The Art of Being a Good Client

Working with our six Magnificent Women – none of whom has ever been coached before – has reminded us that there is an art to being a good client.

As coaches it’s an honour to have clients who want to make a significant change in their lives.  Taking on a life coach is not an easy option nor is coaching an easy option to deal with your issues.  And if the hard-earned money you are going to invest in yourself by hiring a life coach is to be well spent, then you need to learn the art of being a good client.

We are not referring here to being ‘well behaved’, seeing your coach as a ‘guru’ or playing safe in the coaching relationship.   Indeed it is essential that you are comfortable and secure enough in the relationship so you can be your true self.

And there is still more.  Your coach can only work with you for a short time each week or every two weeks depending on your particular agreement.  Your coach can only work with the person who shows up at the session.  Your coach can only work with your actions, reactions and energy.   So, in order to get the full value of your money and time, it’s essential that you show up for your session on time and with the whole of you, ready to be coached.   If your body is present but the rest of you is still in the meeting, or whatever it is you have just left, then there’s not a lot of you there for the coaching session! 

And then there are the in-between times when you are on your own.  As coaches we hold you as perfectly capable to lead your life.  Following through with homework and coming prepared to the session are two crucial aspects of making the coaching arrangement a success because it means you are giving yourself the best possible chance of creating the changes you want to see in your life.  

Never was the saying “you only get out as much as you put in” more true than in the context of life coaching.  So it’s up to you to ensure that the homework you design is truly a joint effort and not something that you feel the coach has imposed on you.  Equally there’s little point in wasting precious time at the start of the session floating aimlessly around trying to decide where you want to focus your attention today!  Spending 10-15 minutes prior to the start of the session thinking about what would serve you best on the coaching call will be time well spent.  In the final analysis, you are the only person who knows what is best to talk about and work on at a particular moment in time.

Above all else, it’s up to you to ensure that you are fully in the coaching relationship and you understand what you are agreeing to do and how you are going to do it.   For instance, if having a journal is a part of your personal growth process, then make sure you have found a way to make it a fun and useful part of your life.  Many people make up stories and rules that journaling has to be hard; that it’s got to be well-written; that it’s got to be done every day; that there’s a particular way to filling in a journal, etc, etc.  None of these apply!

In essence, get value for money by bringing the whole of you to the party . . . and you will find yourself moving forward beyond your expectations!