The Shocking Truth About Coaching

I know this sounds dramatic.

And it may not be news to you.

But I’m blown away by how many people don’t know
this.

I was sitting in a coffee shop with a close friend
of mine. I had just finished coaching school.
Despite years of corporate experience and training
managers in coaching skills, I had just spent
nearly two years going back to get a thorough
coaching education. I wanted to know the
language, the most up-to-date techniques and
technologies. I wanted to know for sure that
this is a real profession and not just a popular
fad.

And I was convinced. I fell in love with
coaching, not just because of the cool community
of international students and teachers, but
because of the powerful transformations I
witnessed in my fellow students and my clients.

So there we were in the coffee shop and I was
telling my friend all about my new career. I was
incredibly excited about this new direction that
my life was going in. I loved that I was planning
to make a business out of my interest and passion.

And then she made the comment that changed
everything.

She said, so, who actually wants coaching? Who
will you work with?

And I didn’t know how to answer. I mean, from the
look on her face I could tell that she just didn’t
get it. She couldn’t even imagine the kind of
transformations I had experienced.

And she certainly had no interest in the idea of
coaching.

It took me some time to realize what was missing.
I was so in love with the process and techniques
of coaching that I had missed the point.

So, here’s the big secret. Here’s the truth.

The shocking truth about coaching is that no-one
wants it.

Yes, I’m serious, there may not be a person on
earth that actually wants coaching.

They don’t want coaching, they want the results
that coaching provides. They want the
transformation in their life and business that
coaching can give them.

So when we coaches get all excited about our
process, we get all worked up about our
system…we’re telling the wrong story.

It’s a simple as that.

We need to tell the story of the transformation.
What do we really stand for? It’s not the weekly
meetings or the powerful questions. It’s not the
safe space we create or the amazing accountability.

It’s the simple story I tell people when they ask
me ‘what is coaching’?

I say this.

Coaching is many things. Every coach may describe
it differently. But what I know is that when I
work with a coach, I am on target, focused and
achieve my goals. I am motivated, positive and
see enormous possibility and potential in every
interaction, in almost every moment.

And when I’m not working with a coach? I do all
the above, just A LOT less, significantly less,
life-changingly less!

So, the shocking truth is that your clients don’t
want a process, they don’t want coaching; they
want to lose 20 pounds. They don’t want coaching;
they want empowering relationships. They don’t
want coaching; they want to find true love. They
don’t want coaching; they want to make more money.

That’s the shocking truth!
Tell the stories that describe the results, the
transformations. Then, they’ll come running!

So what are the results you want or support?
Share it here.

Best wishes and best stories
Lisa

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22 comments on “The Shocking Truth About Coaching”

  1. Hi Lisa,
    Thanks for the ebook – love your work and this post is great – so true that people don't generally like the idea of process. We are now living in a world of such extreme speeds which often get translated as – To get there faster with instant access means I have done well often motivated by the fear of not being left out or behind. Truth is we just can’t get away from the law of cause process & result it’s a magical rotating triangle that reveals everything in the end. There’s no escaping its rules – it's cosmic… But Wow! how powerful we are to have the faculty to be able to think ahead and vision what we would want to be like and then be able to connect with at the end of the process… Thanks again for your thoughts : ).

    • Thanks Jonathan, I really appreciate your interesting and thought-provoking comment! Best wishes, Lisa

  2. The E.M.F. presence we feel in our hearts beams out and when it reaches into the heart of another, like flowers compassion, encouragement and inner strength are the buds that open.

  3. Hi Lisa,

    Because of the power of his presentation I vividly remember being in the audience of the late great speaker Cavett Robert when he addressed this very issue. I can still hear him telling us, with great emotion, that every year millions of drill bits are sold to people who don’t want drill bits – they want holes.

  4. Hi Lisa: I forgot to mention in the reply I just posted – great subject line.

  5. This is a great post, Lisa! Based on what you say here, I think I’m on track in the way I’m describing what I do (in a nutshell, I help people finish their books – again, the results are more important than the HOW), but it’s always good to get a reminder to check in with the way we talk about ourselves and our work, both with peers and potential clients.

    • Absolutely Amy, sometimes our process seduces us into thinking it’s what people want to hear….but it’s the results that do it every time!!! Thanks for your comment, best wishes, Lisa

  9. No one really wants to fly as a passenger on a crowded plane….they want to arrive at the destination! Quit selling the airplane ride and sell the Desired Outcome instead.

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