How to Incorporate DISC as a Life Coaching Tool

Life Coaching is a rapidly growing industry filled with people who desire to serve others by helping them increase self-awareness, discover their strengths, achieve personal and professional goals, and transform into the best version of themselves. Every coach develops a passion, based on personal experience, interests, or educational background, which often transitions them into identifying their unique focus area or niche.

A simple online search will yield results to help you find coaches specializing in health and wellness, financial planning, business development, organizational leadership, executive communication, education, and relationships, to name a few. So, if they're all different, why are they called “life” coaches? Well, it's a personal choice, depending on how the individual prefers to brand or market themselves. Some may seek to appeal to a more corporate or specialized market or client base; others may prefer to operate in a more fluid environment.

What Do Life Coaches Do?

Many misconceptions are surrounding the role of a life coach; they do not merely provide unsolicited advice or offer opinions on past decisions or lifestyle choices. Some people may seek a life coach when they find themselves stuck and struggling to move beyond a specific challenge they face in life. Others seek life coaching to enhance relationships and job performance. While it may seem all coaches are different, there is one thing all coaches generally have in common: they get to know the client first!

Learning About the Client

As a Certified Behavioral Consultant or Certified Behavioral Life Coach, your coach is prepared to administer the DISC behavioral assessment. DISC is a foundational coaching tool that identifies the client's dominant personality style in a specified environment. Understanding one's personality style allows both the coach and client to understand predictable behaviors that could positively or negatively impact personal growth, relationships, career, or life circumstances. Once this foundation is established, the coach can begin assessing the stated needs and goals the client is seeking to achieve and develop an action plan. It is then purely up to the client to determine if they desire to enter into a more time-bound and structured coaching agreement; each coach will package their services differently.

Example of the Coaching Experience

I received a phone call from a colleague asking if life coaching might be helpful for a family member. We discussed what coaching is, the concerns about their family member, and my focus area (personal growth and professional development). Sometimes getting buy-in from a trusted advisor is helpful and necessary for someone to feel comfortable reaching out on their own. In this case, the family member provided my contact info directly to the potential client. Several days went by, but I did receive a phone call. I believe the first conversation is the most important! I used that first contact time to chat and learn about where the client was in their current stage of life and to see if I was a good fit as their potential coach. Some may call it a sensing session, an intake or a consultation; I call it a casual chat, and I'm interested in the following 5 things:

1. Thanking them for taking the time to contact me and sharing that I appreciate the opportunity to chat with them to see if I'm a good fit based on their mutual expectations. (Coaching isn't a one-size-fits-all option.)
2. Affirming there is no obligation, and the first conversation does not lock them into any fees. This clarification takes any apprehension of binding contracts or legal agreements so we can get to the learning and assessing part of the conversation. (Transparency is key to building trust.)
3. Giving them time to chat about whatever is on their mind; it offers me an opportunity to listen, learn, and gain insight into the challenges they may be facing. (I plan for 1 hour or less.)
4. Offering an opportunity to gain more in-depth insight using the DISC assessment to learn the “why” behind feelings or behaviors. (This can be online or in print)
5. Asking if the current day and time is convenient during the week. The answer brings additional insight into weekly schedules and opens the discussion of future scheduling considerations. (This is when I present coaching packages or fees for future sessions.)

Life coaching is a financially and emotionally rewarding opportunity, and requires a love of people and a desire to equip and empower others to transform into the best version of themselves. Whether your focus is on DISC training and consulting or coaching, you can customize your offerings to benefit a wide variety of clients and customers.