June 2, 2023

O no! My client is going to f*** up big time! What to do?

Coaches don't give advice -- but what happens if the client is about to make a major mistake (in the coach's eye). Here are some tips.

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Coaching for clients in crisis situations

In 2004, I was vacationing with my family on the Maldives when the devastating Sumatra earthquake and the ensuing tsunami hit the idyllic flat little

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When a coach is a paid friend

The actor Woody Allen is said to have talked to his psychoanalyst four times a week almost all his life. Maybe it kept him functional,

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3 traps in coaching chemistry calls

In one of our coaching meetup and exchange sessions, one of our friends mentioned an awkward situation in a “chemistry” call: the potential client seemed

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Homework?

Last time, we talked about collaborating with the client to collect learnings before, during and after a session and also mentioned the ICF core competencies

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Spotlight, starlight, daylight – 3 layers of attention

Some things about social media are brilliant, for example the fact that Tim, a friend from Singapore, recommended a book on Facebook: “Stolen Focus: Why

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I am a coach, I tell you what to do!

As much as we state it in the beginning of a coaching contract, some clients continue to want us to tell them what to do.

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Should coaching include a trigger warning?

Many videos, movies, books and articles these days come with a “trigger warning”. It is an announcement that serves to alert people who are sensitive

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“Leading” questions

As coaches, we are careful not to ask “leading” questions (at least that is what we are asked to do according to the ICF competencies).

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Fix, fluff, follow: the tools of a charlatan!

This week, I had a few encounters with the charlatan problem in coaching: everyone can call themselves a coach and since business coaching and life

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The short guide to great chemistry meetings

The initial conversations between coach and prospective client are often called “chemistry meetings”. They are often free of charge and take maybe half an hour

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Coaching for diversity and inclusion?

I was speaking to my colleague Lina-Maria Kotschedoff about coaching and initiatives to further diversity and inclusion. During our conversation we found that a coaching

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My client has no topic!

And then? So… what is the problem with no problem? Hm… usually, I would simply say: “Ah — so then, let’s cancel the session and

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Change. Minds. Now.

“Learn how to wire the brain for lasting change”, “Change minds effectively”, “Break negative thinking”, — sentences we read in marketing blurbs for coach training.

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They could so use coaching — but don’t want to be coached!

We had a discussion in one of our ICF Onboarding class: a participant knows a person who would CLEARLY benefit from coaching, but they won’t

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