If you're a professional coach in Southeast Asia, you know this region is buzzing. Companies are growing, people are ambitious, and there's a real hunger for development. It’s an exciting time to be in this field, which is experiencing an unprecedented global expansion.
But let's be real. Being a certified coach here comes with its own unique set of headaches.
It’s not just about finding clients. It's about navigating a market that's still figuring out what professional coaching actually is. I've been thinking a lot about the hurdles we face, and they mostly fall into two big buckets.
Challenge 1: The "Wild West" Market
The biggest headache? We're competing with everyone.
The coaching industry in ASEAN is booming, but it's also kind of a "Wild West." Anyone can wake up, print some business cards (or spin up a fancy Instagram account), and call themselves a "life coach" or "executive coach."
This is a huge problem for us. As certified coaches, (one example ICF), we've spent hundreds of hours in training. We follow a strict code of ethics. We've been observed, mentored, and tested. We know that coaching is about partnering with a client and asking powerful questions, not just dishing out advice. It's a confidential, human-focused process that even modern technology is trying to replicate, but nothing beats the actual human-to-human connection.
But the market is being flooded with "dodgy coaches," and because the industry is largely unregulated, it can do more harm than good. This creates a few big problems:
- It confuses clients. They don't know the difference between someone who's done a 2-day online course and someone with an ACC, PCC, or MCC credential.
- It damages our reputation. When a client pays thousands of dollars to an unqualified "coach" and gets nothing out of it (or worse, gets bad advice), they don't just think, "That one coach was bad." They think, "Coaching is a scam."
- It creates price wars. It's tough to explain why your services cost what they do when someone else is offering "career coaching" for a fraction of the price. We end up having to justify our own credentials and, in a way, defend the entire profession.
Challenge 2: The Culture Clash
This one is more subtle, but it's something I see all the time. The standard ICF coaching model is built on Western ideas: being non-directive, viewing the client as the expert, and having a very open, equal-footing dialogue.
That model can hit a cultural speed bump in many parts of ASEAN.
"Just tell me the answer!"
In many Asian cultures, there’s a deep, ingrained respect for hierarchy. Teachers, bosses, and "experts" are expected to have the answers. In fact, research shows this social hierarchy shapes what clients expect from a coach.
So, when a client comes to you, they often see you as that expert. When you start asking them questions like, "What do you think you should do?" or "What options can you see?"... they get confused. Or even frustrated. They're thinking, "I'm paying you! You're the expert, you tell me!"
It's a real dance. We have to hold true to our non-directive principles while also managing their expectation that we should be providing solutions.
The "Remedial" Problem
In many companies, coaching is still seen as "remedial" or even a punishment for a problem employee. It’s not viewed as a high-potential perk; it's seen as a signal of failure.
When you're brought in, the coachee might be defensive, thinking their boss has sent them to a "shrink" or that they're on their way out. This makes building that essential trust and openness incredibly difficult from day one.
Saving Face
Then there's the concept of "face." People may not want to admit they're struggling. They might not be direct with their feedback or their feelings to avoid causing conflict. As coaches, we have to become experts at reading between the lines, picking up on body language, and sensing what isn't being said.
So, What's the Path Forward?
It's not all doom and gloom. This is a growing market, and these challenges are just part of the journey. For me, it comes down to two things:
- Educate, Educate, Educate. We have to be advocates for our profession. In our marketing, in our discovery calls, in our networking, we have to clearly and simply explain what real professional coaching is (and what it isn't). We have to talk about the ICF and other certified coaching body's, about ethics, and about the process.
- Adapt Your Style, Not Your Principles. We can't just throw out the ICF competencies. But we can be flexible. Maybe a session needs to be a bit more structured. Maybe we need to spend more time explaining the "why" behind our questions. We can learn to be "culturally fluent" without compromising our integrity as coaches.
The more we do this, the more the market will mature, and the more clients will see the incredible value coaches offer.