The Fiduciary Duty of a Coach.

The fiduciary duty is a legal relationship of confidence or trust between two or more parties.

One party, for example a corporate trust company or the trust department of a bank, holds a fiduciary relation or acts in a fiduciary capacity to another, such as one whose funds are entrusted to it for investment.

In a fiduciary relation one person justifiably reposes confidence, good faith, reliance and trust in another whose aid, advice or protection is sought in some matter. In the coaching fiduciary relationship, aid, advice or protection are never given. Instead, Clarity, Focus and Resourceful Thinking are provided as needed through structured questioning processes. All other needs of the clients will be referred to the appropriate professionals.

In such a relation good conscience requires one to act at all times for the sole benefit and interests of another, with loyalty to those interests. This is why the practice of clarity and confidentiality is critical for the professional coach.

To facilitate that duty, it is important at all times that the coach remains outside of whatever process the client is going through, so as to be able to ask questions that allow the client to become focused, objective, resourceful and creative.

The fiduciary duty of the coach is to ask the questions, the right questions, that enable the client to act in accordance with who they are, what they stand for and where they are going.