…with your clients, not literally. Phew… you can read on!
A book that I continue to return to is Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni. ‘Getting naked’ is about being vulnerable and building trust and relationships. It is insightful for anyone who provides a service to clients, including coaches. I’ve used the book to help me understand vulnerability more.
What is vulnerability?
What I took from the book is that vulnerability is gaining trust and deepening connections by putting yourself in a position of unprotected weakness in the belief that others will support you. It’s about dropping your ego and facing your fears.
The book focuses on three fears and how to shed them – framed within the ‘naked service’ model. The model allows me to reflect on my coaching practice, strengths, and areas for growth. Plus, I love visuals – so it really works for me!
Fear 1. No one wants to lose clients, but clients can smell the fear of losing business and are repelled by it. Being honest and direct attracts clients – this includes telling the kind truth, consulting instead of selling, and serving the client with value from the beginning.
Fear 2. As coaching professionals, we want to appear smart and avoid being embarrassed. But asking questions, admitting what we don’t know, and making suggestions without fear are integral to how a coach operates and will provide a better service to our clients.
Fear 3. It is common practice in coaching that the client will have more subject matter knowledge. But this can still lead to coaches feeling inferior. We need to drop any fear of power dynamics and work without ego to help clients improve by relentlessly focusing on who they are and their goals.
As a result of the book, I’ve committed to being more vulnerable with my clients, and my family and friends.
What does vulnerability mean to you?
