What Makes A Coach “Good?”
Katherine May once wrote, “Our sense of enchantment is not triggered only by grand things; the sublime is not hiding in distant landscapes. The awe-inspiring, the numinous, is all around us, all the time. It is transformed by our deliberate attention.” When we think about the very best coaching, it begins with attention, an awareness of ourselves, our bodies, our space, our interactions, our senses – all of it. And such attention is not accidental, it is intentional.
A good coach begins by bringing this kind of attention to the coaching relationship, not only in practicing it for themselves but also through inviting their client into such awareness.
This is a key quality of presence, which is also essential to good coaching. When we are present to another, we are not simply “in their space.” We hold our client with unconditional positive regard. We reduce distractions as much as possible, put aside concerns of our own and make our whole being available to our client.
In this crazy busy world, such an experience is precious, never to be taken lightly. As effective coaches, we coach prepare for such an encounter both in the short and long term, grounding ourselves and practicing an embodied awareness even as we invite our client into the same.
All of this precedes reflective listening, powerful questions, evocative metaphors, and respectful curiosity. These many tools, skills and dispositions are employed in service to our clients’ growth and awareness, never simply to be provocative or invasive. A good coach helps the client notice, to deepen awareness, to attend differently in their own work and life. The agenda is set by the client. The goals are set by the client. The best coaches help their clients get there.
In this cultural moment, where we are enduring an epidemic of loneliness around the world, to have received the deliberate attention of another can have a healing power in and of itself. As coaches, we don’t stop there – we want to accompany you or your organization into its flourishing. We love that moment of “shift,” the experience of a sudden new awareness or commitment, the turn from that which has been holding you back into the potential of all that lies ahead.
Have you ever experienced someone you have thought of as a great coach? What was it about them that has stayed with you? We know a few. Click here to learn more.
