Success Principles of Coaching

In coaching, as in all things in life, there are concepts – principles – that when adopted enable us to experience better results than if we’re without them. They are important foundation principles upon which other concepts can be built

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Success Principle #10 is "Be the Best You Can Be"

It is about excellence and not about perfection.

Being the best means always looking for the next stretch or improvement.

As a coach, you will have clients coming to you in “no” mode. They will say “I can’t” a lot. That is OK because your client is new to thinking about possibilities – their world is full of problems and this is the boundary condition of their current thinking.

By asking effective questions, being supportive and holding them accountable, you will help them from getting stuck to unstuck.

Here are some ways to be the best you can be as a coach and serve your clients to bring about positive change in their lives:

Ask great questions

Questions are incredibly powerful. If you ask yourself: “Why did you do that?” you’re more likely to feel closed and defensive. Most of us, when asked to justify our actions, will feel that way.

It’s like asking you to explain your identity. And you’ll do anything to defend that, right?

Same applies to your client. So instead of asking closed-ended, direct questions, create a space that will support the client – and do it with a place of exploration, genuine curiosity and wonder.

Good question starting points could be:

I wonder if…
I’m curious…
Could this be an example of…

Embrace Constant And Never Ending Improvement (CANI)

As a serious and committed coach, you want to keep learning about self and human behaviour. You are committed to CANI, in terms of both personal and professional development.

Coaches who are serious about their growth participate in regular trainings to advance their knowledge and experience in the profession. They are at the top of the game.

For example, here are the overarching coaching core competency categories by industry-recognising body International Coach Guild (ICG) to focus on for your own CANI:

Self-Management
Relationship Management
Communication Skills
Technical Coaching Skills
Facilitating Progress

Be OK with Uncertainty

The human mind likes control and stability. We love the familiar, the status quo, the predictable.

But here’s the thing. “Stable” could block growth.

That applies beautifully to being a coach. You don’t know what’s going to happen, but you’re willing to go there and explore the depths with your client.

Great coaches venture into uncertainty willingly. They navigate the clients into the unknown. It’s the key to unlocking the future.