Understand Your Client’s Gifts

Humans, in the truest sense, are complex beings. No person is alike with another person, even twins have their own differences. So are our clients. Every client has their own unique personality. Because of that, their gifts, skills, and inclinations also vary. One approach may be applicable to client A but not to Client B and vice versa. As a coach, we must be able to know our clients very well as we develop a lasting relationship with them.

To be effective in serving our clients, we should take some time to understand their gifts and skills. A business organization or any community usually consists of many gifted and skillful individuals. But at times, those gifts and skills are not well-cultivated and maximized. This is where coaches come in. 

A good coach always brings out the best of their clients and helps them realize it. 

When a person is allowed and empowered to use their gifts and skills, the results are staggering and meaningful for them. The business grows in success, the owner achieves his goals and so his or her purpose is fulfilled.

Our clients’ attitude towards their goals reveals their real gifts and skills. For this article, we can break down our clients into three: clients who are visionary, clients who are process-orientated, and clients who are task-orientated, or a combination of the three.

Visionary clients

These are the types of clients who really know what they want to achieve after a quarter or a year. These people have a clear picture in their minds of which direction their business is going to take. A visionary client reaches success when the vision is presented articulately in communication. It is our job as coaches to guide them and connect them to the right company of people that will help them reach for their milestones.  

Process-orientated clients

The process-orientated client reaches success when they feel they have supported the vision, so that time is used effectively and efficiently. These are the types of clients who put a value on the means or the steps the company has to take in order for it to reach its destination. They are very attentive to details and processes. Thus, we must be able to shadow them to make sure that they enjoy their journey towards their goals.     

Task-orientated clients

These people feel a sense of fulfillment when the task has been successfully completed. Task-orientated persons see the time, effort and hard work as essential aspects to achieve a certain goal. These clients put emphasis on their time management, as they view time as a very precious commodity. For this category of clients, we must take time to celebrate with them their wins, and encourage them in times they are distressed. 

Let’s take the life story of Jack Ma as an example:

Jack is the founder of an E-commerce giant, called Alibaba. He is now officially branded as the richest man in China, having an estimated net worth of $25 Billion.

But long before this milestone, the Morleys, an Australian family who laid the foundation which helped Jack build Alibaba. Even though Jack had been rejected and failed many times in his childhood and early  career, the late Ken Morley, the father of the Morleys, saw something in Jack and supported him. When sending letters to each other, Ken would even dutifully correct Jack’s english and send it back along with a letter of his own.

Fast forward, Jack went to the United States and it was this grounding in English that allowed Ma to go there in the first place. It was then that he was first introduced to the internet and computers. He saw this as a business opportunity he could bring to China. Then after convincing 17 of his other friends to invest and join him, Alibaba began its journey towards greatness. And the rest is history. 

Who knew Ken Morley would end up fostering one of the most successful capitalists the world has ever seen? 

The same way a good coach would bring out the best out of their clients, Ken had done so for Jack.

Even the most gifted and skilled individuals need a push for them to reach their full potential and achieve great things. 

Who knows? You might be mentoring the next Jack Ma.

Take-aways or actions for the reader:

• Try to identify and evaluate your client’s gifts early in the coaching program through skills gap analysis
• Ensure the leader in the business has visionary skills.
• Encourage and coach the business owners to position the right people, with the right skills into the right roles and enable them to work to their strengths.
• Be aware of the timing of the different gift categories and set clear expectations with your clients.