One of the biggest problems coaches have is that they often confuse their role in their client's life. When you confuse your role, you step over boundaries and often get involved areas of their business, personal life, and employees life that you should never mess with.
Here are 7 roles you should play in the life of your clients.
1. Expert: Your clients will expect you to be the expert in your field and know more about how to grow their business than they do. That doesn't mean they expect you to know everything. It just means you have to be well versed in their needs and be able to express that.
2. Trusted Advisor: Clients want someone they can build trust with and tell anything. You have to be a confidential ear they can count on that will guide them through the toughest decisions.
3. Educator: Clients expect to be learning from you. This means you have to be teaching them. So take breaks during a coaching session and instruct them at a teacher-student level and don't just coach them.
4. Accountability Partner: One of the main reasons that a client will hire a coach is to have someone hold them accountable. This means you have to be willing to be strong and hold your ground when they don't do what they say they will do.
5. Sounding Board: A major role you will play is that of a sounding board. It means doing a lot of listening and asking questions. It also requires a lot of discernment to know when you are crossing a boundary and when it's OK to speak up. Often times, a client just wants someone to listen to them and reassure them that they are not crazy or following some late night dumb idea.
6. Driver: Clients need to be driven to success. This means you have to be demanding and will often have to push them to get better results. There is a fine line between the point of breaking a client and the point of breakthrough. You want to push for breakthroughs.
7. In charge: During every coaching session, the client must know who is in charge. It's your job to always be in charge of your session and what you are doing with your client. This means being prepared and LEADING the flow of the call. But it doesn't stop with each call. You also need to be in charge of the relationship and lead be example.
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