Braco Pobric
Welcome to Business and happiness podcast. I'm your host, Braco Pobric. This episode is sponsored by life Success Academy, a place where you recreate your business and personal happiness. Hello, Kareem. Here we I and how are you, buddy?
Kareem Sheta
Always a pleasure to see you Bratzo. How's everything?
Braco Pobric
Good, good, good Sam here, my friend Sam here. So, you know, you went through a lot of coaching, you went through our poor psychology master coach, you produce, like so many amazing deliverables truly, truly, truly amazing that our, you know, presentation that you created were like, totally client ready, like absolutely beautiful. And I wanted to talk to you a little bit about coaching. Right. So you know, you as a as a new coach, things that you're going through. And then if you have any questions for me, that, you know, I might be able to help, let me know.
Kareem Sheta
Perfect. So I have to admit that at the beginning, like, before we started the course, and the difference between coaching and training and a lot of other things. And I'd love to hear your insights on that before I share my experience, the difference between coaching and training and mentoring, as well as slick therapy and psychiatry and all that. So in a nutshell, I found that the main benefit of coaching, which I actually got from one of your clients, Kelly, was that coaching helps empower people. That was like the answer there, which not only shocked me, but made me feel okay, wow.
Kareem Sheta
So coaching really does change people's lives. And that's when I realized, oh, okay, so my main job of training is completely different in training, I'm giving you knowledge and skills to learn, and to apply. And mentoring, I'm actually giving you the solution. But coaching is completely different, because it's what gives you the key. And as you said, and a lot of people will say, you ask the right questions you showed you lead them or you advise them towards the right door, or you don't actually give them the solution outright. So that's what I learned, in my experience from your course. What what do you think are the differences between these fields?
Braco Pobric
Yeah, yeah, no, there's simply like, there are huge differences between you know, each one of these, I don't know that often. Question will come up, you know, therapy versus coaching. And I have seen actually, just to give an idea, I have seen a lot of therapists and psychotherapists, a lot of my colleagues moving from that field into coaching. And what I've heard from them is the reason that they're moving is because in a coaching, they see a lot more positive things happening. Because when somebody comes to be coached, this person can be doing great already. He just she, he or she needs some help in specific area. But usually, you know, in therapy and psychotherapy, we're dealing with people that we really well, we I'm not, I'm not therapists are not psychotherapists, just men generally, dealing with the people who really need a lot of help and figure out, you know, because a lot of these people I, you know, might be depressed and dealing with really big problems that we coaches cannot help.
Braco Pobric
We are not trained, have you coaches have to be very careful. We are not trained to to be therapists, right? While some therapists that are moving to coaching, can do coaching and use some of the therapy tools. So what's the main difference, right? In a coaching, it is our goal, or it should be our goal, to help our client as quickly as possible and use this brief coaching technique. Right? I know some of new coaches will say, Yeah, but I, you know, I need more sessions and make more money. No, right. They might ask, they might come back for different things, depending you know what they can, but they didn't come to therapy.
Braco Pobric
You don't need to dig their childhood and parents and grandparents and brother and sister and you know, your that's not your job as a coach, your job as a coach is to, to figure out where this person wants to go. Right? And sometimes they don't even know. So it's our job to help them often that happens. They come with one thing and basically they want something else. This happens a lot. You know, you will get that through through experience. But your job is basically to help them to get from point A where they are today to point B where they really want to go to coach them. Right. So that's really that's really our job.
Braco Pobric
And, and our job is not to give them solution as you mentioned you know mentoring is you mentoring somebody to get better to work? You teach him them a lot of things to mentor him into. But that's different, right? That's not coaching, because you are basically telling them, in many ways what to do, right as your mentor, that you're helping them very directly and specifically, and then, you know, in training and facilitation that you do, you do a lot of that, right, you are a corporate trainer. As you said, we give them knowledge, we give them tools. And I think applying a lot of facilitation tools, rather than just teaching is where industry is going. It's been going there for many, many years.
Braco Pobric
But, you know, you and I deal with adults, they don't want to professor, they don't want to be lectured. Right? They want to be facilitated, they want to be involved from from the first five minutes, you want to get them involved, right? Because, you know, if we come in and lecture for 45 minutes, then that's it, they're gone, then they're not attending high school or university or master's degree, you know, they are there to learn some life skills. Usually, it doesn't have to be like you and I into that area. But you know, could be technical skills doesn't matter. But it's still facilitation, and getting people involved is the key to success. Does that help? Does that help to understand just in a high level, I know that, you know, again, people get confused. Mostly I see people getting confused, you know, therapy, coaching and mentoring, as you mentioned that, that gets confused as well.
Kareem Sheta
No, I love I love your definition. I think you look at it from a more practical aspect. Mine was more general sense. But no, this definitely clears it up. Even that added value to me, even though I thought I knew everything about coaching. So that's awesome. And adding to that. Like when I first started, I remember, like, obviously, part of your assignments was to coach someone. And I remember my first session with that client, he was one of my best friends. And I was a bit freaked out. Because it was a completely new experience to me.
Kareem Sheta
But me what reassured me was that he was my friend. So don't be too embarrassing. I think that's the first step. don't fit yourself out when you're when you're trying something new in life and in coaching. Because say it's a new client, and it's a stranger, you're going to have that sense of self doubt. It's not true. But just have fun with it. Don't overwhelm yourself. Like, I remember, the only thing I regretted was that the first session, I was trying so hard to match everything I learned with what he was saying, No, it's so much simpler than that. It's all just about listening, you have the knowledge already stored in your mind in some part. And as you hear the key terminologies and as you focus on each word, he or she is saying you will know the solution.
Kareem Sheta
But if you focus on that, now you you'll get lost in your thoughts. So just take it easy, don't be discouraged. And also, I picked up a few tricks, when like, I'm sure, I'm sure you know them. But it's like things that you can do while you're in the session to reassure the clients. So for example, something he loved at least was when I recap what he said, and like one or two likes three knows, okay, can he miss with me?
Kareem Sheta
Because one of the feedback like I think in one session, I was a bit exhausted. So my you know, my focus was like 90% instead of 100. So he was like, maybe the only drawback I have was with the only comment I have is that sometimes you repeat the question another way or something that we already covered. So and that's another point, taking feedback from your client, maybe not from strangers, because that will seem a bit unprofessional, but with people you're practicing with, and I think the list goes on, and people would love to hear from you. But yeah, and maybe one last tip is okay, so Note taking is essential, there is no argument about that, but also rewriting the notes meaning like, I'd have like five pages of notes after the session is over. So I'd open like a fresh document that same day or the next day. And we type my notes again. So that sort of cements the notes that I took down and it also makes it look appealing and easy and easy to the eyes. So they'll probably be my pieces my main piece of advice in a nutshell. And if you have any comments or fees or any advice for me, please let me know.
Braco Pobric
No, no, I think that's really great. You know, when you said you wanted to use like all the tools you learn this is you know, this is so natural fold new approaches. And I tried to make it clear in the beginning to be careful with that. I'll never forget there was a there was an individual you know, when we went through this there's this was in person with is nine weeks program. And basically the individual said, Okay, now we are in session six. So we're going to coach tools from Session Six, no, you know, you're not coaching session 1,2,3,4,5, you are picking up these tools. And as you go, you may or may not need them. Right.
Braco Pobric
But that's really I mean, that's, that's, that's a common, you know, question or, you know, misconception from the beginning. And then I had just had another coach the other day, asking me in a coaching group coaching call, you know, I'm struggling to what do I do when I meet my first client? How do I prepare? What's the process I follow? What's the questions I'm going to ask? Then another coach said, Well, just listen, right? So this is all good. But in reality, you are brand new coach, you can listen as much as you want, but you're gonna have to, you're gonna have to interact with this person. Right? So So preparing, especially in the beginning, there's nothing wrong to think of some questions.
Braco Pobric
First of all, to hopefully you're the know something about the client. Right? So you need to take in form and you understand a little bit what they really want to do. But it's nothing wrong to at least you know, to prepare your own brain your ending question, or you may never ask them, but it's okay to have to come up with a little process. And in coaching, there's really no, there's no process. Because once you really know this, you walk in, you are prepared for the session. And you listen and you coach, I mean, that's really what it is. Because you have all the tools in your toolbox, you pull them as you need them. You don't think about it, but that takes a while to get there.
Braco Pobric
So again, nothing wrong to prepare to come up with a little process that works for you. And just please be, you know, don't get stuck with that. Don't be like, Oh, I didn't ask that question. But I wanted to ask, because it's not about what you're going to ask. It's about coaching the clients. And you obviously did the right thing, right, which was about stepping back and, and listening and coaching. And by the way, there is a time when all of us even very experienced coaches will lose a client. Look, we human, this does happen. Right? Yeah. And my recommendation when it does happen, don't play like, oh, I don't know what he said, I'm not gonna I'll just move on. Right? This, he could just say, Listen, I'm really sorry, John, you know, hey, I had some trouble, you know, personnel with my family, my kids, and I just lost last minute, which you said, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't be 100% attention. But you know, this happened. And look, if that bothers this person. That's, that's okay. He may he or she may be like, fine. But you know, in the beginning, of course, you're in you don't want to repeat this every session? Oh, I'm sorry. What did you say? That doesn't work.
Kareem Sheta
I think you shed light on a very important point. And that's creating the questions. That's also like, I think I read an article before I coached him about how to ask the right questions, and they had like a list of 20 tips that you should follow. And I think the ones that I remember the most was that don't make them too vague or general be very specific. And it has to be leading somewhere. So it's not like just a question out of curiosity, no tests, because you're obviously I don't know, like, how many? I think you told me that's also another important point you told me Are you shocked me is more like it that if the session shouldn't be more than 45 minutes, I think and our session? I don't know. I think it lasted the first time, like 90 minutes or something. So that was also very important not to take too long. Or too too much time. Yeah, is that the ideal time like 45 minutes,
Braco Pobric
45 minutes to one hour. These are like, general you know, a lot of people do one hour session, depending on the client 45 to one hour, because it's exhausting for you and for the client. Right. It's exhausting for you. And for the client. I wanted to just touch base a subject when you said leading questions, I want to be careful with this. Because we know we should never like to lead our client to something, yes, want to make it clear. So I know what you meant. But just for the listeners, right? So we're not going to read them. We'll ask them questions that will help them make their decision and move from point A to point B right?
Braco Pobric
And often to clarify for themselves, they don't want to apply for them. But again, like I said, Often they will come with one thing and as you go through coaching it will be actually something else later on. And yeah, and again, just you know, you have all these tools that you learn and New practice and, you know, you started with a friend, which was fine. Uh, sometimes it's really difficult to start with friend. And I suggest, I suggest, you know, better start with stranger than friend, because friend is a friend. And you know, when you start coaching, and especially if you do it for free I mean, it's so why how terrible could it be? Yeah, if you don't judge the person like, hey, you know, you make it clear that you are practicing, but you will also, you know, provide a lot of value. And especially again, if you do it for free, then there's really nothing to worry about.
Kareem Sheta
Nothing to lose. Yeah, exactly. So like speaking of that, because as you know, for our report for my graduation speech, I had that bit about the beginning of, Okay, should I be a coach or not? Because as I said, it's completely different from training. So for anyone who's thinking about, okay, what are some of the qualifications or like things that you should have? Or work on to feel like, okay, I can be a coach, and I'm ready to be a coach.
Braco Pobric
I love this question. So, I probably differ from some of the other people in the industry, but not, but some a lot of people also on my side. So So here's what I think. It all depends. Coaching is a wide turn. Who do you want to coach? Right? What are your coaching clients? Are you coaching one on one? Are you coaching, I doing executive coaching? Are you coaching inside organizations? Are you doing group coaching? Are you doing coaching inside the government institutions? The reason I said this is because if your plan is to go to corporate world, and do some executive coaching, and also do some governmental work that chances are, you will need credentials, because they will ask for it.
Braco Pobric
However, if you are looking just to coach one on one individuals, then the chances are they will not ask but but let me tell you what's the most most important for my coaches. And I'm actually working right now, as we speak with with amazing executive coach. And I made it very clear, I don't care about any of your certifications. I don't, I'm not going to read it, I don't need it. All I care is can you help me took me a long time to find somebody in a specific area where I wanted, which is in this business, right? But all I want to know is can you help me in this area? I don't care about it. And most of people really are like me, can you help me with this?
Braco Pobric
And a lot of big names, you don't get you? You know, Tony Robbins doesn't have any coaching ICF certifications, right? You know, if you, you really need to be good. That's the key. Again, you can get your certification. And it's funny, I am the one saying this was basically issuing, you're on the life of six Academy certifications. But I always make it clear. Don't take this program for the piece of paper. If that's the case, go somewhere else.
Braco Pobric
So you want to take my program because you want to be really great coach, and I'm going to teach you how to do that. Yes, you'll get paper at the end. But that's not, don't that be the reason for you to take it. And it's really, really important. That's, that's my view. Again, not the wrong if you want to go for it. You know, we do have some of the students that you basically know who took the PPMC learn a lot. But they're wanting to really get to ICM, go for it. Right, go keep you have to keep learning. Yeah, you know, I keep learning. I'm never going to stop until I'm here on this beautiful planet. And until I you know, and helping people. But yeah, so that's really the key. You know, the key for you is to learn a lot to to be one of the best. Yeah. And with or without any piece of paper. That's big, because again, but here's this is what's important. coaching industry today is not what's the right word? It's not like a therapy. It's not.
Kareem Sheta
It's like, I think it's going it's developing industry. A lot of people want to get into coaching, but not a lot of people can do it properly. That's
Unknown Speaker
Right, right. But there are no certain requirements that you have to meet if you want to be therapist. There are many different things that you have to do with coaching images, which is good and bad is good and bad. I agree. For the clients. It's good and bad because you know It wasn't, you know, another question came up on Croce cool. Okay, so why would I? Why would I go with Kareem versus John? Right? Well, you know, it's tough work on your credibility. And there are so many different ways to establish that. But you know, I need to know that you are good. And that's really what clients care. I mean, honestly, I never in my, in my coaching one on one career, had anybody asking me what certifications do I have? Yeah. But doesn't mean you shouldn't get it. Yeah, I want to make it clear, that's not the point.
Kareem Sheta
It's like, it's like, I don't know, it's like all those successful people who don't have college degrees, I don't care if you graduated from university, as long as there's impact involved, it's not all about papers and certifications, as you said. And I think the point that I really agree with is the last one about basically practicing, you have to, in addition to learning, you have to practice with different clients. I mean, I definitely noticed a big change between the first session that I gave with my client and the fifth session, some deeply different.
Kareem Sheta
And also, I think patients and listening skills are key. Maybe that's one of the maybe that's one, because to be patient, you have to have not the calm life, but you have to have time. And so I thought, like I have so many plans right now, I can't start coaching, I won't give my clients 100% dedication, that's basically contradicting the purpose of it all. So that's why I currently, as you know, planning or launching training sessions with some other those students, coaching will be the secondary third stage. So coaching is not something to take lightly. It's 100% dedication, not something that you do on the site. Again, that's from from my perspective,
Braco Pobric
I agree. 100%. And don't think that you will be doing you know, eight coaching sessions a day, not because you're not going to have eight clients, you might have 50, but you're not going to be successful on you, if you want to do it, right, especially in the beginning. Right? It is the it is exhausting. At the end, if you really put yourself 100% into the session, I'm telling you, it's exhausting at the end of each session, if you do it, right. If you're not exhausted, you're not doing it.
Kareem Sheta
I completely agree. I always want to go to bed after every session because my mind was was completely drained after insertion. So I agree. Okay, so that's regarding. So this, I think will, like encourage the inner coaches and any extra coaches who might be has. I think, also, for me, stories really inspiring you like success and fill your stories, maybe fill your stories more than success, successful ones. So for me, it was always the time when my client would come and say he applied a certain, like, piece of advice, or he No, that's not what coaches do. But like, basically, he took my advice, and he applied the certain methods from his own side. And it worked out. Sometimes they wouldn't, but when it worked out, I feel this the sense of motivation? So are there any stories that you remember? Or that you know, like, when you think, Oh, I really impacted him, or I really changed his life. Does anything come to mind?
Braco Pobric
Yeah, you know, I, I'm, I've been really lucky and fortunate that that there are a lot of stories that I can, you know, recall. But yeah, they client call me my former client, and former client, big businessman. I mean, this guy's like, doing so well, you know, many, many years. But I was coaching years ago. And this he called me to ask me if I would coach him something on the business side. And I was not ready. Because with exactly what he wanted to do, I just wasn't that was not my area, right. So we talked about it. And he, you know, he said to me, you know, he said to me, the other day he was with his wife, and that was one of the things that we did a lot. It was it was about relationships, you know, he was very, very successful by relationship with his wife and kids were just, you know, not there are successful good relationships weren’t there and, and he basically said that, you know, he did something that we were going to coaching sessions, and his wife said, Are you still getting coaching? Is Bra tzostill your coach?
Braco Pobric
So yeah, this is like, you know, great years later that he's basically living. He's living these sessions, his his, you know, his life totally changed. And, and then his wife is not seeing this for these years. And it's it's really, you know, this is how you know, you can impact people help Regardless if it's business, or personal relationships or happiness, or, you know, certainly day a dad says just one that came to my mind because he called me the other day. So it was really cool. Really cool. And now that I said this story, also, please be careful and don't just take every client because they want to be your client has to be a match. Not only that, client believes that you are the best and the right coach, a, you have to believe that the client that your clients, right is the right client for you. That's my big people don't really understand like, what why they think I'm the great coach, and they know my capabilities. Why do I have? Yes, you do? Yes, you do. Because because it's very, very important that you feel 100% comfortable, then you can you can help the client?
Kareem Sheta
I think that's a very valid point. It's not about it, definitely. It's all about the impact. Another thing is that like, okay, life coaching, it's not like one type. Like there's so many branches, as you taught us there's, you can be a life coach, but specialize in resilience, changing your habits, maybe the client that comes to you building on your point, and needs help in an area that you don't have, you know, any expertise and are enough experience. And as you said, you want business coaching. Okay, maybe now it's your area of expertise, but it wasn't back then. So I can definitely relate to your to your story.
Braco Pobric
And just just to mention, even with business coaching, like I coach clients and business, but this was a very, very specific business. Right, that that, that he needed help that I really didn't have a lot of insights. So again, he thought I can do it. He said, Yes, you can't. I was like, No, I can't. Sorry, sorry, I'm dropping your man. You can't be like at this time. So yeah, be careful with that.
Kareem Sheta
There. Yeah, there are no hard feelings when it comes to professionalism. I think the probably the last point, I know this might need a separate session and everything. But what are the like the for anyone who's currently practicing coaching on a beginner one? What are some of the challenges? Like I think I mentioned a few at the beginning, what are one or two of your main challenges that you face, maybe even until today, because as we know, obstacles never end.
Braco Pobric
So I think it's so it's different for new coach each versus the challenges that lie that I you know, face today. So for new coaches, you know, really the biggest thing is learn as much as you can practice as much as you can, when you feel you good. Don't be afraid to charge a lot of money for services. Because because they remember, they're not paying you for 45 minutes of your time. They're paying you to help them solve the problem. They paying you to help them improve their life, and there is no price in that.
Braco Pobric
So that's where a lot of because I hear this a lot. I don't know how much to charge. Whenever I say if I say 25 bucks, they say it's a lot, right. So. So that's what I hear a lot from new coaches. So that's that's one thing. And you have to build that confidence that you are good. And if you know, it's different story, you have to really write I mean, I'm not saying, you know, go ahead and charge 1000 bucks, if you really don't know what you're doing. But but you know, when you get really, really good, just don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to charge. You know, what do you think is the right rate. And don't try to keep your clients for long term just because they paying you it's really another really important one. And the client is able to just move on, move on and go to another client.
Kareem Sheta
So basically, don't be materialistic, and follow your inner values, nothing external or nothing temporary, everything that, you know, has an impact on yourself and the people around. Either figure.
Braco Pobric
Yeah, I think I think the key is in his again, when I see a lot of coaches, they focus on what am I going to do next and tomorrow next week, you have to look at your strategy. If this is going to be your business. Now, yes, this need like 30 more sessions now we talk about business plan, financial plan, plan execution, you know, global presence, search engine optimization, website, product services, but make look at your strategy. Don't just say I want to be a coach, and then, you know, let me get that first client. Yeah, we can break on that future business plan. It's really, really, really, really important. That's where most of your energy should go in the beginning.
Kareem Sheta
Totally 100% agree. Yes. Cool.
Braco Pobric
My friend, this was fun discussion. I hope this will be valuable to our listeners and certainly learning a lot of lessons from you is As a new coach are extremely valuable for for for new coaches and new people in this practice. So thank you so much fun. This was great. We'll chat again right?
Kareem Sheta
Definitely, definitely. I'll be seeing you very soon. Thank you so much.
Braco Pobric
Thanks, my friend. I'll talk to you soon. Cheers.
Braco Pobric
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