Trust
Absolute confidentiality is essential to every successful coaching relationship. There is no substitute. There can be no compromise.
Dedication
A great coach is totally committed to discovering the potential of each client. With the benefit of expert inquiry, clients are able to increase awareness, resolve personal and professional puzzles, and take action. The coach’s role is to listen well and ask questions that stimulate reflection and learning amidst the conflicts and challenges that arise in the workplace and in life.
Awareness
Lack of awareness will limit anyone. For instance, mood matters; but we tend not to be aware of its effect. When someone speaks, their mood dramatically influences how others perceive their words. By failing to be aware, we fail to see how our own mood affects how we are heard.
How many leaders miss the chance to communicate effectively because they do not realize how their own mood is affecting their message? Coaching can help a leader understand the linkage between mood and effective communication, and that can be a good first step to building awareness.
Purpose
Tasks of every description clutter our lives and work. The lists seem endless; the array becomes distracting. In leadership and in life it is useful for us to find the space to reflect on our mission and remind ourselves of our purpose. Coaching offers such a space and allows the client to explore whether their choices and actions support their intended purpose.
Possibilities
Perspective offers possibilities. Being too close to an issue can reduce one’s chance of reaching resolution. Coaching can provide a needed change of perspective, allowing a useful step back to reevaluate our assumptions and consider other options. This is a deceptively simple concept, but facilitating the discovery of emergent possibilities may be the most valuable contribution that coaching offers.
Practice
Change takes time, happens incrementally, and requires practice. Noticing new options does not guarantee new results. Usually, we need to practice new techniques to build skills. Coaching affords the chance to select new methods, benefit from accountability, understand our setbacks, and practice long enough to achieve the desired outcome.
Results
The point of coaching is to reveal new choices that allow the client better opportunities for success. The noticeable result is usually increased impact, achieved with less effort. For leaders, this is essential.
