By Donna Dunning
When accommodating clients, you consider how your clients prefer to do things. You work through their natural strengths and approaches. For example, for clients who prefer to learn in a practical manner, you help them find ways to learn on the job rather than expecting them to attend theoretical courses.
When challenging clients, you stimulate them to carry out activities that are new, difficult, and often, non-preferred. Using the example above, sometimes your clients need to attend a course to learn theories and models even if they don’t prefer classroom learning. In this situation you challenge them to succeed by coaching them to learn how to master theoretical learning opportunities.
Do you have a bias for accommodating or challenging when coaching?
Likely your approach is tied to your personality type preferences. Those who prefer Feeling naturally approach situations by accommodating their clients’ needs, while people who prefer Thinking naturally challenge their clients.
Which approach is the best?
Neither one.
The best approach is a blend. When coaching, accommodate your client’s preferences. Respect and acknowledge each individual’s strengths and natural ways of doing things. At the same time, everyone needs to use their non-preferred preferences some of the time, so challenge your clients to move outside of their comfort zone.
Think about how you accommodate and challenge your clients when coaching. Determine how you can best blend these approaches. When determining when to accommodate and when to challenge, keep in mind that your client’s preferences may not be the same as yours.
For more information on this topic:
What’s your Preference, Thinking or Feeling
Mistyping: Is your natural preference thinking or feeling?
Information in this post has been modified and excerpted from TLC at Work: Training, Leading, Coaching all Types for Star Performance.