How to Get the Most Out of Your Coaching

Tip #1 - Make A List of What You Really Want In Life

Coaching works best when you have clear goals that are based on your needs and values. If you're not sure what your goals should be, we can discuss them during our call.

Tip #2 - Get To Know Yourself Newly

Working with a coach is a healthy way to grow. Most clients hire a coach to accomplish several specific goals. Yet, with coaching, don't be surprised if you discover new parts of your self or if you find your goals adjusting themselves to who you really are. This discovery process is natural, so you needn't rush it, just realise it will likely happen. Accelerated personal and professional growth is the hallmark of being coached.

Tip #3 - Double Your Level Of Willingness

Part of working with me as your coach is that I will ask a lot of you. Not too much, I hope, but certainly more than you have been asked recently. I need you to be willing to experiment with fresh approaches and be open to redesigning the parts of your life that you are able to right now. This is so you can more easily reach your goals and live in an integrated and fulfilled personal and professional life, using the gifts you have enjoying life as it was meant to be enjoyed. And before this sounds like a Hallmark card, I want you to be willing to:

• Change your behavior, a lot
• Start telling the absolute truth, regardless
• Experiment and try new things
• Start treating people much, much better
• Remove all sources of stress in your life
• Stop tolerating or suffering in your life
• Redesign how you spend your time
• Get the support you need to handle a problem
• Re-look at the assumptions/decisions you've made
• Raise your personal standards to be very, very high
• Set goals that are much, much bigger

Tip #4 - Use Your Coach As A Resource, Not As An Answer

I have been trained to listen, inspire, educate, manage, and guide you. I initiate conversations, share ideas, make requests, help clarify your thinking and support your decisions. I do not have the answers, you do. I will help you discover them for yourself.

Tip #5 - Be On Time For Your Sessions And With Your Fee

It is not an exaggeration to say that you'll probably reach your goals faster if you are on time with me for sessions and fee payment. To be on time for our phone session is to be there (rested, present, and ready to work) EXACTLY at the prearranged time. Use a digital alarm clock if you need to. Payment for coaching services is due in advance for the month on the agreed date. If money is tight, use that challenge as the immediate focus of your coaching sessions until handled. Life's too short to be late.

Tip #6 - Lead The Session. Know What You Want

It's your goal and your vision. It's your life. It's your problem. It's your opportunity. So get what you want out of each session. Don't wait for me to initiate. Come to each session with a list of questions, a concern, or an opportunity you want advice about and/or a problem you are ready to solve. Now I can help you.

Tip #7 - Relentlessly Get Your Needs Met

Needs like air, water, shelter, love. Yes, but there are others which, when not met, keep you from expressing your values, reaching your goals and living your vision. Needs are not an option.

Tip #8 - Inspire Me In Good Times And Bad

I need to be inspired by you, your actions and what is happening in your life. It's easy when things are going well, but how do you inspire me (or yourself) when you've hit a snag? By being human, fully communicating about your feelings, by listening to the coaching and getting back in the saddle when you're ready. I want to be inspired by you, not impressed.

Tip #9 - Get Yourself Heard

Being fully listened to ("gotten" in coaching lingo) is an integral aspect of coaching. The more you are fully heard, the more you can accomplish. So make sure I hear all of what you can't articulate fully. All you really want in life is to be fully gotten.

Tip #10 - Under-Promise, Don't Over-Promise

Sometimes you may find yourself promising yourself and me too much. I ask that you do not do this. Experience has shown that most of my clients do better promising less and accomplishing more. Playing catch-up to too many promises and to too many people robs you of energy. Promise little, produce more, enjoy the surplus.

Tip #11 - Tell Others About Being Coached

Your coaching should not be a secret. You may find it empowering to share what you are beaming about and accomplishing with your coach. Remember, you are the lucky one to have a coach to work with. Nothing worth doing is worth doing alone.

What Is My Style Of Coaching?

Because each Professional Coach has his or her own style of coaching clients, I thought that you would be interested in knowing how I coach, what I expect of my clients and what my clients can expect of me.

My Clients Are Great

I am blessed with the privilege of choosing my clients. I want and enjoy each one of them. They are all growing, successful and well, and I am assisting them to further their personal and professional lives.

I Expect Your Best

If you are hiring me, then you're probably ready to do and be your best. And if you aren't doing your best, I'll ask you to. If you can't do that at that moment, I'll understand and do what you need to be heard, loved and helped back into the groove.

I Make Direct Requests

From time to time, I'll make a direct request, like "will you accomplish X by the end of the month?" You may accept the request, counter-offer (like say what you can do) or decline (rare). I'll make you right whichever way you respond.

I Give Straight Advice

If I am sure of the situation, and you're open to it, make specific suggestions on how to handle a problem or "go-for" an opportunity. If I am not sure, I'll say so. Regardless, use the best of what I say and use your own judgment.

I Don't Step Over Much

When I hear a funny tone in your voice, or hear you say something that I just can't "get", I'll ask you about it. Often, it is these small moments that offer the chance to resolve something. However, I don't confront; I'll merely invite you to look at something.

I Give Lots Of Homework

I usually ask that the client come up with three goals, actions or breakthroughs to have between this call and the next. If it is too much, say so. If you want more, just ask.

You Are Expected to Use Me, Not Depend on Me

As your coach, I am a resource and presence for you to use to your best advantage. I have an almost unlimited amount of love, compassion, forgiveness, and strength for you and I can share upwards of 5,000 key distinctions and principles that will increase your success and add to the quality of your life. I ask that my clients use me as this resource and friend, but not to let themselves get into the position of needing me (or the coaching) as a dependency thing or fix.

I Am Here

I want to hear it all. If you have a personal problem, are upset with something (even me or the coaching), are just starting to realise something big, can't wait to share a breakthrough, call me. Anytime.

Come To Your Coaching Call Prepared With An Agenda

Have a written list of things you want to share and discuss. On this list, include things like:

• Successes and wins that you've had during the week
• Report on the homework you completed
• Problems you faced and how you handled them
• Advice you want from me about a situation
• What you're currently working on and how it's going
• New skills you want to develop
• Insights, a-ha's and new awareness which excite you
• Strategies you wish to develop
• Having this agenda helps you get what you want from the call

Enjoy Our Call

We have work to do together, clearly, but feel free to enjoy the call with me. After several sessions, you may find that we take a little time to catch up on those parts of your life that mean a lot to you or you may want to share something personal and confidential. And after several months (perhaps sooner), you may find that we even laugh a lot during the call - at life, how you've grown, how things happen. Coaching calls aren't gabfests, but they are enjoyable, for both of us. What I mean is that coaching doesn't need to be intense or an effort for you to produce the miracles you know are possible. But feel free to set the tone of the calls and I will respect what you need.

Keep Yourself Well Between Our Sessions

Coaching can require energy: emotionally, intellectually and physically. Given this, I want you to take extraordinary care of your well being while being coached. Only you know what this looks like, but I suggest you go much further than you ever have in this regard. The place to start is to develop a list of 10 Daily Habits that keep you well. Some of the habits my clients have developed into a routine are:

• Take a walk
• Eat more vegetables
• No caffeine, drugs
• Reduce fat intake
• Meditate
• Start being early
• Read
• Under promise
• No sugar abuse
• Listen to great music
• Exercise
• Tell the truth
• Floss
• Handle a completion
• Write in your journal

Do Your Fieldwork Each Week

This is not homework like in grade school. These are tasks, actions, results or changes you are telling yourself and me that you will do your best to complete before our next call. You must apply yourself and use the homework to help you achieve your personal and business goals.

ARE YOU READY?