What makes a Great Coach

Coaching can be a very rewarding.

It’s the ideal career / activity choice for those who:

• Like to work with people
• Have a strong desire to see people excel in their lives
• Are prepared to let others do the talking
• Can connect with people and listen with interest and empathy
• Are willing to put aside their own agenda when dealing with others
• Have an open mind
• Who see possibility and potential in people whatever their status
• Are creative in their thinking
• Are prepared to be tough with people
• Are prepared to be honest with people
• Are enthusiastic and happy individuals
• Have their lives well sorted
• Are interested in continuing to learn and grow

Questions for aspiring coaches

one of the fundamental tenets of coaching is to focus on others, so can you:

• Listen in a nonjudgmental, open-minded manner?
• Ask questions that are genuinely intended to expand the thinking and awareness of others?
• Effortlessly create a dialogue with people?
• Explore people’s issues and test solutions with them, without imposing or prescribing your own point of view?
• Support your people to improve their capabilities and performance over the long term?
• Generously give of your time and resources for the benefit of others?
• Inspire others by passionately sharing the stories about your experiences, successes, failures, and creative ways to improve results with limited resources?
• Be focused on empowering others to act?
• Give up telling or dictating and encourage others to take responsibility and come to their own decisions / conclusions?
• Work with others to create a compelling vision of the future to which they are committed?
• Give feedback which is focused on the positive, and builds the capability of others to succeed?

Now some questions that can assist us to evaluate the suitability of candidates for coach training.  We are looking for responses that:

• Indicate a high level of self-awareness
• Would indicate an approach that is non judgemental, curious, exploratory, asks questions etc. as distinct from emotional and self centred, full of ego etc.
• Indicate an orientation / preference towards service to other people

Here we go:

Having read the above, some questions for you:

• What’s your reaction overall?
• What makes you say that?
• Where are your strengths?
• How have you used these strengths in the past?
• What were the results?
• How did it make you feel?
• Tell me about a specific example where you supported the growth / development of someone.
• What are the areas for your further development?
• What do you know about yourself and/or your behaviours that cause you to choose these areas?
• When working with groups or individuals who have very different views to you, how do you react?
• Coaching is a lot about supporting the success / growth of others:
• What do you think about this?
• Coaching is also about not imposing our own solutions, thoughts and feelings on others, more about supporting others to think for themselves and come to their own conclusions.
• What are you thought on this?
• Based on what you know so far, is coaching for you?

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