As the field of Coaching has become popular in the past couple of decades. Likewise, a wide variety of training programs have emerged for those desiring to become a coach. As with any professional Discipline, the approach, history, and intensity of training programs vary dramatically. While the simplest road to completion is a quick Internet course completed in the solitary environment of a home office, Colibri Coaching needed to be built on a foundation of firmer ground.

We believe coaches should reach deep into their core and learn how to effect change for themselves before asking their clients to do the same. As such, we chose New Ventures West® as our certification partner of choice.

The New Ventures West® program was founded in 1985 and has trained coaches from its facilities all over the United States as well as Canada, South Africa, Mexico, Singapore, and England. It is IFC accredited – approved by the International Federation of Certification – for the quality and depth of its certification process. Regarded as one of the top coaching certification programs in the country, the New Ventures West program requires intensive onsite training spanning 12-months. Following the training course, veteran coaches continue annual ICF certification courses.

A good candidate for Coaching should be open to the possibility of observing oneself, questioning limiting beliefs, challenging what one perceives as “a given,” examining possibilities, alternative options, and discovering new doors.

Coaching works by helping the person get in touch with their inner dream, their core values, what they really want and need in life and getting them to focus their energy and attention on their goals strongly and long enough to achieve them.

On a more practical level, Coaching helps the client see what does not work and why, improve their game and make better choices, behavior modifications, and adopt different approaches to receive better results.

Also, the case of Coaching, I believe that where someone is in their life, what stage and what phase, greatly determines whether Coaching will work for them or not. I have found that it works best when the client has reached a point where remaining where they are is more painful than enduring the discomfort and uncertainty of committing to try something different for them to get different results.

Coaching doesn’t work when the client is not ‘ripe’, ready enough, when the inner pressure of discomfort has not reached a tilting point when the costs and perceived benefits are about equal on the scale. Or, when the client cannot see an obvious benefit for it.