place on development and winning, player participation, how you communicate, and what you will focus on. These values are important and personal, however, your coaching philosophy also needs to operate within the context of your coaching environment.

Understanding your environment

As well as understanding yourself and your objectives, you also need to understand your environment and the limits that you are working with when devising a coaching philosophy. Who you are coaching and where you are coaching will impact on what you can do, and therefore must inform your philosophy. For instance, having a performance-focussed philosophy will not be of use if you are coaching six-year olds. Being firm and expecting strict discipline may not be appropriate if you are coaching a social team. Before you identify your objectives and how you will coach your athletes, you first need to understand those athletes.

Coaching objectives

Having identified your values, you are now in a position to set some objectives that will inform your philosophy. Coaching objectives should generally address three areas:

• Competitive performance (e.g. winning)
• Player development
• Player enjoyment.

You need to identify what your objectives are for each of these components, and which you will place the greatest focus and emphasis on. This decision should be based on your values, the needs of your athletes, and the environment in which you coach. Once you have done this you should write a statement that encompasses your values, your objectives, and how you will coach your athletes. 

How do you use a coaching philosophy?

While the process of writing a coaching philosophy will help you to clarify your values and what is important to you, just having it written down is not enough. Too often coaches write a philosophy statement and then leave it in the drawer. To be effective the philosophy needs to be used, which means that you live it day in and day out. This also means that you abide by it late in the season, when the pressure is on, as much as you do the first day of training.

You should use your philosophy to help you to identify the objectives that you pursue. This will be across a season, during training blocks, and down to individual training sessions and matches. It should also be used to help you to make decisions. If you are unsure what to decide or what action to take, have a look at your philosophy. If it is well written, it should guide you in making the correct choice.

It is important that you inform your players and their parents of your philosophy. This will help them to understand how you will coach them, and explain the objectives that you set. By communicating your philosophy to your athletes, you will reduce confusion, and it will be easier for you to explain the decisions that you make. By informing people of your philosophy you are making a commitment to follow through on it. This will increase the likelihood that you will adhere to it.

It is important to recognise that coaching philosophies grow and evolve over time. This is due to the experience you develop, the knowledge you gain, and the changing profile of the athletes that you coach. It is important that you adapt your philosophy so that it matches the athletes you are coaching. This requires you to regularly take time out to reflect on your coaching philosophy and make sure that it is still accurate and relevant.

One way of maintaining your philosophy is to reflect on the challenging situations that you face. Ask yourself if the way that you approached it matches your philosophy. If it did, then you will reinforce your philosophy. If you did not, or if adhering to your philosophy had a negative result, you will need to reassess your philosophy. If you are regularly getting a negative response, it may pay to identify what you need to change about your philosophy or your approach to coaching.

A coaching philosophy is an important tool for guiding how you coach. It provides you with some clear guidance on the objectives that you should pursue and the approach you will take to achieve them. It helps you to make effective, consistent decisions, and to coach in a way that adheres to your values. By taking the time to clarify your philosophy, and then following through with it, you will be a more effective coach.

Inspiring Quotes

The only place that success comes before work is in the dictionary.

Vince Lombardi

A coach should never be afraid to ask questions of anyone he could learn from.

Bobby Knight

If we were supposed to talk more than we listen we would have two mouths and one ear.

Mark Twain

You must expect great things of yourself before you can do them.

Michael Jordan

The first thing successful people do is view failure as a positive signal to success.

Brendon Burchard

A life coach does for the rest of your life what a personal trainer does for your health and fitness.

Elaine MacDonald

If you enjoyed these, we have 54 more inspiring Coaching Quotes for you to enjoy.

A Take-Home Message

When a coach develops and embraces their personal coaching philosophy, fear becomes irrelevant. A coach who embodies the principles of leadership that allow their clients to show up at their best will serve to improve the world around them. A coach who knows and lives with their values will show up for clients at their best for every conversation.

Everyone deserves the gift that is the creative process of coaching. It opens people to their potential and ignites them in that pursuit. When searching for a coach, be sure to ask them about their coaching philosophy.