Successful coaching involves a complex interplay between coach and client. As a skilled coach you know the steps to a successful and transformative coaching relationship. You understand that you need to build and sometimes break rapport, to ask uncomfortable questions, and to push your clients beyond their comfort zones. But you are only half of the equation. What are your client’s responsibilities in ensuring success?

The Client Commitments

1. Commit to a higher standard. If your clients aren’t willing to make this commitment, successful coaching just isn’t possible. They will back out of coaching at the first challenge.

2. Results, not excuses. Clients have to be willing to take responsibility for what happens, even when that is a stretch for them. If they are at effect rather than at cause, they lose the power to make the changes they want.

3. Play at 100%. Clients must commit to regular coaching. They must be committed to continuing the coaching process even when it’s uncomfortable or frustrating for them.

4. Be honest and open. If something isn’t working in the coaching relationship or process, successful coaching clients will speak up. That gives the coach the opportunity to make whatever changes are necessary.

5. Come to sessions prepared, with a focus or result in mind. It’s up to your clients to determine what results they want. Sometimes as a successful coach you might see that something the client didn’t bring up needs handling before he can get the results he is looking for. But ultimately, the focus of the session is up to your client.

6. Follow through on agreements. Without integrity around keeping their word, clients have very little hope of successful lives and businesses. Your accountability coaching should teach this.

7. Be willing to be uncomfortable at times. If clients sit in their comfort zone, nothing will change for them and coaching will be a waste of time.

8. Show up to appointments on time and in focus.

9. Be open to change. If your clients aren’t willing to leave behind their beliefs about how things must be, or won’t give up feeling entitled to negative emotions because of their stories, successful coaching is all but impossible.

10. Be coachable. Your clients must be willing to explore and try on what you say to see if it works for them, even when they disagree, think it’s crazy or ridiculous, or just don’t like it.

Successful Coaching Leads To This

In the JTS Advisors trainings, the 10 commitments are expected and demanded of everyone involved. And what happens is that everyone, trainees and mentors alike, grows and achieves. Expect and demand the same commitments of your clients and their successful coaching stories and outcomes will be the reward.

Hope you took some great value out of this post today! I’d love to hear your feedback, so make sure you leave a comment with your thoughts or questions. And also, you can click on the Twitter button below to retweet this article … Thank you!

Dorine G. Kramer
JTS Advisors Strategy and Accountability Coach