Anticipating Client Transformation

Anticipation. Just like a dog eagerly awaiting a treat, the transformational coach waits for their client to experience an ah-ha moment. That moment when the client catches a glimpse of their ideal self, living the life they want. A moment that leaves them thinking: Ah-ha! There it is, that is what I want for myself.

Anticipate, the first step in our coaching model, is critical to its success. Here’s why.

Not every coach anticipates these lightning-bolt, transformational moments that their clients experience. We know because it happened to us early in our coaching careers. The scenario was the same each time: a combination of good coaching and a great process produced an ah-ha moment for the client, but the coach let it slip by and the client didn’t share it. Why? There are many reasons clients might keep these profound insights to themselves, we discovered:

Moving in the direction of the discovery may impact others in their life and the consequences feel overwhelming
Major shifts in who we are require time to process and integrate into our lives
The coach is focused only on the goal and does not open space for the possibility of transformation or anticipate it happening
The client’s mindset is mired in negative paradigms that shut down the transformational moment rather than nurture it

Because transformational coaches believe each and every client is capable of a profound shift in the way they think, behave, and act, they anticipate transformation and have sharpened the skills that provide fertile ground for ah-ha moments to become truly transformational.

In addition to believing that all clients are capable of transformation, coaches who excel at creating the space for transformation to occur also:

Create an atmosphere that oozes possibility and support
Know their clients’ strengths, skills, and tolerance for change
Use language such as that recommended in Appreciative Inquiry to capitalizes on positive reinforcement moving their client ever forward
Encourage their clients to share and explore their vision for the future
Believe that deep within every client are the answers they need to live the life they imagine
Intend to coach for sustained change, fostering lifelong learners in the process

Their anticipation that a shift will happen is reflected in the coaching tools the transformational coach chooses to use such as:

The coaching process they use. This does not mean the process you use to run your business, but the process you use to co-create the client’s coaching plan and hold your clients accountable. The process you use to analyze and modify your client’s coaching plan based on their unique vision of their future and the journey to get there.
The level to which they are grounded in the skills of a transformational coach and the ability to use those skills appropriately.
The personal growth models they use to help their clients become lifelong learners. Models like finding lessons learned from past experiences, values-based decision making, and more.
The ability to help the client create a vision for the future based on what they really want and not what they think they ought to want (what others expect of them). Without this vision they will never catch a glimpse of their ideal self and it is in these moments, when they clearly see who they want to be, that transformation is conceived.

Anticipation is the coach’s readiness plan. When you believe in and anticipate a shift at your client’s core then the journey towards sustained transformation becomes all the more profound and productive for both you and your client.

”I wait for this rare and fleeting event because I can’t think of anything else worth waiting for.”Peter Davis

Assess your readiness to anticipate your clients’ transformational moments. Is anticipation already a part of your coaching process or is this a new way of thinking for you? Reflect on past and current clients. Have they experienced transformation through your coaching? If yes, did you anticipate they would or were you surprised? If no, is it possible you missed that moment for any of the reasons listed earlier?

Going forward adopt a mindset of transformational anticipation. Make the process your own and integrate it into your expectations for each client. Become a master at believing all of your clients are capable of profound shifts in being. And like that puppy anticipating a treat, Wait for it……… Wait for it……….

Thanks for reading. This is step 1 in our 3-step transformational coaching model. Next week we will discuss step 2, Recognize.