You may have heard of transformational coaching and noticed several transformation coaches getting popular on social platforms. But, if you think it’s just another buzzword doing the rounds lately, we’d say think again!
Transformational coaching is backed by evidence-based psychological science. It’s a coaching style that enables individuals and groups to transform themselves into their best versions.
Under the influence of a suitable transformation coach, people are empowered to rethink and rewrite their reality. They’re able eliminate self-defeating thought patterns and replace them with productive optimism.
As per a study by International Coach Federation, the individuals who underwent transformational coaching documented impressive results suggesting:
- 62.4% Smarter goal-setting
- 60.5% More balanced life
- 57.1% Lower stress levels
- 52.4% More self-confidence
- 39.5% Enhanced communication skills
- 35.7% Project completion
- 43.3% Improvement in quality of work
Skip ahead to a section here:
- What is transformational coaching?
- Transformational coaching vs. transactional coaching
- Who needs transformational coaching?
- Here is how to transform your clients to be their best versions
- Examples of 5 famous transformational coaches that inspire
What is transformational coaching?
Transformational Coaching is Based on Humanistic Psychology
The transformational coaching model draws its theoretical foundations from the ideas of Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. Maslow, in particular, helped people understand that once their basic needs are taken care of, only then can they progress towards self-actualization.
Self-actualization implies the pinnacle of self-development, where you realize your holistic potential.
Transformational coaching vs transactional coaching
Transformational coaching is different from the transactional model of coaching.
Transformational coaching elevates transformational leadership skills that induce others’ independence, innovation, and creativity. It changes a person’s way of being.
Transactional coaching produces transactional leaders focusing on the sustained relationship of mutual exchange between individuals. Such coaches help their clients attain specific goals instead of catering to their holistic needs as individuals. This is also helpful in getting results, but it works on people’s existing ways of being.
Transformative coaching is broader as it helps uncover a person’s inner and hidden potential by transforming them. It is a more intense form of coaching and is transformative for both the coach and their clients.
By following the transformational coaching model, you guide your clients as a trainer, friend, confidante, and motivator who helps turn dreams into reality.
Who needs transformational coaching?
Anyone who wants to become their own best self needs and can benefit from transformational coaching.
Although the ultimate goal of transformational coaching is self-actualization and helping people achieve their potential, it is also about ensuring that their other needs are taken care of simultaneously.
These needs may not always take the shape of a linear trajectory as life’s hierarchy of needs rarely appears in unbent stages. For example, someone who has achieved everything in life may find it hard to stick to a fitness routine. Another may find it challenging to make friends despite being a millionaire. A third may have unrealized their potential but constantly feel worthless.
Here is how to transform your clients to be their best versions
Focusing on the simplified hierarchy of needs, as described by Abraham Maslow, is a good starting point to lead your clients to their best versions. Here are some guidelines to follow while coaching them:
Ensure that their Basic Needs are Met
Regardless of your client’s goals, take care that they get their regular medical checkups and exercise consistently. People can only achieve their goals when they are healthy, which is a Maslowian basic need.
If your clients have started on their path to success, prioritize their nutrition, sleep, and rest. As a transformational coach, it’s your job to ensure that their physiological needs are holistically met.
Examples of applications:
- Make sure your clients stick to a fitness plan based on their goals.
- Ensure that their emotional and physical health is prioritized – motivate them to get those medical checkups they have been avoiding or get those psychotherapy sessions they need.
- Set them up with a nutritionist, so they eat well, even under pressure.
Identify their Weaknesses and Build on their Strengths
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. For example, your clients may have cultivated bad financial habits over the years, putting themselves and others at risk. A transformational coaching model identifies the weaknesses that maintain such problems and helps address them hands-on.
As a coach, you can identify the strengths and weaknesses they should further work on. No force in this universe can stop a person from achieving what they want when these attributes are addressed.
Examples of applications:
- Guide your clients to re-align their finances – this is one of the common problems even the most successful people have.
- Ensure that you help them address any legal concerns they may have – often ignored but necessary to tackle.
- Identify their individualistic strengths and build on them during the coaching process.
Improve Interpersonal Relationships
Once basic needs are taken care of and a person feels safe and secure, the next step is to improve existing and potential human relationships. This also includes your client’s relationship with their own self. Many people have a remarkable social and family life but often neglect to communicate with themselves.
Profound transformational coaches identify and address both interpersonal and intrapersonal conflicts. They help clients emotionally connect with their friends, colleagues, family members, and most importantly, themselves.
Examples of applications:
- Encourage clients to socialize more if they are introverts.
- Ensure they get “me time” if they are one of those high-strung extraverts who never get time for themselves.
- Guide them to become more reflective of their thoughts and emotions and empathize with others.
Build Self-esteem
Many successful individuals, despite their achievements, suffer from boredom, lack of motivation, and an inferiority complex. With transformational coaching, you can help such people build a positive self relationship by identifying what’s eroding their self-esteem.
As a coach, you may suggest your clients to improve their grooming habits or encourage them to reward themselves for small wins more often. This is how they will learn to stop being harsh towards themselves and instead feel grateful.
Examples of applications:
- Help your clients develop a taste in art, culture, and society. Part of coaching is to help our clients become more cultured and savvy.
- Improve their grooming and aesthetic sensibilities. If they look good, they will feel good!
- Teach them to reward themselves for everything they’ve gained in life — focus on positive reinforcements here.
Support them Along their Life’s Journey
Transformational coaching helps your clients turn their dreams into reality. Although not the final step, the fifth step forms the basis of transformational coaching.
As a coach, you need to identify areas of improvement and offer your clients unconditional support and guidance to improve. Doing so can help them realize the ambitions they buried thinking they were unattainable.
Examples of applications:
- Help your clients feel more in sync with their life’s goals and ambitions
- Turn their dreams into reality by motivating them to start a business or complete a book they never finished.
- Support them through difficult times and ensure they don’t fall behind.
Examples of 5 top transformational coaches that inspire
- Antonio Centano of Real Men Real Style – Although he may not consider himself a transformational coach, he really helps men dress better and elevate their self-esteem.
- Tony Robbins – He is one of the top transformational coaches, and Netflix transformed his seminars into a documentary called I am Not Your Guru.
- Rosetta Thurman – She’s a professional life and business coach who motivates her followers to take action. She has helped many businesswomen to get on their feet.
- Bill Stanley – He’s famous for his frank advice regarding money situations and helps you improve your self-esteem.
- Jen Widerstrom – Helps people attain a level of fitness they never thought they could. He’s the man to go to for enhancing your body image.
Are you a Coach?
Transformation coaching is often delivered as one-to-one consultations.
However, as a coach, putting in that extra time may become complicated if you have multiple clients. In such cases, you may benefit from setting up transformational coaching online courses if you need to scale.
Thinkific enables the creation of online courses easily without requiring any programming skills. You can use the intuitive drag and drop options and professionally designed templates to launch a stellar online course easily. Try it out here.