A Coach Still Needs A Coach

The greatest enemy of learning is thinking that you already know. It keeps you from seeking new information and expanding as much as you can. When pride sets in, people think they already know it all; they close their minds to new ideas and valuable feedback, and they are not willing to admit their mistakes.

Such people do not make very effective coaches. Being aware of these barriers helps those who want to become great coaches. They know that in order to overcome such barriers, they must consciously make a choice to constantly build new habits and take action to keep learning and getting coached by others.

Coaches who receive coaching, benefit from resolving their own issues in work and life. They unburden themselves and come out refresh and energize for future coaching sessions. Those who are burdened by their own emotional baggage cannot create great coaching conversations. By being coachable, you enhance your own emotional excellence to effectively coach others for results.

Take the experience of Laura, who told us how she developed exponentially as a coach when she received coaching from a certified and experienced coach. “Being open to receive coaching opened my eyes,” she said.

“I found that I had many of my own self-image and relationship problems to be solved. I was highly stressed and living an imbalanced life like a workaholic aiming for perfection in my career.

“The coaching I received helped me a lot to resolve the personal problems I had, and at the same time, I learned how to be a great coach,” she shared with us during a catch-up session over champagne.

Coaches also fail to teach effectively when they don’t practice what they preach. When a coach encourages people to be disciplined, it would not reflect well on the coach if the coach is showing a lack of discipline. Coaches teach best by example and not by instructing.

When a coach tells people that coaching is good, it is much more compelling when the coach is also undergoing coaching and has gained value from being coached. Living the life of a coach is like living the kind of life you want for the people you coach.

As a coach, you need to model the more effective ways to live and work so that people can observe that you are living a balanced and happy life with good relationships, having your priorities in order, engaging your strengths, and experiencing fulfillment at work.