Be Given The Right To Coach

Have you ever been given advice by someone and felt they were out of place in doing so? You probably thought to yourself: Who does this person think s/he is?

You can probably think of examples from your own experience, where in most if not all cases, you probably had not given that person the right to coach you. You’ve probably also experienced this with the roles reversed, i.e. your well intentioned advice landing on deaf ears.

To be given the right to coach is about the other person committing to change with you. This is crucial for effective coaching. Different people have different ways of achieving this outcome. However, if you are one of the many who do not have a personal tried and proven methodology, there are 6 traits that when developed sufficiently will increase your chances of being able to coach others more effectively, thus increasing your chances of receiving from them the right to coach. These 6 characteristics are:

#1 Insight

Sometimes people are not able to see clearly aspects about themselves and their situation. An experienced coach is able to give insights to the coachee that are not easily evident. This helps the individual being coached to see new opportunities and work on internalizing habits of effective behavior.

#2 Relevance

A good coach is aware of the individual’s situation, and adjusts the focus of the coaching in order to be relevant to the individual’s needs. These could be emotional needs, developmental needs, or ensuring more effectiveness with dealing with a given situation. Being relevant as a coach means to be in tune with the coachee’s issues, and providing the support that they need to tackle these.

#3 Concreteness

When coaching, it is important to be very specific about what you are trying to convey to the coachee. When the advice given is of a general and vague nature it can lead to poor results in the individual’s development efforts. In order to be concrete, the coach needs to stick to the point and convey concepts and ideas at the appropriate time.

#4 Confidentiality

If a person knows you will report to their boss or colleagues what’s being discussed during your coaching sessions, they will have a tendency to hold back. A coach needs to convey to the person that there is a clear understanding that what is being said will not be revealed to others. This ensures a safe environment and trusting relationship that lead to rich unrestricted sharing.

#5 Patience

Many of the concepts, ideas and insights that come during coaching will be new to the coachee and will give them a lot to think about, and a lot to process. A good coach spends time in deep unhurried discussion with the individual whilst they assimilate and process these learnings.

#6 Expert Knowledge

Displaying expert knowledge is a strong way to gain credibility as a coach, and it also allows you to provide guidance more adeptly. The coach’s knowledge and experience can be technical, business or situational understanding. Coaches who are able to contribute in all three areas are valued by people being coached.

Developing these 6 traits, will help you as a coach to gain credibility and commitment from the individual to change with you. However, being given the right to coach does not sit in isolation. It forms part of an integral coaching process, of which the first is to build a relationship. If you are interested in more information keep an eye for future posts on our blog, or feel free to contact us.