Coaching Clients in Changing, Challenging and Turbulent Times

So, what will help us to help those we serve and help ourselves in such times? In this blog, I’ll touch on 3 simple but powerful things: 1) awareness 2) self-care and 3) service/togetherness.

1. Awareness

Many leadership and change experts say that we live in a VUCA world: one of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity.

It certainly is so, but perhaps throughout our history as a species this has always been the case – it is just that at some moments the change and uncertainty have been even more pronounced. 

So, the first thing here is to realise is that whether you are a life, career, executive, business or any type of coach, your clients in some way or another are likely to be emotionally or perhaps practically impacted by things that are going on in the world. They may be feeling stressed, uncertain, unsure. They may well be experiencing the thing we are – and to a greater or lesser degree. They may be feeling any or all the emotions that you are feeling and others too. If we take a moment to pause and reflect over the last 10 years or so, it well could be that issues from Brexit, Covid right up to the recent events of the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and cost of living rise - may be affecting our clients.

What can help us as a coach is to just step back and ask ourselves what might be going on for them. What can happen is that we get so caught up in our worries: gaining our next client, responding to emails, planning our next social media work etc that we forget this.

2. Self-Care

Self-care is important at all times but when things get tough economically, politically and personally it’s especially important that you take care of yourself. One of the things I have found over my near 20 years of coaching is that the more experienced we become, the more work that we do, the more our clients value us and see us as a key part of their support and development. As well as being a privilege, in tough times as you become aware,  clients’ circumstances can feel weighty and can bring about stress. So making sure that you eat well, rest, sleep well, take time out and have a support network are all really important. These things will also help reduce stress and help bring you balance and perspective. 

3. Service / Togetherness

This is the action stage. Now that you’re aware and taking self-care, how can you step up? How is it that you can help your clients? It could be as simple as gently asking your clients how they are managing in the light of ‘X, Y or Z’ issue at the start of a session. Or it might be more substantive. For example, there is a small London-based business partner organisation I’ve done some coaching work for over the years that also have/had a small Ukraine office and team. As you can imagine, all their team have felt affected by the events in the world - and some directly. I emailed the business owner a message of support first asking how he was and how the team was doing and offering to run a complimentary group session for anyone who might want space to talk. I realised that as a coach with a focus on compassion, mindfulness and a background as a Samaritan volunteer, this is something I could easily do. Each of us has our own unique skillset. In each time of change ask what is it that you can do? For me, the secret of this is working with clients from a place of service and togetherness where your clients feel that you are alongside them, a partner, a trusted resource. It means you can be creative, flexible and adapt as times change. 

Sometimes (often) tough, challenging, changes in the world may bring commercial opportunities for you as a coach – and you always need to ensure we are running a sustainable business. But often you can also help in ways that go far beyond any financial reward because you are playing our part in the world as coaches - enriching and easing the lives of others.

Rasheed Ogunlaru is a leading life coach, motivational speaker and business/leadership coach. His clients include entrepreneurs, executives, high achievers - and organisations. He is the author of Soul Trader – Putting the Heart into Your Business and is a life & business coach partner to the British Library’s Business & IP Centre. He often speaks in the media including appearances on ITN and BBC News. He is an associate trainer of The Coaching Academy and is a former Co-Director of Samaritans (Central London Branch).   

Join us for our Introduction to Life Coaching webinar to learn more about coaching as a career and how coaching can be used to help people deal with changes & challenges and move confidently forward in their lives - choose from available dates here.