Why qualifications are not a predictor of success

You guys, I am the Queen of Qualifications. The Queen! I love learning sooo much.

To give you a little idea, in 17 years I have amassed 18 coaching related certifications (actual certificates I have in a folder) in all sorts of things from NLP & Hypnotherapy, to Matrix Therapies, Quantum Healing, Breathwork to Epi-genetic Coaching. Not to mention all the other short courses, weekend trainings, masterminds, online programs, marketing consulting, business coaching and private mentoring.

As an NLPAA qualified and registered trainer of NLP coaches – It is 100% in my self-interest to sell coach training. So my own cognitive bias in favour of training and qualifications is STRONG.

In order to come to the realisations I’m about to share with you I had to deconstruct SO MUCH of my own ego-attachment.

I spoke with an absolute legend yesterday, (last week) one I am proud to call a friend, who is one of the nicest, most genuine and humble people on the planet, making a HUGE IMPACT with his business teaching fit-pros how to break free of the gym, and build online fitness coaching businesses.

He is helping thousands of clients. Thousands. And making millions of dollars with his business. Living a truly epic life with his family. He calls himself the coaches coach. And it’s 100% true. He’s super wise, and doesn’t give himself nearly enough credit for how much true wisdom he embodies.

We were having so much fun talking it wasn’t until afterward I thought to ask.

Hey have you ever done any coach training?

Nope.

But he can quote and appreciate the critical insights from Socrates to Ken Wilbur to Victor Frankl in equal measure.

I’ve been hanging around some of the most epic business coaches, many who have never done any coach training at all…

What?! At first, my trainer ego wanted to teach them, and show them how to be better coaches.

But then I realised that my impact results were giving me feedback that I still have a lot to learn about this. I’m not yet running a multi-million dollar global coaching business. Check your ego girl. Watch and learn. Model this.

I also know a lot of people who are also very qualified, amazing coaches, who can coach with the laser precision of a brain surgeon…

You know what many of them are doing?….

JOBS.

For other people.

Not coaching.
Not making the impact they could be making. – And I dare say that they yearn to make.
Not making the income that they see others making. Not living the radically fulfilled life of freedom that you get to live when you fully step into delivering impactful service and reap the rewards of that in fair exchange.

I remember being so offended years ago when a great sales trainer I learned from said: “People tell me they are a Master Practitioner, and I know they are broke.” I was offended because of course it’s often true.

Why are talented, learned coaches sitting on the sidelines and hiding in jobs, when coaches with zero professional training are making an impact and making millions?

What’s the difference?

OK… here it is…

The coaches who are killing it with zero training have FIGURED OUT HOW TO GET RESULTS.

They have gotten a result, they are helping others to get the result that they got. Period.

While they may not have the professional coach training…

What these coaches have in common, every one is a RELENTLESS COMMITMENT TO ACTION & LEARNING.

They get things done, they are 100% committed to refining their method, learning from stuff that didn’t work, and delivering results for their clients.

Commitment to Mastery + Consistent Action trumps qualifications.

When you are the type of person that has entered PD to heal your own stuff, and find it’s helped you a lot and you want to learn how to help others, there are a few archetypes that come into play.

Victim – Healer.
Student – Teacher.

You shift from being the victim to feeling healed in your personal life.
And become inspired to learn, and become the student.
That’s where most transformational coaches get stuck.

They never get past being the student.

They never step into being the Teacher and Leader.

When you are a student, you FOLLOW the rules and processes of the teacher.
You get the external validation from how well you can FOLLOW the process, and system.

If you are following…

You are not leading.

What the other coaches have in common is that they go first.

They have an idea and they test it.
They take action and see if it works.
They don’t try and plan it to perfection first.
They don’t worry and get caught up over-thinking “why” if it didn’t work.
They don’t overanalyse their self-esteem.
They never consider that it was because they were not feeling worthy enough, or Mercury was in retrograde.
They just try something else.
And they keep doing things until something works.

Now, you might say…

Oh, but trauma. Oh but privilege.

And yes, of course those things have a massive impact.

People that are drawn to transformational coaching, most often come from some kind of woundedness and have a self-REFLECTIVE meta-program tendency that is patterned into their beliefs & neurology for safety. There is often re-parenting – EXTERNAL VALIDATION that needs to occur to help the person gather enough ego-strength to take action and risk a “mistake”.

People that are drawn to business & strategic coaching come from action and results. They are more likely to ACT before reflecting. For whatever reason, they already have the ego-strength and INTERNAL VALIDATION on their side. They may have the privilege of a neurology that does not constantly look for possible faults to keep safe. Mistakes don’t set them back because they don’t relate it to their worth as a human being.

(This is clearly a generalization based on my observations of people in these roles) There is no right or wrong here.

But there is a LOT to learn.

It’s taken me 18 qualifications and a hell of a lot of healing work to realise that qualifications don’t really matter to success.

If you want to make an IMPACT, what matters is action.

What matters is a commitment to mastery, whatever path you take, whether you choose professional training or self-directed learning.

Learn and take action.

The hint is in the word. MATTER.

Are you using your MIND & your MATTER to MOVE, GROW, LEARN, REFINE and CREATE SOMETHING?

*edit* the minute after I posted this, my first coaching mentor Alice called me synchronistically for a chat. And when I told her about this post, she reminded me what a great student and apprentice I was, how quickly I digest a training and implement it.

So the question is less about do you want qualifications or not, it’s how well you APPLY what you learn to go after your goals, whatever they are.

* 2nd edit*: OF course not everyone measures “success” in business impact, number of clients served and $$ made. Many coaches learn coaching simply for the joy of learning and personal growth. Success might be simply being a more integrous, compassionate human in their current life. Each to their own. May we each rise in the ways that bring us the most joy.

I have an opportunity coming in the next day to help you LEARN all of my powerful tools so you can grow, unleash your greatness, and step into your leadership.

Can’t wait to share it with you.

Kylie x