“You cannot coach a player to achieve
something that he or she isn't committed to achieving.” – Porche' & Niederer
Life coaching
can be one of the most satisfying professions in the world. You are allowed to come alongside people who
have dreams and desires and help them find ways to make those dreams and
desires become reality.
Life coaching can also be one of
the most frustrating and thankless jobs that one could choose to follow. You invest time and energy into people who do
not listen to your advice; who make the same mistakes over and over again; and
who have no intention of every really succeeding at anything. They are willing to pay you for your service,
but they are not willing to actually follow the advice they pay for.
So where is the balance for the
life coach? At what point do you see
your work as a way to earn a living and when do you see it as a waste of time
and energy. This question seems easy to
answer, but hold on. For the person who
have launched out into coaching and it is their livelihood, the bold statement
of "I do not do this for the money" takes on a who different
perspective.
Don't get me wrong here. I do not believe that most coaches are in
this for the money. Most have a deep
desire to help people and feel this is what God has called them to do. I also don't believe that people who seek
coaching desire just to give their money away and get nothing back for it. Most who seek out a Life Coach desire to move
forward and expect to do so. What I am
saying however is that we all are faced with those who do not follow advice,
who do not intend to succeed in life and who do pay our salaries.
One of the best things any coach
can do for themselves and for their clients is to cover this issue before there
is any agreement to coach and before any money or time is spent. When I have a new client I always allow our
first meeting to be free. They know when
they come to me that this meeting is just a "get to know you"
time. I am not there to coach, advise or
give assignment. We talk for only 30
minutes so I know if I can help them and they know if they want me to.
Let your perspective client know
that you have no desire to waste their time or money. You will not be doing the work for them, but
will coach them along the way to achieve their dreams and desires. Let them know that you will be giving them
work to do and that you expect them to do it if they want to make this
relationship successful. This way you
have stated your expectations and they have also allowed you to know what they
expect from you.
Never fear or hesitate to let a
perspective client know that you do not believe you will be a good match. If you expect that they do not intend to
follow you help, or that it is just not a good match, do not agree to coach
them. Help them find another coach that
can help them or even let them know that they are not ready for coaching at
this time and look you up later.
You will save yourself a lot of
trouble, time and energy by just being a bit more selective in your
clients. Yes this is your business and
it is always hard to turn business away, however, the price you pay now is
nothing compared to what it would cost you to have a stream of failed
clients. Author and speaker Zig Ziglar
wisely said, "You don't pay the price for success - you pay the price for
failure. You enjoy the benefits of
success."
John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker,
and Life Coach. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books,
training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our
website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.
© 2014 John
Patrick Hickey
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