You're navigating client feedback and coaching principles. How do you strike the right balance?

While I agree w listen first, this is a pretty boring explanation. If your client has a concern, and they tell you, they’re giving you a huge gift. Treat it as a mark of trust and courage. Wow! Someone is being open with you and wants to tell you what they need — what an honor!! Two big tips When listening to feedback: 1. Get a picture of success. Eg if the client says, “I’m not sure this is practical” you can respond, “that’s excellent. Could you tell me more about what ‘practical’ looks like? 2. don’t forget about emotions!! What do they want to feel that’s different from how they felt last time? PS. Don’t wait till later. Frequently during coaching sessions I ask: how’s this working for you? What would help you even more?

Active listening is essential for a successful coaching relationship. When clients give feedback, listen without judgment to fully understand their perspective. Valuing their input builds trust, even if you don't agree with everything they say. Use reflective techniques to clarify points and show engagement. Feedback should be a two-way dialogue where both parties learn from each other. For instance, if a client feels frustrated about their progress, respond empathetically and ask for more details to collaboratively address the challenges.

Listen First = Active Listening !!! Listening is the most important aspect of communication leading to set of actions. I put it as Active Listening where individual is gathering more information & is present , aligned & engaged in the Key Aspects of communication. Active Listening is less of Reacting & more Of Responding. Reactions are more spontaneous Vs Responses are more backed with Situation , Facts, Figures & Actions.

Escuchar es una de las herramientas potentes que debe usar un coach en diferentes situaciones y áreas de su vida personal y profesional. Un gran desafío en la escucha es el estar dispuesto a escuchar para comprender a los demás y no para responder ... este principio es la clave para el desarrollo de una escucha activa. El éxito en un coach empieza por aprender a escuchar, desarrollando la capacidad de estar presente en la conversación. La presencia en el coach ayuda a destinar los 5 sentidos para prestar atención y escuchar de manera activa. Lo importante es escuchar al otro sin juicios, sin escuchar nuestros propios pensamientos solamente, al tener un claro entendimiento nos permitirá compartir nuestra posición.

La escucha es el pilar fundamental en un proceso de coaching. No solamente escucha activa, sino escucha empatica. Esa que te pone en la píen de tu coachee y sientes sus emociones y vibras con lo que el/ella vibra. Estás para escuchar, entender, sostener la brújula para que no se decir del camino que ha decidido emprender. Eso solo se conseguirá con una escucha con los 5 sentidos.

Focusing solely on alignment with coaching principles risks ignoring the dynamic nature of individual growth. Effective coaching requires flexibility, adapting strategies to client feedback and evolving goals. Rigid adherence to a predefined plan can stifle innovation and responsiveness. True coaching success lies in the ability to integrate diverse perspectives, fostering an adaptive and responsive approach that honors both the coach's expertise and the client's unique journey.

Once you've listened to your client's feedback, assess how it aligns with your coaching principles. For example, if a client suggests changing the focus of their sessions because they feel the current approach isn't working, consider whether this aligns with their goals and the strategies you've agreed upon. If there's a discrepancy, guide the conversation towards a resolution that maintains the integrity of your coaching approach while considering the client's views. This might involve compromising or re-evaluating the coaching plan to ensure it meets the client's needs and stays true to your methods.

Coaching principles should never be rigid. Every conversation is unique and it's most important to adapt to what is warranted by the unique contours of the conversation you are in. For ex., coaching principles may discourage providing advice. I have had countless clients outright ask for advice and it would be a disservice to them to not honor the request. That said, I almost always ask a client how they would approach a situation first and I try to lean into the innate talent and unique abilities of every single client I have. Once we anchor in the client's intuition, only if the client still wants my advice will I offer it and, even then, I quickly pivot to how that advice sits for them or whether it honors their unique circumstance.

After listening, assess whether the feedback aligns with the established coaching goals and principles. This step involves reflecting on whether the client’s requests or concerns fit within the ethical and methodological framework of coaching. Example: If a senior executive seeks specific solutions rather than exploring broader strategic thinking, consider how this request aligns with the coaching goals. You might clarify that while providing specific strategies can be helpful, the overarching aim is to develop their problem-solving skills and leadership capacities.

When it comes to evaluating feedback and applying coaching principles, balance is key. I once worked with a sales team struggling with customer retention. By carefully assessing customer feedback alongside the team's performance metrics, we identified a disconnect between customer expectations and the sales approach. Applying the coaching principle of 'asking powerful questions', I guided the team to discover this gap themselves. This approach not only solved the immediate issue but also empowered the team to think critically about their strategies moving forward.

Cuando se es flexible, se consigue el equilibrio adecuado para adaptarse a las necesidades de los clientes, que pueden ser cambiantes. La flexibilidad promueve la personalización y esto da lugar a un mejor servicio, ya que beneficia a los clientes y promueve su crecimiento.

Coaching is a dynamic process that requires balancing structure with flexibility. While it's crucial to adapt to a client's evolving needs, changes should align with their long-term goals and be considered carefully. Flexibility allows for innovative solutions, but too much deviation can lead to a loss of focus. Effective coaching involves small, thoughtful adjustments rather than abandoning core principles. Clear communication with the client about these changes ensures mutual understanding and maintains trust. Ultimately, a coach should be responsive, but always within the framework of a consistent, goal-oriented strategy that supports the client’s best interests.

Overemphasizing flexibility in coaching may undermine the importance of consistency and structure, which are crucial for measurable progress. Adapting excessively to client feedback risks deviating from established methodologies that ensure success. Effective coaching balances flexibility with adherence to proven principles, ensuring that adjustments do not compromise the integrity of the coaching framework and the achievement of long-term goals. Stability and structure are as important as adaptability in fostering meaningful development.

Coaching isn't about rigidly sticking to a plan; it's about adapting to the client's evolving needs. For example, if a client suggests trying a new method because they feel the current one isn't effective, consider the potential benefits and drawbacks. While it's important to maintain core principles, being flexible can lead to better outcomes. Sometimes, stepping outside the conventional coaching framework can result in innovative solutions that better serve your client's interests. Weigh the pros and cons, and be open to adjustments that align with your client's evolving goals.

Evaluating any suggestion of a different approach seems important. What would the client gain from their suggestion, and what might they miss? What perspectives might we offer in service of getting the best outcome based on our experience and knowledge? Be wary of the client suggesting an ‘easy way out’ rather than facing some of the challenges for example in the areas of commitment and accountability.

While being flexible, it's important to maintain professional boundaries. For example, if a client suggests shortcuts that undermine the coaching process, it's your responsibility to discern which feedback to integrate and which to set aside. Politely explain why certain suggestions may not be beneficial and steer the conversation back to constructive changes. This discernment protects the coaching process from becoming counter productive and ensures the client receives high-quality guidance. Balancing flexibility with professional integrity is key to effective coaching.

Boundaries protect the coaching relationship, allowing growth to flourish. Here is our approach: Clarify the role as a coach and the client's role. Set expectations early on. You're a guide, not a friend or therapist. Respect both your time and the client's. Set session durations and stick to them. Avoid overstepping outside coaching hours. Honor client confidentiality. Discuss what's shareable and what's not. Trust is built on discretion.

Scope creep can be a real challenge to manage. If you're tempted to take the feedback as a criticism about the service you provide (and what is different to what had initially been agreed), it can mean that you end up giving much more than you are contracted too. So it's really important to maintain your boundaries.

Grenzen wie Zeit, Pers?nlichkeit, Gefühle und Budgetvorgaben sind sehr wichtig. Etwas limitiert zu sein kann auch helfen, mit etwas Power an gewissen Themen zu arbeiten. Hat man keine klaren Ziele verliert man auch die Priorisierung aus den Augen und verzettelt sich. Keep it short and simple ist manchmal hilfreich. Auch Feedback sollte kurz sein und keine Belehrung. Auf den Inhalt kommt es an und nicht auf die L?nge der Kommunikation. Gemeinsam über Grenzen und Erwartungen zu sprechen ist unabdingbar.

More than once in my career, I have told a client, "We are not friends, I am your coach." This can seem very direct and shock people but it served the purpose of setting clear boundaries and raising the client's commitment and personal standards to achieve beyond what they imagined possible. We became friends after our program had finished.

Clients may not always understand the reasoning behind certain coaching principles. For example, if a client questions the need for regular self-reflection exercises, use this as an opportunity to educate them. Explain how these exercises promote self-awareness and long-term growth. This not only clarifies the purpose behind your methods but also encourages the client to provide more informed feedback. Educating your clients empowers them to become active participants in their own growth journey, deepening their engagement in the coaching process.

Coaching is not teaching and very often, people don't want to be taught, they would rather learn. One is client-led and the other is teacher-led. Coaching is about supporting the client to cultivate their own development and learning their way, on their terms, according to their aspirations.

I’ve found that care is needed when educating in order to avoid the ‘I’m right you’re not interpretation’ by the client. Keeping to a high level, probing, using metaphors offered by the client can really help establish an appreciation of rationale for actions and approaches used by the coach. In the end there’s little room for a definitive approach in a conversation that explores new empowering outcomes for the client.

Clarity and Understanding is key. Understanding the reason for taking an action will motivate the persons involved. When you gently educate clients, helping them understand the reason they should the things in particular way, they will gladly do it knowing that it will bring a positive result. While educating clients you must strive to come to their level of understanding. This way you can effectively impact them. Your methods must be well explained so then can flow with you while engaging in the coaching process.

Rather than educating,it’s more about to satisfy the client’s curiosity. By sharing the underlying logic and methods of coaching with those knowledge workers, especially technical managers, you build trust and create a safe conversation space. Through this gentle education, clients can quickly get in sync with the coach, engage in deeper conversations, and open up new perspectives to see themselves more clearly.

Modelling collaboration is so useful, not only for the coach/coachee relationship - also to introduce a vital principle in for instance managing/leading well and getting the best from relationships for the benefit of all parties involved.

Empowering a client means seeing them in their empowered state, while at the same time meeting them where they are in their life and career from their point of view. It's a balance between leading and being led.

The key to successful coaching is to prioritize the client's needs and remain flexible. It's also important to view any type of coaching as a teamwork between the coachee and, in my case, the business coach. To make this teamwork as efficient and flexible as possible, it is helpful to integrate client feedback in various ways during our coaching sessions. I hope this helps to answer the question. Otherwise, please let me know??

The first thing to do in executive coaching is to understand the main pain for the client.The reasons could be many, but there is only one that is pushing the rest.

The first thing to do in business coaching is to understand the WHY for the client.The reasons have to be strong enough for the growth process to be worth it.

Un proceso de coaching no es algo rígido sino flexible. Esto es, debe adaptarse a las necesidades y circunstancias del coachee. Cualquier desacuerdo que surja durante las sesiones puede ponerse en valor para encontrar un enfoque diferente que pueda ser más efectivo para el cliente y la consecución de sus metas. Esto es un síntoma de que entre las dos partes hay una buena comunicación y confianza para los cambios de opinión.

After actively listening to the client’s feedback, assess it with reference to; the core meaning of coaching, the client’s coaching objectives, ICF Coaching Framework and your coaching model. Identify the source of deviation from both the client’s perspective and from your own. Empathize with the client. Ask him to suggest a course of action. Search for rectification means either by being more flexible and adapting, educating the client about coaching and means of benefiting from it or changing the relationship to be something else; mentoring, consulting,… or go to more accurate identification of the coaching needs with clarity on what went wrong from the client’s perspective. Openness and clarity about the reference criteria is key

As coaches, we walk a delicate tightrope between honoring key principles of accountability and embracing client feedback. Here's how we find that sweet spot: Listen Actively; Set Clear Goals; Use Feedback as Fuel. Excellence lies in this balance. Feedback can be leveraged to refine services, enhance client satisfaction, and foster lasting relationships.

Al basarse en la No Directividad, la posibilidad de un trabajo de acompa?amiento inocuo, potente y eficiente aumenta en un porcentaje tremendamente considerable. Lo cual es afín al propósito elemental que se persigue con el #coaching