Someone just replied to my Facebook post on the VALUES that drive my business.
They wrote:
“Imagine you are a doctor. I am sick and come to you, but you tell me that following your values you are having a Free Day, time in Nature, and Fun. You’ll only help me if I am extraordinary, and if I inspire you.
Your inner- directed values mean you are not interested in serving ordinary people less fortunate than you and your team.
I believe serving others is the key value. Or is this too counter- intuitive for you?”
A GREAT COACH IS NOT A DOCTOR
My response is unusual in the coaching world because I DON’T believe it’s my job to serve everyone.
And I don’t think the metaphor of a doctor is a good one for a coach.
Here’s the reply I sent him:
“Your metaphor of a doctor refusing to work with sick people is interesting but not relevant. Because I am not a doctor. I don’t work with sick people.
There are many coaches out there who take a remedial or therapeutic approach who will be just perfect for the kind of clients who are not my kind of clients.
There are many therapists and counsellors and coaches who love to help their clients solve their ‘problems’.
I choose not to believe in my clients problems.
Instead, I believe in my clients. (Right, Christina?!)
And when you believe in your clients, you begin to witness them create the impossible over and over and over.
I am clear that what I do is not for anybody or for everybody.
I choose to work with extraordinary top performers. I choose to hire them too.
I don’t recommend this for everyone.
It is what fires ME up.
And it is what fires up MY clients – to have someone who understands the unique challenges they face and the unique visions they hold.
SERVICE IS THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO
As for “serving others” – you are spot on.
That’s my raison d’être. I wrote a book about it.
However, it is not my job to serve ‘everyone’ who shows up. I filter fiercely for my kind of people. I look for The Glimpse of Genius in the person in front of me. And I serve those people. Powerfully.
As it says in my Manifesto: “Every day we wake up and ask ourselves one question: Who Can I Serve? And then we serve them SO powerfully they never forget our conversation for the rest of their life.”
Love. Rich