Coaching boosts your effectiveness at evoking positive change in others. But the core component of individual success (yours and your clients’) comes from within you.
Whole Person Coaching (WPC) is a holistic, transformational coaching method that leverages who you are as a key contributor in the coaching relationship
More than anything, WPC is designed to improve your effectiveness at making your difference in the world and enable you to leverage your very best. It streamlines the coaching process by integrating your personality, unique skills, expertise and experience while adding reliable consistency through proven communication techniques and tools.
The Power to Transform Begins With You
Though each coaching relationship is unique, the process itself is comprised of two specific contributing factors that you (and only you!) bring to the table:
- Whole Person(ality)
- Unique Brilliance
Whole Person(ality)
Who you are is far more than the roles you play in life. At the core, you possess a long list of qualities and traits that make you uniquely you. That individuality is what shines though everything you do, regardless of the role or identity you are engaging in. Your personality is what makes you desirable to those who need you the most.
Your Like-Minded Tribe
It’s not uncommon to find a coach who is full of joy and laughter, the person who lights up the room with their presence, coaching others in speaking and interviewing. In the same way, a coach who is introverted and shy may naturally work best with other introverts, supporting them to find their way in an extroverted world. People like to work with those who they relate to. It’s just a given.
Trust and rapport are essential ingredients within any coaching relationship. And the more your clients resonate with your personality, the more trust, respect and likeability they feel.
Take, for example, the personality differences between Tony Robbins and Mother Teresa. Very distinct. And both have made huge impacts in the world. For fun, take a moment to explore the differences between two people you admire, trust and like, yet are very different from each other. What do you notice? I’m guessing you’d find some people more appealing to work with in certain areas of your life than others.
You as a Role Model
When you are working with your clients (or making your way through life in general), your personality radiates 24/7. By being your true self with your clients and in your marketing efforts, you’re role-modeling the self-permission and self-trust necessary to be who you really are. From this place of freedom, those around you are inspired to speak their truths and own their passions.
In Whole Person Coaching, we address the phenomenon known as “TERM.” It’s a term for the experiences that take place over the course of a person’s lifetime where they unconsciously, and at times at consciously, choose to hide or disguise part of who they are. This might be the result of a value system or particular belief, or even part of their innate personality and personal preference.
For example, a childhood experience may have taught them not to speak their truth as it might anger someone, so they learned to stay silent and forego having their own needs met. Others may have desired a particular relationship or career path and found themselves disguising some of their qualities to fit the mold they believe the relationship required.
There are many ways in which people unconsciously let go of their wholeness to stay safe for fear of rejection. No one escapes this kind of social conditioning. This is why role modeling is such an important aspect of coaching. As a coach, being your true, authentic self models the freedom, peace and ease that are possible when we embrace our wholeness.
Unique Brilliance
Although your personality is a big part of the equation, as is your ability to authentically shine your light, so too is your brilliance. In short, “brilliance” is what you bring to the table in terms of your life experience. It’s what has shaped you and given you wisdom worth sharing. This includes all of your many unique gifts, talents, experience, skills, know-how, and expertise.
It’s worth noting that some of these YOU may not even be consciously aware of, especially when it comes to pairing them with the process of coaching. Think long and hard about the unique experiences you’ve had in life:
- What have you excelled in?
- What have you truly enjoyed?
- What do others say about your strengths and abilities?
- How could these experiences be put to work for others?
- [One more question that hints at coaching consultation – ideally something they can’t answer on their own]
The same brilliance that has enabled you to travel your life’s path, accomplish your goals and dreams, and effectively navigate life’s twists and turns has immense value to your clients. As a professional coach, your brilliance gives you a deeper capacity to understand and support your clients on their own journey. It also helps accelerate the coaching process.
Coaches are not consultants. We are agents of personal and professional change. In this role, we contribute new perspectives and gently seed conversations as the client takes the lead, making their own choices and actions. As a trained coach, your brilliance supports you to gently guide your clients to their most desirable outcomes. By drawing upon your wisdom and life experiences, you are well-equipped to ask key questions and invite alternative perspectives when your clients are stuck or struggling in their own processes.
Your brilliance makes you the go-to resource for your clients. And bringing your brilliance into the collaboration is what fuels your client’s capacity to achieve their goals and intended outcomes.
As a fellow change-maker, I’d like to invite you to once again consider what you’ve got that you’d like to leverage to help others:
- Have you overcome a significant life challenge?
- Have you become masterful in an arena where others seek to excel?
- Are you the one other people go to for advice
