27
Jan 10

Five Steps to Greater Personal Power & Success

personal-power-big

The world could be said to divide into two sets of people – those with personal power and those without it.

In shops and businesses up and down the country, those making the sales and making progress are those with personal power. In every walk of life, whether you’re an Artist, a Teacher, an Opera singer, a Landscape gardener, an MP or a Coach, what sets you apart and makes you more successful than the next person is – your level of personal power.

And, you’ll have an easier time attracting customers, influencing others and getting the results you want because people will be drawn to you.

Quite simply, it takes a lot of the struggle out of life.

What is personal power…

…and, more importantly, how do you get it?

I began thinking about this in preparation for a talk I’m giving at a charity event in London this Saturday.

The theme of the seminar is Client Attraction and while aimed primarily at coaches, the theme is relevant to all, whatever your profession.

It got me thinking about what makes for a successful coach – one who attracts clients, has a thriving practice and is well-paid for their expertise. I concluded that what distinguishes a great coach is their level of personal power.

Obviously, as a member of my site, you already have a comfortable level of personal power! However, if you’d like a little extra, read on.

Five Steps to Greater Personal Power & Success

1. Establish Your Credentials

It’s not enough to have the paper credentials. To feel supremely qualified and equipped to coach or excel in any role, you must know that you are perfectly placed to do that job. Without a hint of arrogance, you must fervently believe yourself to be in a place tailor-made for you; that your life to date has been preparing you for.

You might go further – go on – and see what you do as your calling, the way in which you have been asked to contribute to the world. Take a look and see if you can find the thread that has been running through in your life to lead you to this current place.

You’ll find more on this in Chapter One of my book, The 7 Rules of Success.

2. Become Incredibly Useful to your Clients

Become well-informed in order to recommend the best nutritionists, personal trainers, cleaners, builders, accountants, wedding planners, et al, so you can help clients streamline and improve their life in every which way. Put them in touch with each other if appropriate.

Extend your largesse beyond the official coaching session into a generous and comprehensive service. Add another string to your bow, so you can enhance your coaching –I’ve been using Flower Remedies of every type with clients for over twenty years.

3. Live an Interesting Life

Your spirit and joie be vivre will attract clients.

This is true for all professions, but particularly so for Coaching. Your clients want a little bit of what you have. They want to feel lighter in spirit, more hopeful, more optimistic, less worried and overall – better about themselves.

You have to embody all of this in order to be able to ignite it in them. You must take care of yourself and ensure you’re loving life and keeping yourself fresh and inspired.

4. Choose Your Clients Carefully

You need to love your work. To do so, you need to work with clients you feel genuinely caring and enthusiastic about.

It’s not fair on the client or you to work with individuals you don’t feel an empathy and bond with. A person deserves to be with a coach who is instinctively routing for them and backing them all their way.

If you dread the thought of a session with a client, let them go – there’s a better coach out there for them. Otherwise, you’ll dampen your own enthusiasm for the work.

5. Find a mentor

Keep upping your game. Keep challenging yourself. Use a mentor to keep you clear on your work.

You need to have a place where you can look at your work, discuss any difficulties with clients and ensure you’re being the best possible coach for them. No-one can see their own blind spots.

Commit to excellence, get your support in place and you’ll keep yourself in tip-top professional shape.

  • email
  • Add to favorites
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google Bookmarks
  • del.icio.us
  • LinkedIn
  • StumbleUpon
  • Digg

3 Comments
add a comment »

  • On 2 February 2010 at 3:50 pm Deborah Morris said:

    Lovely reminder thank you Fiona especially the one about choose your clients carefully. I was finding coaching one client really difficult, I thought it was me, it was very early on in my career as a coach. Eventually and with the help of someone else I realised I just could not work with this person, it was hard to say no thanks but such a relief.

  • On 11 March 2010 at 6:08 pm Evelyn Cotter said:

    I must say, what I admire about you most is your commitment to selecting your clients to ensure the best for both you and them. And it is something I most certainly agree with and am committing to here and now, I’ve had 1 experience and it threw me for the week, usually if they’re isn’t a connection, they just fall away.

    I think your point about Coaches living an interesting life is so true, we are a light in client’s lives and we have an obligation to maintain our brightness. How can we teach other’s to live to the maximum if we are not doing so.
    I come across ‘Coaches’ all the time who simply don’t walk what they talk and if anything it strengthens my commitment to leading a great life and truly living what I teach, that way I have more conviction as a Coach and my clients can sense my integrity.

    You’ve got me all fired up now, just what I needed today.

  • On 11 March 2010 at 6:43 pm Fiona (author) said:

    I have to remind myself of my own ‘rules’ – constantly!

    Good coaches want to do well for their clients so when a coaching relationship or session doesn’t work, it can really throw you.

    Your concern shows your commitment to being of value, Evelyn.

    Respect!

    xx Fiona

Have your say!

Add your comment below - Be nice. Keep it clean. Stay on topic. No spam.

FionaHarrold.com is gravatar enabled. To get your own globally recognized avatar, sign up at Gravatar.