how to get the most out of coaching

after many years of coaching clients, i’ve come to find that there are specific mindsets, commitments, and strategies that one can deploy to maximize their experience and the efficacy of it.

i’ve also come to find that it can be confusing for coaching clients to know what to expect and how to maximize their coaching engagement.

for these reasons, i created a guide to help my clients get remarkable results by helping them get clear on what they can do to set themselves up for success (based on their desired goals and outcomes).

i’m sharing that with you, too, in case you:

have a coach and want to bring these insights to that engagement.
are thinking about getting coached.
are a coach and want to consider how to support your clients in a similar way.

the role of a coach:

a thought partner and mirror to help you see yourself more clearly.
honors that you have many answers and truths within and helps you to excavate and enact them.
helps you to see blindspots and barriers and is both a champion and cheerleader for and of you as well as an honest source of feedback to support your growth.
a source of accountability to hold you to the commitments you make.
a giver of resources and tools based on deep listening and intuition to create a customized approach for your needs.
a co-creator of a confidential container where you are encouraged to share openly.
in partnership with you to create success on your terms.

consider these tips to help you get the most out of your engagement:

commit to the process:

show up on time and be present.
don’t reschedule because things get busy: this is a priority. (rescheduling is appropriate in case of emergency.)
be prepared (what would be the most high-value conversation to have? what’s the real issue at hand?). it’s ideal to keep a list somewhere of what you want to discuss together.
be on the lookout in your days for where you could use support and/or thought partnership.
while we’ll allow the session to unfold organically, it’s important to take initiative and have direction for our time together.
stay focused and undistracted.
carve out time before meetings to get grounded and settled.
after each session, make time to integrate what came up and move those ideas into action.
i reserve time on the backend of our sessions so that we have space to run over the allotted time and not cut the conversation short because ‘time is up’. i suggest you do the same and either use it with me or for integration on your own.

session notes:

i’ll take in-depth notes for you during the session and those will be shared in your client portal. (therefore, you’ll hear me typing, and this is why.)
you’re welcome to take notes, as well.
go back to these notes between sessions to reflect on what transpired and to utilize the items that are highlighted in blue as action steps.
this is also a great time capsule, so to speak, for you to see your progress.

action and accountability:

no matter how motivated you are in our sessions, it’s essential that you take steps between them to enact what we discuss.
you will leave most, if not all, sessions with at least one agreed-upon action item.
i’ll reach out between sessions for accountability check-ins. always feel free to ask for more.

attitude:

expect results because your thoughts become your reality.
be open-minded, growth and solutions-oriented, and willing to take feedback.
recognize that it’s all in the spirit of supporting your goals and development.
speak up: if you need more or less of something, please ask.
have an orientation towards action.
lead with your heart, not your ego.
cultivate self-trust and say if the feedback or advice shared doesn’t feel true for you.
stay curious, vulnerable, and optimistic.
stepping outside of your comfort zone will cause your mind to push back and might tell you ‘this isn’t worth it’, ‘It’s too time-consuming and/or costly’ or ‘i can do this on my own’. honor the commitment you made. it will be worth it.

communication between sessions:

always feel free to reach out to me between sessions (text and email are best).
we can workshop thoughts, ideas, and/or challenges in real-time.
if they are too complex for that format, we can hold them for our next conversation or (in some cases) hop on a call.
if you have items you want to discuss and want to bring them to my attention or have me review anything related to them prior to a session, share them via email at least 24 hours before our next session.

celebrate milestones:

acknowledge and celebrate your achievements, both big and small, throughout the coaching engagement.
much of your growth will be incremental and add up over time. don’t lose sight of that!
recognize your progress and reinforce positive behaviors, inspiring further success.

this is a partnership that will help you to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. go all in and don’t hold back because you get out what you put in! remember, as well, that coaching is not a linear journey: sometimes moving from point a to b leads us on a meandering path. there’s immense value in that, too. trust your coach to help navigate with you and keep an eye on your goals and how you’ll get there together.

i hope you’re excited about the possibilities to come!