Most Life Coaches are too Politically Correct to be Effective
Does it feel like your life coach is holding something back, especially when you mention anything controversial or provocative during a coaching session?
Life coaches are often too worried about being politically correct to be effective. This can lead to them avoiding important topics or giving vague advice, when clients actually need someone to shock them out of their emotional state.
Being politically correct can also make it difficult for life coaches to build trust with clients. People who seek coaching are often struggling to find someone to confide in.
Coaching Clients Want Results
If someone is willing to pay a life coach to help them out, it’s safe to assume that they are looking for effective, practical suggestions that they haven’t found anywhere else.
A life coach that plays it safe by only giving superficial suggestions is robbing his / her client of the opportunity to make significant changes in their life.
The reason why people like Milton Erickson were so successful was that they were willing to do whatever it took to help their patients and clients achieve breakthroughs, even if meant being blunt or insensitive.
Honesty Builds Trust
A life coach should be someone you can trust and feel comfortable with. They should be able to have open and honest conversations with you about the areas of your life that you want to improve.
Unfortunately, some life coaches are excessively worried about saying the right things, instead of trying to be effective. This can lead them to ignore clients’ comments, or provide safe but shallow answers.
Most life coaching clients see the coaching session as a place where they can share their intimate beliefs, and allow themselves to be open and vulnerable.
If a client feels that their coach is unwilling to be more direct and open, he / she might begin to lose faith in the coach’s ability to help them.
A client wants to make sure that their beliefs, thoughts, or actions are normal and acceptable. He/ she will begin to trust their coach if they get honest feedback during their coaching sessions.
Conclusion
Life coaches should focus on being honest and open with their clients in order to build trust and give the best possible advice.
Sometimes, this means giving direct feedback, disagreeing with clients, or challenging their beliefs.
This might be scary for most coaches, but most clients will be willing tolerate a little conflict if they see that they are making massive improvements in their lives. That’s why they went looking for a coach in the first place.
Ultimately, life coaches need to strike a balance between being respectful and getting results.
If you’re looking for a life coach, make sure to find someone who is open and honest, and who you feel comfortable talking to about sensitive topics. Otherwise, you are simply wasting your time and money.
If you are uncertain about the areas of your life where life coaching can help you, please download my free guide Maslow’s Self-Actualization – Your guide to personal development.
This short e-book discusses the ways in which you can acquire the characteristics of emotionally adjusted and effective people.
If you are a coach or therapist looking for ways to market your practice more effectively, please download this free guide:
26 Marketing Mistakes & Simple Ways to Avoid Them: How to Attract Loyal Clients on a Small Budget.
Discover 26 of the most serious mistakes that entrepreneurs, small business owners, consultants, and other self-employed individuals routinely make when trying to promote their products and services.
Mark Bellini
As a life coach and small business marketing consultant, I enjoy working both with people struggling with self-esteem and confidence challenges, as well as with coaches, therapists, consultants, and freelancers who are having a hard time building their practices.
