As a life coach, you may have remote mentees who are struggling to work from home. Whether they are dealing with distractions, isolation, communication issues, or lack of motivation, you can help them overcome these challenges and thrive in their online environment. Here are some tips on how to support your remote mentees and help them achieve their goals.
One of the first steps to help your remote mentees is to set clear expectations about the mentoring process. How often will you meet, what platform will you use, what are the objectives and outcomes of each session, and how will you measure progress and feedback? By clarifying these aspects, you can avoid misunderstandings, confusion, and frustration, and create a structured and consistent mentoring experience.
Setting clear expectations right from the get-go in your intital consultation is crucial for building a productive remote relationship. Simply asking: 'what's your preference in the ways in which we engage together?' Goes a long way!
Using one of Energy Assessement tools I would Identify the mentee energy influencers' success formula ( mental, environmental, social, spiritual emotional) and then build a plan from there. For example, if their success formula includes a need for a high social factor we would create a plan to ensure they can socialize during the day. Even if it's with a neighbor who works from home. They could coordinate lunch and walks together to give my mentee the social interaction she needs. If it's environment we would work to identify the optimal workspace environment and put a plan in place. It could be as simple as turning their desk towards the window. Buying plants or painting the walls with their favorite colors.
In my experience, my clients who work in this space feel like they are trapped between four walls and their computers. The first thing I ask them is if they like the space they work in. If not, what would they change? This could be the positioning of their desk, decor, or not seeing outside. I ask them how they are able to change the space so they are excited to be there daily. The next is whether you can have meetings outside the home, and if so, how often could they do this, another would be joining network groups so they can meet at other venues instead of zoom. Getting the client to rethink how they can change how they work in their environment can change their mood and be excited about their work again.
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Another key factor to help your remote mentees is to establish rapport and trust . Working from home can make some people feel isolated, disconnected, or insecure, so it is important to show empathy, interest, and respect for your mentees. You can do this by using active listening, asking open-ended questions, acknowledging their achievements and challenges, and sharing relevant stories or examples. By building rapport and trust, you can create a safe and supportive space for your mentees to open up, share their concerns, and seek your guidance.
People like people who are like them. Find those points of commonality as a foundation for your discussions. Working remote tends to reduce the casual interactions where people learn about one another. We may see each other all the time on Zoom calls, but we don't get to know one another. That needs to be intentional when working remote. Whether it's one on one checkpoints or icebreakers during meetings, we need to make the extra effort to get to know one another to build rapport and trust.
As a life coach, you can also help your remote mentees by providing them with resources and tools that can enhance their online work experience. For example, you can recommend apps, websites, books, podcasts, or courses that can help them improve their skills, productivity, well-being, or mindset. You can also share tips and best practices on how to manage their time, energy, and stress levels, and how to balance their work and personal life. By providing resources and tools, you can empower your mentees to take charge of their own learning and development.
Empowering your client to take their own growth and development into their hands is key. I always end my sessions with assignments that I encourage my clients to give a go before our next session, which we then review collaboratively at the start of the next meeting.
I'm not a life coach, but one thing that has helped me is creating templates and systems for productivity in every aspect of my life that is important and needs to be measurable. For example, I have a system around writing my book, another for client's work, another for wellness practices like journaling, and so forth. I have realized that not having a systems can leave me feeling overwhelmed. In addition, systems work better for ME, than routines.
Working from home can also limit the opportunities for your remote mentees to collaborate and network with others. This can affect their creativity, innovation, and career growth. As a life coach, you can help them overcome this challenge by encouraging them to seek and create opportunities for collaboration and networking. You can do this by introducing them to other mentees or mentors in your network, inviting them to join online communities or events related to their field or interests, or suggesting them to initiate or join projects or initiatives that can showcase their talents and skills.
Finally, as a life coach, you can help your remote mentees by celebrating their successes and milestones. Working from home can sometimes make it hard for your mentees to recognize and appreciate their achievements, especially if they lack feedback or recognition from others. As a mentor, you can help them celebrate their wins by acknowledging their efforts, praising their results, giving them rewards, or sharing their stories. By celebrating their successes and milestones, you can boost their confidence, motivation, and satisfaction.
Creating a plan and sticking to it as much as possible. It can be difficult working at home because of outside interference. Coming up with a time for just work and not letting things sidetrack you is key. Set a timer for "work time", and turn off notifications on your computer and phone so you are less distracted. Knowing the work you need to do on a specific day the day before and setting the right amount of time for it each day. Don't overload yourself. Small steps forward are still steps toward progress. Plan ahead and stick to the plan but allow time for the inevitability of life.