A big mistake trainers, coaches and therapists make is not selecting their clients because they want to make ends meet, pay the rent, pay the bills, and have enough money to live their best life. Business vision becomes incredibly short-sighted, and they end up working hours they don't want to work, training clients they don't want to train. Their passion starts dwindling, and the individuals best interests fall behind the need for money - after all, money is oxygen, as they say.
Back in 2006, when I was just starting out on my personal training journey in Hertfordshire (England), my belief was that I could help anyone, but the truth is I was only 21, I had very little life experience and didn't know that in order to help someone, they must first be willing to help themselves. If I had known this back then, it would have saved me so much time trying to change people who were not ready to change - people who I would incorrectly label 'energy vampires'.
As a coach, I want to be able to get in, do my job, exceed your expectations (if you have any), with the ultimate goal of becoming redundant to you as quickly and effectively as possible for that specific outcome. You can then go off and tell your friends how great your experience was and how it could benefit them.
So, what do I look for when hiring clients? Here are my top 3 attributes that I believe make a great client.
1. Accountability/Compliance
The worst quality I can find in a client is not taking any accountability for their performance, progress, and outcomes. Working with a coach is not magic; there are no performance fairies that will visit you in the night and deliver the outcomes to you - maybe there will one day be an iFairy, who knows?
This is why it is absolutely vital that you make a conscious decision to hire a coach or therapist when you are in a space where you feel you can give your complete focus and energy to the process. No one can help you until you are ready to help yourself, it's a bit of a cliché, but it's true.
When hiring a trainer/coach/therapist or choosing a programme/class on YouTube to follow, you may get too hung up on looking for the best exercises or the latest trendy method. Still, in all honesty, your consistency and compliance to the programme will be what matters in the end. It sounds like common sense, it should be common sense, but it is commonly overlooked as the focus is often on the outcome and not the process or journey.
2. Consistency
This is a non-negotiable for me. I've never had an inconsistent client get exceptional outcomes. When you meet a client who shows consistency and full compliance to your methods, it gives me as a coach an honest, transparent look at just how effective my methods are and what holes I need to fill within my knowledge, system, or client communication. In short, more consistent clients help me become a better coach.
It is so fulfilling for me to meet someone who shows consistency and compliance. It allows me to do my job, show what I can do, and, more importantly, enables the client to understand just how amazing and capable their mind and body is.
The truth for most of you reading this is that you don't realise how close you are to what you want to be able to do, you just lack the understanding to see this. Rather than be consistent and trust the process of which you are on, you jump between the latest trending influencers programmes, and again, because you lack consistency and the understanding of your needs, you keep failing. Failure is a great teacher, but only if you learn from your failures. Otherwise, it only serves to make you feel further and further away from what you want to achieve, and you begin to believe that you cannot, and this, in many cases, leads to the acceptance that you cannot achieve what you set out to do.
3. Open Mindedness
The most common compliment I receive from clients and people I discuss my work is how I "see the body and mind so differently". Therefore, for me to work with someone, it's fair to say they must have an open mind because there is a high possibility that some things I say will challenge their current status quo - whether that be on lunges, breathing, pain, or behavioural patterns.
Aristotle was quoted as saying, "it is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it". I absolutely love the meaning behind this, which I believe to be that you are able to hold a thought in your mind without accepting or rejecting it straight away.
In a world where every view or question seems to be so black and white, I believe a great takeaway of my training; is to teach people to spend longer in the grey; not accept or dismiss things so quickly.
So I guess this is a long introduction to me, saying that to get the most out of my training, you have to be open-minded. You have to be able to entertain new ideas; you have to feel comfortable not to accept what I say as the truth. Instead, feel free to challenge my ideas and methods where you see fit. You have to feel safe to fail, without the threat of being labelled or made to feel incapable, but instead treated with compassion and explanation to go again and do better in a safe, supportive, growth-focused environment.
Having been a coach for 16 years now, I see a strong correlation between clients who are able to entertain new ideas, try to apply them and get out of their own way, with those who achieve great outcomes and leave with the ability to understand and apply a tonne of knowledge.
To keep coaching, even after all these years, I need to feel purpose, passion and like I'm actually adding value to the lives of my clients. Selecting clients with the above traits helps this so much.
My highest performing clients always show great accountability, consistency and open-mindedness. This is what I'm looking for during my initial strategy sessions.
Notice above that none of these have to do with technical ability, age, fitness capabilities, or experience, but they all have to do with mentality and readiness.
Often after a couple of sessions, my clients will tell me how they feel, move and think differently; however, we have done relatively little 'exercise'. My answer is often the same; "because you already have everything you need, you just needed a different perspective and a supportive voice".
I don't think people are aware of the power, or should I say, the potential disabling to growth that confirmation bias can bring about. Whether it be about your body, self-worth, capability, or what you believe you need to get the outcomes you want.
If you are unaware of what confirmation bias is, this refers to the inclination of searching, interpreting and/or recollecting information/data, that confirms or reinforces your already held beliefs or values. You can understand why this behaviour could lead you to only seeing one side of the coin, or limiting growth, in some cases.
One of the biggest issues we have in the wider world right now is this, and I dislike it in life as much as I do in my coaching. I don't believe it's about being right, but about being less wrong - open-mindedness is key.
I believe, in my work, I am open-minded and not limited to confirmation bias, as I think I have collected enough knowledge to understand that I don't know much in the grand scheme. Learning with an open mind is humbling, as the more you know, the less you think you know!
I'll leave it there for now. I hope this has been an interesting read, and please feel free to comment and share, as your interaction with us will help us help more people.
Thank you so much.
Brett Norris
Head Coach/Founder Unchained Performance
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