I get a lot of questions about Coaching...
Ways to start, approaches, etc...
And throughout this series, I have shared my experiences and perspectives.
One of my Tribe members, Abhishek,
@abhicurious1
is just starting on his own journey, and asked me some profound questions:
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Q1. How You Structure Your Program To Get Clients Results In The Least Time Possible?
Well firstly Abhishek, your questions are powerful ones;
And they will serve others well who are also new to the idea of Coaching and of being a Solopreneur, so I shall answer them with the thoroughness and honesty that they deserve.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last twenty years doing this; It’s that clients don’t just want results, they want them yesterday.
We all do right !
But the thing that I found is that peoples success is determined by four key factors.
-Their mindset,
-Their skillset,
-Their level of determination, and
-Their capacity for consistent hard work.
The most Coachable and focused clients already (usually) have a very determined mindset to begin with, which in itself enables me to focus more on helping them to develop their business ideations.
But back when I used to do private client work more often, it would be more of a case of bulletproofing self beliefs first.
And in that case, identifying the barriers that were holding them back was priority number one.
Be it limiting self beliefs, hanging on to the past, or even (often) challenging their internal dialogue itself.
After all, the questions that we ask ourselves also determines the quality of the answers that we receive.
And that in turn effects our actions and our emotions in equal measure.
And the most important conversation that we will ever have isn’t even the ones we have with a Coach. It is the conversations that we have with ourselves.
But ultimately, the key to delivering swift outcomes is all about focusing on what I call
"The Critical Path to Transformation."
This involves identifying the exact, no-fluff steps that will move the needle the most in the shortest time.
And it differs from person to person but there are commonalities and overlaps.
Here’s how I do it:
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Pinpoint The Big Domino:
So after we have done the initial consultation - and thats a very thorough process in and of itself, the starting point for me is by asking,
“What’s the one thing that, if done right, will make everything else easier for this client?”
And then focusing on that first.
And it leads into what you may have heard me talking about before. The ‘Daily Constants.’
I won’t get into them all now as I have written various threads and articles on them, but they begin with asking, ‘What is most important.’
And they build from there. Let me give you an example...
So let’s say that I am coaching someone on business
growth; Nailing their value proposition could be the big domino that leads to quicker wins everywhere else.
Whilst someone who lacks organisation will benefit more from time mastery and general support in that regard. Make sense?
It differs from person to person, but the daily constants never do.
(The actions needed to elevate thinking patterns and behaviors)
What is most important?
And where do people need to elevate and raise their standards?
They are the keys.
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Leverage The Master Elements:
And all the most successful clients tend to bring out the big guns from the get-go, determination, intent, and focus.
So what I do is to map out a clear, structured path that’s easy to follow, with milestones that show progress right away.
This keeps motivation high and clients engaged.
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Implement with Surgical Precision:
Less is more. Every task I focus on and assign as a Coach needs to be laser-focused on the clients goal.
No distractions, no filler.
Clients love seeing results fast, and this approach makes it happen.
As long as they are willing to put in the hard yards themselves.
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Q2. How To Design A System That Doesn't Break And How To Make It Better Over Time?
To me, building a bulletproof system is like crafting an indestructible bridge over a river of chaos!
Times change, expectations and opportunities evolve and its so important to remain up to date and on the forefront of these things, including societal trends.
But one thing that never changes is human psychology, so when it's all said and done, each and every one of my systems is developed with this in the forefront of my mind.
Pain and pleasure being the two motivating factors of each and every one of our decisions.
The trick to a systems based approach with coaching is to design with resilience in mind from the start, but also to embrace the inevitability of change.
Yes, I have won awards for my systems and processes but it wasn't always this way Abi!
It has been a constant case of iteration and evolution which got me to that point. But the key factor is this:
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Starting With Simplicity:
When I created the original model it literally was a set of questions that I would ask myself every day.
And although it grew massively from there around communication skills, and sales and everything else in between, which eventually spun off into a series of mastery Modules.
There's over 50 of them now in my catalogue.
But whilst I base what I do around the information and strategies within them - everybody's session is and always will be unique and bespoke, I still see complexity as the enemy of durability.
The simpler the system, the less likely it is to break.
You may have even seen my post talking about this very same subject only yesterday.
So even though its wide ranging and with numerous questions, exercises and techniques, when you strip everything down to the essentials and make sure every component has a clear purpose it makes things more manageable for everybody.
And far more effective as well.
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Q3. What Are The Hardest Lessons Learned?
Ah, the school of hard knocks, I have graduated a few times from that one !
Here are some of the most valuable (and painful) lessons I’ve picked up along the way:
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Perfection Is The Enemy Of Progress:
Trying to get everything perfect each and every time for each and every person is a fool’s errand.
You’ll never reach perfection, and in the meantime, the world keeps turning.
So for new coaches I would say this, get out there, flaws and all, and improve as you go.
But don’t try and charge big money until you have got the big results !
And I have always seen it that way.
Nobody will work harder than me to be vested in a clients success, but perfection is a myth.
And i say that as much to remind myself of this than anybody else frankly.
But that being said, goals are always achievable if they are SMART.
And that means being pre-agreed from both the client and coaches side.
When I implemented this, even before the days where I am exceptionally picky about who i actually take on, things just exploded.
And when you over deliver, and the clients achieves even better results than they even thought possible, well, that is where the magic happens.
(and the referral business)
Both parties know the expectations, and the coach keeps the client accountable also.
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Failure Is A Mirror:
Back in the early days this was also a lesson I had to learn actually.
When things go wrong, and they will, whether its an unexpected twist in business, or even a difficult client, my advise is to look inward first.
It’s easy to blame circumstances or others, but true growth comes from understanding your own role in that too!
Own it, learn from it, and move on. That's how i see it.
Since I now put so much emphasis on consultation before on-boarding a client and then creating a clearly defined action plan even before we begin, this issue is all but eliminated.
Golden advice to would-be or aspiring coaches here, trust me.
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The Team Is Everything:
This next lesson is more one for the coaches who are looking to expand, but its a worthwhile lesson nonetheless.
You can have the best ideas in the world, but if you don’t have the right people to execute them, you’re going nowhere fast.
So invest in your team, train them well, and most importantly, trust them.
But here is the thing, in the early days its so tempting to hire friends. But honestly it might save you a few pounds but its nearly always a recipe for disaster.
They find it hard to take instructions and often end up becoming disgruntled rather than celebrating success when things begin to take off.
So nowadays I never mix business with pleasure.
And frankly, friendships are stronger because of it.
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Time Is Your Most Precious Resource:
And my biggest lesson of all…You can always make more money, but time? Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
You will find this more and more once you begin to get to a position of scaling. And when you do, but actually, even from the very start;
Prioritize, delegate, and learn to say no to anything that doesn’t move you closer to your goals.
That's particularly hard at the beginning as you want to help everybody, but I spoke last episode about the power of saying no, and i stand by that completely.
Its actually easier now to do so than ever, and to stay organized. When i began, there wasn't even a fraction of the software and processes that we all enjoy today.
So you have to protect your time and have a very clear plan on every single level. From macro to the micro !
It enables you to say ‘yes’ to the right clients in the long run.
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Q4. How Do You Manage Your Team?
Managing a team is like conducting an orchestra, I scaled right down as a Solopreneur but took on help again when I turned my attention to building on 𝕏.
That's not going to be forever though - but I have learned over the years that you need everyone playing their part perfectly to create a symphony;
But they also need to know when to improvise and you have to learn to trust people to do that as well.
Most self made people find this difficult, as by virtue of having an independent mindset (and seeing some success) it can be all to easy to want it your way each and every time.
But the lesson…You have to let some of that go.
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Empowerment Is Key:
These days, i'm not interested in micromanaging.
Instead, I focus on empowering my team.
When I outsource, its a slightly different ball game, but when I take somebody on to work in the team itself.
Well nowadays that means giving them the autonomy to make decisions within their roles and trusting them to get the job done.
This doesn’t just boost efficiency; it also makes work more enjoyable for everyone involved.
But my selection process is pretty rigorous anyway, so by the time somebody is offered a position, then i already have a fair idea that they can handle whatever i throw at them anyway.
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Feedback Culture:
And very lastly, I foster an environment where feedback flows both ways. Not just from me to them, but also from them to me.
This keeps us all sharp, on the same page, and constantly improving.
So I hope that these insights and Interview has provided some food for thought, and thank-you once again to Abhishek for his excellent questions and for the opportunity for me to answer them.
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You can Follow Abhishek right here at
@abhicurious1
And if you have enjoyed this Interview - and this series.
Well you already know what to do !
Like, Retweet, Follow and Reply.
They are all the fuel that keeps the good Ship Masters moving ever forwards.
Yours, 💘
Michael Masters - The Info Architect
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