How to Prepare for Surprises that May Come Up in a Coaching Session (Top 6 Strategies)

Leadership coaching is a dynamic and challenging process, sometimes filled with unexpected surprises and obstacles. As a leadership coach, you play a pivotal role in helping your clients navigate the complexities of leadership development, guiding them towards becoming stronger, more effective executives. 

Although surprises are unforeseen circumstances during coaching sessions, your ability to adapt and respond effectively is crucial to maintaining a successful coaching relationship. In this article, we will examine the top six strategies to best handle surprises that may arise in coaching sessions.

1. Develop a proactive approach to challenges

Since challenges tend to recur frequently in coaching sessions, it is best to develop a proactive approach towards them. By creating solutions beforehand, you can effectively manage and address these challenges. As an executive coach, you can draw upon your own experience to create viable solutions for your clients. This method not only promotes preparedness and anticipation but also allows you to be more focused on leadership development.

2. Employ a structured process to facilitate problem-solving

Utilizing a structured process can help you efficiently create solutions for problems that may arise in coaching sessions. Listen intently to your clients’ stories, as this will help you understand the real problem behind the perceived one. Recognize patterns in the challenges that clients present, allowing you to address them proactively. Focus on results, the leader’s improvement, and the impact of these improvements on their coworkers to ensure productive leadership coaching sessions.

3. Discuss contingency plans and backups

Asking your clients about their contingency plans during coaching sessions will enable you to prepare for potential surprises. Inquire about their backup strategies if something were to hinder them from achieving their desired outcomes. By understanding their plans for challenging situations, you can further support their leadership development journey and better handle unexpected events. Consider discussing contingency plans and backups during coaching sessions as a cornerstone of preparedness, ensuring both you and your clients feel confident and at ease.

4. Set clear expectations and be specific

Throughout your coaching sessions, ensure that you establish clear expectations and communicate specifics with your clients. Consider breaking down assignments and plans into manageable parts, reviewing each aspect to guarantee mutual understanding and agreement. By having a comprehensive outlook on expectations and specifics, you reduce the likelihood of unforeseen situations arising during the coaching process, ultimately supporting your clients’ leadership development journey.

5. Align key decision-makers early in the coaching engagement

Starting every coaching engagement by aligning key decision-makers around the process can help minimize surprises in coaching sessions. Ensure that decision-makers are willingly supporting their leader, investing time to provide feedforward and suggestions on improvement. By asking specific questions at the beginning of each engagement, you signpost potential challenges and deal with them proactively, leading to a more seamless and prepared coaching experience.

6. Start smart and sell well

Capturing the essence of “starting smart” entails addressing potential challenges at the beginning of every coaching engagement. By involving key decision-makers in the sales process and planning for possible “what if” scenarios, you maintain better control over any unexpected situations that may occur. Developing this proactive mindset helps to manage challenges before they arise, ensuring that your leadership coaching sessions focus on the clients’ goals and desired outcomes.

In Summary 

By following these six strategies, you can prepare for—and confidently navigate—surprises that may come up during your leadership coaching sessions. As a leadership coach, anticipating and understanding these unexpected challenges is an invaluable skill that supports both your personal development and your clients’ growth. 

For even greater coaching success, we invite you to explore GCG’s Coaching Tools, designed to help you become a better leadership coach and further strengthen your ability to tackle any surprise that comes your way.

Check out our GCG’s Coaching Tools here.