In the past 15-20 years, the most memorable helping situations were ones where I was coaching an individual. In this specific case, it was about 4 years ago with a neighbor. He is about 10 years younger than me but is used to be the "big fish," "Top dog," best at his job... and now he is out of work because he did not get along with his boss. He is a great salesperson and can often talk his way into anything he wants/ needs. But he had been unemployed for more than 5 months and his wife was all over him to get a job. My goal was simply to be a good neighbor and help him out.
He came to me mainly seeking help with his resume as his wife convinced him it needed a huge update. I did my typical probing to find out more about his job search needs and offered some minor suggestions - the quick fix stuff - for his resume with the agreement to meet again to talk at more length about the resume.
In terms of what I could benefit from the relationship was his handyman skills and potential to hire him for some renovation work on my home. I never realized those benefits.
I have often found with friends and family, they make the worst possible clients because they don't necessarily see the value and expertise I bring which is really interesting given the many accolades I get from the strangers I coach. The level of emotional familiarity makes it difficult for both parties to maintain the business relationship. He often gave me the "Been there, done that" response to my suggestions or flat out proclaimed that they would not work in "his industry." Needless to say, we disagreed on a lot of issues with his resume.
In terms of what I learned and will/have done differently are several lthings:
1. I am more likely to refer family and friends to colleagues than take them on mhyself.
2. I work harder to set up the professional relationship by using client agreements, requiring payment for my services (Even if extremely discounted), and asking that they do more to examine why they need the help and what help they are willing to take.