It’s Not About The Coach 6 of 7 – nine characteristics of coachability

Written by Stuart Haden on December 6, 2017

I guarantee many of the 9 characteristics of coachability that we touched upon in the last video will already be on your radar. We might not share the exact language but don’t let that separate us…

Complete with a few tips here is the source of coachability…

  1. Authenticity – are your making your values valuable?

Develop awareness of self (and others) so that you can begin to attune your needs (inner) to the environment (outer). Watch out for the conflict between compliance and defiance when being coached.

  1. Change – on a scale of 1-10 how present are you being right now?

Change is change, it is neither good or bad. It is just change. During coaching recognise change, just do exactly that, recognise it and hold onto possibilities. Steer clear of negative descriptions.

  1. Emotions – are you reacting or responding?

Develop your emotions in the same way you develop your muscles. Thus coaching becomes a work out, with your personal trainer to hand. Bottling up these emotions serves no one.

  1. Curiosity – are you serving the world?

During coaching when you experience curiosity you will need to be conscious of it, aware, knowing. Encourage consciousness and spot reflective behaviour. Don’t push curiosity though, it might push back.

  1. Challenge – are you taking the road less travelled?

In order to achieve superior performance there isn’t one single challenging question that will serve us in our response to coaching. We need to come at it from all angles. Remember low support and low challenge = apathy.

  1. Questions – do you ask open questions that create endless possibilities?

Coachees flourish when they work with questions. Enter into dialogue – searching for the question and then the answer. Be aware that society is a ‘tellaholic’ one, rewarding answers.

  1. Goals – are you setting performance and outcome goals?

As a coachee look to secure your performance and outcome goals towards the end of the coaching conversation, rather than at the start. If the goal is misjudged then you are mis-aligned.

  1. Systems – what impact are you having on those around you?

As a coachee performance shifts so does their system, increasing in size and complexity. Make sure you are investing your energy in the right place so that you can connect with other people.

  1. Energy – are you firing on all cylinders and tapping into all five sources?

Our energy sources create well-being and vitality in us all. In coaching simply complete conscious activities that keep your soul, body, heart, mind and spirit strong. Don’t lapse these must be done daily.