What happens in a coaching consult?

Oct 19, 2021

The first step in deciding whether or not to work one-on-one with a coach is booking a free consult.

But what is a consult? It’s not a coaching session. It’s not a pre-written sales pitch. And I’m certainly not going to “coach” you into working with me and only me (yuck).

So what actually happens in a consult with me? Let me break it down.

Part 1: You talk, I listen

This is the most important part.

Think about when you go to the doctor’s office, and the doctor spends half their time asking questions, poking and prodding you, and reading your test results. They’re gathering all the information they can so they can decide how to best help you.

That’s exactly what’s happening in a consult too. I’ll ask you what the problem is, as well as a lot of follow-up questions to understand just what’s going on in your brain.

Part 2: Diagnosis and solution design

Let’s say someone’s problem is:

I just don’t know what I want in my career. My current job is okay but not great. I’ve tried to do research into other career paths, but I just end up even more confused. I just want clarity about what I want so I can finally go after it!

(This is quite a common problem, btw. So if this is you, know that you’re not alone.)

Based on the conversation in Part 1, here’s what one possible solution might look like:

There are three things that I would focus on in our time together:
Address the thought “I don’t know.” This is not a fact. It’s a thought — and it’s a thought that’s blocking you from your own problem-solving.

So the first thing we would work on is a series of exercises to help you extract, refine, and clarify all the things you absolutely do know. I bet I could rattle off a list of ten random careers right now, and you’d be able to tell me “yes / no / maybe / no” immediately.

You already have an internal compass that has a pretty good idea of what you want and don’t want.

The first thing we need to do is extract and clarify that compass, and in the process, show your brain that “I don't know” is not a fact. It’s just a blocker.

Make an action plan and use it as a thought-finder. Once you have a clear idea of what you’re looking for, it’s time to design an action plan.

Now I’m not here to just hold you accountable to your plan and look disappointed if you don’t follow it.

We’re going to use the action plan as a problem-solving tool. Every time you don’t follow it, we’ll dig into: what were you thinking and feeling, that caused you NOT to follow your plan?

In this process, we’ll uncover and work on any other thoughts and beliefs that are holding you back.

Build a “future self” identity. I think your brain believes that if you just “pick a path and follow it,” all your uncertainty will go away. This is super common — it feels very safe to just outsource our identities to our jobs and stop thinking about it.

But rather than anchoring to a specific job type or career path, I want to work on building and anchoring to a “future self” identity. What is your vision for yourself? What kind of person do you want to be? And how can you start imagining them so clearly that you can even ask them for advice and use their insights to figure out your current situation?
The target outcome here is not just one career path or job title that will solve all your problems forever.

The target outcome is an internal compass, a problem-solving process, and an identity that will help you navigate your career on an ongoing basis, no matter what happens.

And then — lots of Q&A to make sure you’re super clear on what all this means.

Part 3: Structure and pricing

Now it’s time for logistics! I’ll discuss how I work with clients, in terms of in-person sessions as well as offline conversations, as well as my price.

Part 4: How can I support you in making your decision?

And finally — the decision is totally up to you!

If helpful, I may ask you a few open-ended questions to help you clarify how you want to make this decision. These could be things like:

What timeframe have you given yourself to make this decision?
What other solutions are you considering?
What criteria are you using to compare solutions?
Who else in your life do you want to discuss this decision with, before finalizing it?

Because here’s what’s true at the end of a consult and during every minute that came before it too:

I’m not here to sell you. I’m here to help you make the best possible decision for you.

Coming up next week: You did your consult. You’ve signed up for a coaching engagement. Now what actually happens in a coaching session? You can find out right here.

Less Stress, More Flow with Pooja V.

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