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February 14, 2023 • Rich Litvin

The Preposterous Coach: stop taking yourself so seriously!

Did you feel like a complete beginner when you first started coaching? I know I did. 

Nothing I’d accomplished before coaching seemed relevant. 

I felt like a nobody. 

I felt like a fraud. 

I completely dismissed my prior career. My fifteen years of leadership experience felt like nothing. 

My Master’s degree in Educational Effectiveness and my Bachelor’s degree in Biology and Economics seemed irrelevant, so I dismissed them. And I was embarrassed to mention that I trained as a teacher at Oxford University. After all, how was that connected to coaching?

When I began coaching I used to wish the years away. If only I could say I’d been coaching for a year, for two years, for five years… Maybe then people would take me seriously. 

I tried to project gravitas. Even though I never felt it. I never smiled in photos. I never joked with clients. 

I never felt enough. 

Over time, without realizing it, my confidence grew. I began to experience that I could effect powerful transformation on any client I worked with. I began to see the impact of my writing. I even began to grow in confidence on stage and on camera. 

What’s one quality your clients see in you that other people rarely see?

One day I hired an expensive photographer and in the prep for our photoshoot, he asked me a question that had a big impact on me. “What’s one quality your clients see in you that other people rarely see?”

I asked all my clients this question and the same answer kept coming back… Your sense of humor and fun. 

So we took ridiculous photos like this on our photoshoot and I had a blast!

I began to create costume parties for my clients. Here’s a 4PC onesie party. I’m the sheep!

I began to share stories and photos where I no longer needed to look my best. 

Over time, I’m learning to move from being The Prosperous Coach to being The Preposterous Coach! 

I don’t take myself so seriously. I laugh at myself more often. 

A puppy helps!

My kids help! My wife helps! 

I recommend you try the same. 

Stop taking yourself so seriously. Laugh at yourself more often. 

You’ll be surprised how much your clients appreciate it.

Love. Rich

 

PS. Dramatically increase your confidence as a coach by mastering enrolling clients. Drastically increase your ability to raise your fees and up-level your clients. And learn to have fun making money. Join me on The 90 Day Money Game. There’s still time to join us…

 

PLUS, whenever you’re ready – here are 4 more ways you can drastically increase your income and impact as a world-class coach:

  1. Assess your current coaching level and learn how to get to your next level. Read – or remind yourself of – The Litvin Levels, from The Prosperous Coach.
  2. Watch me coach some of the top coaches on the planet, in order to drastically uplevel your coaching skills. Join me on How To Coach A Superhero: The 4PC edition. 
  3. Imagine joining a Deep Coaching experience alongside the members of 4PC, my community of high-level coaches… We only offer The 4PC Accelerator once a year and it always sells out in advance. Save $1,000 with early-bird pricing. 
  4. Learn how to enroll and coach successful, talented and ambitious clients – with power and impact. Join my flagship program, Project Kairos – for 8 months of guidance, challenge and support to master creating clients. 

 

Transforming world-class leaders into world-class coaches.
That’s what we do.

If this sounds like you, let’s talk and explore if working together is a good fit.

Learn more about ways to work together

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