Does This Describe You?
If I had dinner with your closest friends or immediate family, and part of our conversation was about you, I predict that they would describe you with many, if not all, of these nine attributes:
- Passionate
- Driven
- Focused
- Powerful
- Confident
- Smart
- Successful
- Creative
- Adaptable
I also am very confident that if I asked you to complete a self-assessment, these are the same attributes which you would highlight as well.
How can I possible know this? I assure you that I am not psychic.
The answer is very simple. I only coach extraordinary individuals and these are the exact words which almost all of my clients have chosen to describe themselves. You are in very good company.
I have also determined there are fifteen vital qualities which define my ideal client.
Is this also you?
1. You Are A High Achiever
Your CV shows a long history of success; nevertheless, you have also learned from your occasional failure. Together, this unique education gives you an almost an intuitive instinct on how to get things done, even if time, money, and other resources are limited.
2. You Have Discerning Tastes
While you are not an elitist, in some spheres of your life, you only want the highest quality. This might include enjoying fresh, locally sourced gourmet food, wearing the latest fashions from Paris, and reading the greatest literature humanity has produced. You believe life is too short to select mediocre quality so you seek out the best clothing, cars, jewelry, food, books, advice, services, and any other category that is meaningful to you.
3. You Are A Visionary
You have set goals in the past and achieved them. You have sense of a life mission, want a true legacy, and may have crafted a life plan. You also have a future vision for yourself, your family, your company, and often, your world as well. Over time, as you gained wisdom and new understanding, your personal vision has expanded. You think about your vision often and have a strong desire to see it come to fruition.
4. You Understand The Power Of An Advisory Team
No one is an expert at everything; therefore, it is impossible to achieve major success within our complex modern world by oneself. The top 5% of people assemble a team of trusted advisors to increase the speed and quality of personal and business success. Your current advisory board likely includes an account, an attorney, a financial advisor, and a physician or other primary care provider. It might also include a personal trainer, a stylist, a specialized consultant, and perhaps a few other personal service providers. As a result, you can visualize how an exceptional coach would accelerate your shift to the next level as key member of your personal advisory team.
5. You Are A Leader
Part of your unique genius is your ability to lead people. It is likely that you have been a leader for much of your adult life, and perhaps your leadership skills were honed at an early age on the playground at school. It feels very natural for you to take the reins of any situation, especially when no one else has stepped up to the role. You enjoy leading others to achievement and, unlike most people, are not afraid to make tough decisions that may impact others.
6. You Possess An Internal Locus Of Control
This concept was developed in the 1950s by Professor Julian Rotter. Those people with the opposite view, an external locus of control, believe that all kinds of outside factors dictate their success or failure, such as luck, fate, bias, the market, other people, position of the stars, etc. Each becomes the victim within their own narrative, but this does not describe you. Conversely, individuals with an internal locus of control believe that they can (and often do) influence the events and outcomes in their life. Unsurprising, they also have high self-esteem and high self-efficacy. Each becomes the hero of their own personal story. I prefer to work with heroes who understand they have the power to change themselves as well as the world.
7. You Focus On Net Worth
You provide real value to the world and earn a high income; however, unlike when you were younger, your primary focus has shifted from increasing your annual income to increasing your net worth. You know that besides the fact it is not taxed like income (in America), one’s net worth is a better measure of economic security, financial independence, and overall success.
8. You Are Honest
Shakespeare wrote ‘There is no legacy as rich as honesty’ and you fully agree. Living with integrity is not just a good philosophy, but a way of life for you. Being honest is a conscious decision and you understand that it allows one the freedom of authenticity and fosters deep, lasting personal and professional relationships. Plus, you recognize that a life of integrity is the best shield against moral, ethical, and legal trouble.
9. You Have Achieved Mastery
Over the years, you’ve honed your natural talents and abilities as well as picked up specific skills which enhance your inner genius. Instead of being a jack of all trades, you chose the path to become a virtuoso within your domain. Although you might look back fondly on the days when you were just a green novice, you are now one of the leaders within your field.
10. You Focus On The Future, Not The Past
While you value past events and memories, they do not define, limit, or constrain you. You agree with what the late, great Zig Ziglar said: ‘How you see your future is much more important that what has happened in the past.’ You already have a vision of the next five, ten, and maybe twenty years of your life and have big ‘impossible’ goals which you plan to achieve during this time.
11. You Know That Time Is More Valuable Than Money
Most people only know how to trade their time for money. Although you have also done this, you know the open secret, that there is another part of the equation to leverage and accelerate personal success. Unlike most, you trade money to gain time. Your time is more valuable than money. Time, or the time of a human life, is finite, and you know that your time must be treated as your most precious resource.
12. You Have A High Tolerance For Ambiguity
Successful people can transverse ‘the swamp’ of the unknown and explore terra incognita with relative ease. This ability does not seem unusual to you as it is just part of who you are. This will serve you well as coaching is a process which often necessitates one to create and construct while experimenting with the unfamiliar and the uncertain. Why? All growth requires flexibility to change and move.
13. You Possess A Results-Based Orientation
Most employees have a time-based orientation to life. If they put in a forty hour week and received payment for that time, they are delighted, regardless of how productive they were. You have the opposite view and would rather achieve a major victory by 9:00 AM Monday morning every week as you are dedicated to achieving significant goals. Although the specific methodology of a process or the number of hours involved are always variables worth considering, the most important factor for you is that ‘it’ worked and the desired outcome was reached. Successful people focus on the end result and are flexible on questions about how, who, or when. A results-based orientation is a practical, pragmatic approach to business and life.
14. You Honor All Commitments
You impress other people because your word is your bond, as you honor all your personal and professional commitments, due to your own integrity. Your view on this can be summed up by this old business fable as you want others to be just as committed as you are if you work together.
One day, a Pig and a Chicken were walking down a dirt road.
The Chicken says: ‘Pig, I was thinking we should open a new restaurant.’
The Pig replies: ‘Oh? Perhaps. What would we call it?’
The Chicken suggests: ‘How about Eggs-N-Ham?’
The Pig stops walking and responds: ‘No thanks! I’d be fully Committed, but you’d only be Involved.’
15. You Are Coachable
You have a high CQ or Coachability Quotient. This means that you are open to constructive conservations, alternative points of view, and provocative questions which are vital to increased self-awareness and growth. Coaching only works if one is open to the coaching experience. Although there are specialized assessments to determine one’s CQ, I find asking three simple questions usually is enough to determine if one is coachable.
A. Are you open to objective feedback, both positive and negative?
B. Are you willing to be wrong, on occasion?
C. Are you flexible enough to change?
If the answer to all three questions is YES, then you have a high CQ. Henry Ford famously said ‘If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.’ In my experience, the same is true for coaching. If you think you are coachable, you’re right.