"The ability to build strong relationships and build trust"
A good coach should be able to:
• Communicate high expectations for individuals and have faith in their abilities to perform well.
• Avoid comparing the performance of the person they are coaching to the performance of someone else (or treat each individual as a unique situation and adjust their coaching style accordingly).
• Avoid ‘jumping in’ to coaching until they have a relationship working with the person being coached (and never stop working on the relationship until they stop coaching).
• When they do not know the answer to a question, admit it and offer to find the answer and provide it at the next coaching session (or sooner).
• Relate their real life experiences and stories (when doing so, using “I” and not the generic “you” to talk about themselves).
• Raise the individual’s status. They should know the individual being coached is likely to say things that the coach wants to hear, more than they would to a co-worker, spouse, or friend.
• Honestly examine the role they should be playing. They should examine whether they want to be a constant nag, a bully, a friend, a critic, a mentor, a leader, a teacher, a manager, a counsellor, a disciplinarian, or a role-model? Or even play multiple roles?
• Be available when needed by the individual and offer their time.
• Admit failure. A good coach should be therefore able to ‘model’ a key component of lifelong learning by being honest with their own performances and using them as an opportunity for learning.
