The Coaching Spectrum and When to Flex Your Style 🤸♀️
Let's break down a common misconception:
Not all clients (or coaching sessions) crave deep, transformational work. While we all love seeing those "a-ha!" moments, pushing transformation on every client can be just as limiting as focusing solely on skill-building. We need to be flexible and move with the client’s needs.
Ways we flex as coaches:
Transactional Coaching: The "Fix-It" Toolkit Some clients need practical guidance. Think of it as the coaching equivalent of a handyman: they have a specific leak to fix (boosting presentation skills, improving time management, etc.). Transactional coaching delivers targeted strategies and helps them get the job done. 🔧
Transformational Coaching: Unlocking the "Why" This is where we guide clients to uncover those pesky limiting beliefs, explore new perspectives, and challenge their inner critic. Transformational work is about lasting change, not just a quick fix. It's about helping clients understand the why behind their actions to create sustainable shifts. 🦋
Transpersonal Coaching: Soul-Level Guidance Here's where we tap into intuition, explore the mind-body connection, and go beyond the realm of pure logic. It's about helping clients find deeper meaning, purpose, and a sense of connection to something larger than themselves. This work can be incredibly powerful when a client is ready for it. ✨
Why Can't We Just Transform Everyone?
We wish, right? But the truth is, some clients aren't ready or interested in the deep dive. Others might thrive with a transpersonal approach from the get-go. The key is to recognize where they are and meet them there. As we grow and transform ourselves, we build a bigger and more flexible tool kit for each of these methodologies. Ask the client what they need and trust your experience. I have also find that when I start to feel tension building in my client, which usually indicates we are moving to fast or too deep, if I give them overt permission to backtrack, slow down and change gears, they regroup into a more effective learning mindset.
The Art of Coaching: Flexing and Stretching Our Muscles
Our greatest strength as coaches lies in flexibility. It's about knowing when to offer concrete tools, when to guide a client towards those inner breakthroughs, and when to open the door to the spiritual dimensions of growth. It's a complex dance of knowing when and how to leverage your knowledge, experience and wisdom.
Sometimes a client starts with transactional goals only to uncover deeper desires. Other times an initial coaching agreement starts with a desire for depth but then defenses kick in. Recognizing those shifts and adjusting accordingly is what differentiates a good coach from a great one. Communicating up front with the client about how their needs match with your style is essential to keeping our engagements lose and malleable.
A Chem Call Primer: I got your back
Want to better understand your clients' needs and tailor your coaching style accordingly? I've created a Client Chemistry Call Primer – a resource designed to help your clients identify their preferred coaching approach. This empowers them with choice and supports you in offering the most effective guidance. I highly recommend you have a discussion or provide such a primer to clients who are exploring working with you.
I developed this primer because one of my consulting firms kept sending me transactional clients and those who were resistant to coaching – definitely not my style as an intuitive coach! I needed a way to filter them out and save myself those wasted 45-minute sessions. Now, when clients choose me, they're drawn to my primer and my unique approach, not just my headshot and bio. Creating a tool that truly reflects you and your style is absolutely worth the effort
To get started on your own coaching primer, I have included my primer below. You are welcome to copy any part of it that resonates for you. If you use it, please comment below and let me know what you liked and what you changed, maybe share your version with our readers too!
I hope this primer is helpful for you. Let's ditch the one-size-fits-all mindset and celebrate the spectrum of coaching. It's in this flexibility that we truly empower our clients and unlock their full potential! 🌟