The key to effective leadership coach training is to provide accountability for your clients.  It’s essential that you lead the session, and to do this you need coach training on what to do.  Here is a simple syntax that you can use to boost your confidence and ability to lead immediately.

Leadership Coach Training: Simply Check in With Your Client at the Start of the Coaching Session

Coach Training Step #1:  Check in with your clients.  Find out what they’re biggest wins and challenges have been since last you spoke.  This gives you an opportunity to get into your client’s world.  Did he have a death in the family, a major illness, or a layoff from his job?  Maybe the week was great and he accomplished a major goal.  This step is an important part of leadership coach training because unless you do this step, you may have no idea of what’s going on inside their head.

Leadership Coach Training: Inquire About Your Clients Commitments From the Last Session

Coach Training Step #2:  Check in with your client’s commitments from the previous session.  A simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ will suffice.  To be effective in this leadership coach training tool make sure you do not step over anything.  If a commitment has not been completed, go immediately to the 3-step process to hold your client accountable.

1. Lead the client to awareness that a commitment has been broken.
2. Lead the client to understand the impact that breaking commitments has in their life.
3. Empower the client so they can make a choice to follow through with their commitments, even when they don’t feel like it in the moment.

Leadership Coach Training:  Find Out What Your Clients Hopes to Achieve From the Coaching Session

Coach Training Step #3:  Ask your client what result they want to get out of the session.  Hold them accountable to making progress to their goals, and then have them commit to taking action toward their goals by the next session.  One leadership coach training tool is to ask, “If you could take one action step that would move you closer to your goals, what would that be?”  Know your clients.  Some will commit to a larger step than you would think of; others need to be challenged a bit.

Leadership Coach Training:  Confirm Your Expectations, Your Clients Commitments and the Time and Date Your Next Session

Coach Training Step #4:  Let your clients know that you will be expecting them to complete their commitments by the next call, and that you will be asking about it.  Sometimes clients may have commitments that need to be completed prior to the next call.  I simply have them leave a voice mail for me to let me know.  At the end of the call, make sure you end on a powerful note by confirming the next appointment day and time.  Too many times leadership coach training students forget this vital step.

These leadership coach training tips will help you effectively lead your clients through most sessions.  Of course, there will always be challenges.  But that’s why to be an effective leadership coach you will want to lead the way be continually improving your own skills though coaching or coach training.

Colette Seymann

JTS Advisors Bi-Designated Strategy and Accountability Coach