In our coaching classes, someone will bring up the question, “How do I discover my coaching niche?” A niche is defined as “a specialized segment of the market for which you are best fitted.” This is an area in which someone might focus their attention as a coach. Although we believe that a competent coach can use her or his skills to coach persons in any vocation, there are a couple of reasons someone identifies a niche.
First, when you work with someone in a vocation with which you are familiar, you are more comfortable initiating the conversation with that person. You are more confident. This does not mean that you expect to share your expertise or experiences with the client, but your background helps you to understand the playing field and provide a mental framework to ask good questions.
Second, as you begin to develop your coaching practice, the natural strategy is to pursue contacts within your network—people you know and people who know you. These folks know your background and probably already trust you. In turn, they will recommend you to their professional colleagues.
Let me use myself as an example. I use the term “leadership coach” for myself. Leadership coaches help leaders to have greater influence in their contexts. Most leadership coaches have experience in leading organizations, so they are familiar with the challenges and realities of working in that context.
My experience includes providing state leadership and strategy planning for 40 campus ministries; administering a budget of $1,000,000; supervising and providing training for 9 full-time, 15 part-time, and 5 volunteer staff members; resourcing local churches in their ministries with college students; and planning and conducting state-wide and regional training events
I was the first full-time leader of a state organization that provided mission resources, leadership development, and congregational resources to over 40 churches, providing a sustainable foundation.
I helped begin a seminary extension site from scratch. In that role, I provided support for faculty, counseled students, managed relationship with our host church, and taught classes in leadership, spiritual formation, and ministry praxis.
I have also served on the board for three not-for-profit organizations, one of those a startup.
My primary gift as a leader has been to “bring order out of chaos”, coming into a new situation and involving others in designing and implementing new initiatives.
The bottom line is that, as a leadership coach, I can identify with the challenges that a leader faces without imposing my own ideas upon that person. My background motivates me to help them leverage their own skills to address their unique situation.
What’s your niche? What is your experience and what have you learned in the process? With what leaders do you identify? These are good indicators of where you might focus your coaching practice.
I often say, “Your niche will find you,” but that is topic for another time.
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