The other day I had to go and see a doctor, not something that I do regularly at all. However I had to do it.

In fact this was a specialist whom I had never met so understandably I was a bit apprehensive. I asked the secretary if I could speak to the Doc. Despite her assurances that he would, I never got the call. I guess time is money and all that.

More importantly however I was the patient and despite being assured that this specialist could help me I had some questions I wanted answered. I wanted assurance that what I was letting myself in for was the right thing – for me.

The day of the appointment arrived and actually it went well. This appointment was more like an interview. He assured me that he could help. The problem was I was already paying so to some degree I was committed already.

By contrast I would like my clients to be as empowered as possible. In many ways that is the point of my coaching. They are my clients and not patients after all! They are fully responsible for their lives and the success that they achieve. Life does not happen in my coaching room but outside in the “real world”. Yes I might have some valuable input which improves other’s lives but it is you who will have to implement and not me.

So from the start I endeavor to empower each client as much as possible. It is their choice to see me or not. It is their choice to see me as often and as long as they feel is beneficial. I believe they can only do that if they know what they are letting themselves in for. The best way to do that is to meet in person and do an introductory session. I get a sense of how I can help and my client gets a better understanding of how my process works. Simple really. My intro session normally lasts 1 1/2 to 2 hours. It is more of a getting to know each other session really.