Have you known you should set clear boundaries with a coaching client but your courage fizzles out at the thought of actually doing it?
Are you thinking how you don’t want to come off as a B, or judgy, or create negative feelings between you and your client?
Does that about perfectly sum up why you find yourself looking the other way during situations where you know setting a boundary would take care it?
I get it.
I hate thinking I’ll hurt someone’s feelings or make them feel bad in any way.
And early in my coaching career I made the mistake of thinking that setting a boundary meant potentially dealing with negative fallout (it doesn’t).
But the reality is that learning the art of setting clear boundaries is good for your coaching business, and is a powerful part of growing spiritually.
What I quickly discovered about boundaries is this:
Discussed at the right moment and in the right way, having simple boundaries empowers you AND your client to be in a successful coaching relationship together where you both thrive.
With boundaries, timing is everything, which is why the mindset I want to share with you is:
Boundaries work brilliantly when you let your client know what they are AHEAD of time.
Here are 3 simple tips to create and uphold boundaries as an empowered coach:
1. Use your initial kick-start coaching session to let your client know what your boundaries are.
Be sure to include your boundaries on important areas such as how you expect to handle missed sessions, payment timing, scheduling and coaching call prep sheets.
2. Keep your energy positive and your voice confident.
You can start by saying to your client:
“Let me walk you through a few points that will make our coaching together powerful and flow smoothly.”
3. List the same boundaries in your client agreement so that your client also has them in writing.
It’s helpful to see what this looks like, which is why I give a sample coaching agreement in our certified coach training for our students to model and use as their own
Most of all, remember that when you talk about boundaries clearly from the start, your client sees you as a confident leader who knows how to run her business.
And YOU feel prepared and ready to coach like a pro!
Email and share with me — What is the #1 boundary you want to let your clients know about at the start of your coaching?
I promise I read EVERY response.
