As a leadership development coach, you may have multiple clients and projects to juggle at the same time. This can be challenging, rewarding, and stressful, depending on how you manage your time, energy, and expectations. In this article, you will learn some tips and strategies to balance your coaching workload and deliver quality results for your clients.
One of the first steps to balance multiple coaching clients and projects is to set clear goals and boundaries for yourself and your clients. This means defining the scope, duration, frequency, and outcomes of each coaching engagement, as well as the communication channels, feedback mechanisms, and payment terms. By doing this, you can avoid confusion, conflict, and scope creep, and ensure that you and your clients are on the same page about what to expect from each other.
Always calculate your limits. It's not possible to scale beyond a certain number of clients, even if you gave them 60 minutes each. There's still transition time, meal time and consolidation time. In a day, track your maximum allowable, then consider your percentage for slack, so that you can help to consolidate your thinking and maintain mental wellness. Otherwise, you'll be burning out faster than you can help your clients!
A fair number of my coaching clients suffer from lack of clarity in their roles and subsequently a lack of accountability. Therefore, it is important to me that I lead by example with clear agreements that spell out the goals and expectations from which I can hold them accountable.
Are you clear on your agreements? It is easy to settle for expectations rather than agreements. You get to reference what you want broadly so your reduce your discomfort because being specific might turn them off from working with you. The ironic part is being specific is loving. Being clear is kind. Get clear on agreements and then prioritize integrity by holding each other to those agreements. After a contract is signed, the first call they schedule is a “logistics” call. We walk through the agreements of the contract to make sure we are each clear about what they mean, the systems we will use (zoom, asana…etc) to be clear on how the coaching will proceed, and finally the vision. This gets us clear on what we are working toward.
Another key step to balance multiple coaching clients and projects is to prioritize and plan your tasks and activities. This means identifying the most important and urgent goals and deadlines for each client and project, and allocating your time and resources accordingly. You can use tools such as calendars, task lists, project management software, or time trackers to help you organize and monitor your progress. By prioritizing and planning, you can avoid procrastination, overwhelm, and missed opportunities, and ensure that you deliver on your promises.
Very often, the ability to manage each leadership development client is to ensure that you have a special folder for everything. This will help you to tell what they discussed and what they need to act upon. Keeping track of this does not require you to do it. You can have an employee keep track of project deadlines for you. More importantly, you should be reminded what needs to be done, so that you can anticipate what is ahead of you in the week. This way, you can hold your clients accountable for progress based on promised actions they take.
A third step to balance multiple coaching clients and projects is to delegate and outsource some of your tasks and activities. This means identifying the areas of your coaching business that you can delegate to others, such as administrative, marketing, or research tasks, and finding reliable and qualified assistants, contractors, or partners to help you. You can use platforms such as Upwork, Fiverr, or LinkedIn to find and hire freelancers or agencies that can support your coaching work. By delegating and outsourcing, you can free up some of your time and energy, and focus on your core competencies and value proposition.
Break down your entire coaching process into micro steps. Cluster meaningful processes into jobs, then outsource them. I find that you cannot just have one person to outsource to. Instead, you will need at least 3 people because of the safety net principle. Delegation can only work if you are certain that there is backup for you. If one fails, you have two others. My suggestion is to constantly look out for freelancers who can work on a flexi schedule with you. You may not hire them, but you could give them piecemeal work once in a while. Once you build out a working relationship and clear expectations, things will become quite easy for you because you have 7 or 8 that you occasionally use, while centering around the 2-3 whom you use most.
A fourth step to balance multiple coaching clients and projects is to communicate and update your clients and stakeholders regularly. This means keeping them informed of your progress, challenges, achievements, and feedback, as well as any changes or issues that may affect the coaching process or outcomes. You can use tools such as email, phone, video call, or online platforms to communicate and update your clients and stakeholders in a timely and professional manner. By communicating and updating, you can build trust, rapport, and satisfaction, and ensure that you meet or exceed their expectations.
A fifth step to balance multiple coaching clients and projects is to review and reflect on your performance and results. This means evaluating the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of your coaching work, as well as the satisfaction, growth, and feedback of your clients. You can use tools such as surveys, testimonials, or case studies to collect and analyze data and evidence of your coaching outcomes. By reviewing and reflecting, you can learn from your successes and failures, identify areas for improvement, and celebrate your achievements.
A sixth and final step to balance multiple coaching clients and projects is to recharge and renew your energy and motivation. This means taking care of your physical, mental, and emotional well-being, as well as your personal and professional development. You can do this by setting and maintaining healthy habits, such as sleeping, eating, exercising, and relaxing, as well as seeking and receiving support, feedback, and coaching from others. By recharging and renewing, you can prevent burnout, stress, and fatigue, and enhance your creativity, productivity, and resilience.
I find that keeping highly energized comes from a key set of physical activities and physical nutrition. 1. Cut refined carbs as it causes energy crash because of the insulin response. 2. Be fat adaptive. Carbs and fat are two energy sources for your body. Protein breaks down into carbs. If you are fat adapted, you can use satiating fats to fuel you in ketosis. Fasting helps you get there if you can start 12 hours, then gradually push to 16 hours fasting a day. 3. Reduce inflammation. This will include Omega-3 oils, C and D vitamins. Earthing and standing bearfoot on the earth has good anti inflammatory effects. 4. B vitamins help with energy and fatigue. Remember to seek appropriate medical counsel as each body is different.