How to be a Great Coach to Become Great Leader

If you want to be a great leader, you just cannot ignore coaching your teams &, to become a great impactful & result delivering coach

After coaching many business owners & the major stake holders in vastly different businesses in very non-similar fields, I learned that the widely popular way of coaching through asking questions, "so what do you think", "so what can you do what you have never done to change" and similar ones – only works for the evolved executives from established organizations and/or for making you feel great about yourself & add a qualification to your depository of certificates.

Some sample questions are given at the end[taken from the internet] which are good to initiate the coaching process, but are shallow when delivering the results is only what the client is looking for.

Normally as a coach you have to become an enabler [meaning that you cannot as a practice start giving solutions] to make the client & his/Her team learn the art of finding solution in future & at that time.

But there comes a time, when your client is real stuck & then you need to be able to direct, guide, suggest from the seat of the say process-owner to enable suitable actions to make your clients.

Then those questions practiced by many certified coaches as well as the coaches themselves fails to deliver.

That is the reason great leaders give so much importance given to coaching.

The real leaders who are creators, go for coaching in altogether different manners

Few of The basics of become a great, masterful & effective Coach & a Leader

• 1.You have to be a great follower
• 2.You have to be totally coachable
• 3.You have to have the abilities to completely get unfazed by the person, you are coaching irrespective of the position, credentials, background, successes & achievements He/she might have
• 4.You have to have the abilities to challenge the convictions of your clients in a meaningful ways leading to explosion in thought process
• 5.You have to have the habits of knowing and challenging your own assumptions, convictions, beliefs, ideas, solutions & pet-peeves
• 6.You have to be a great learner & keep on reinventing yourself in all aspects
• 7.You have to have constructive disruptive thought patterns
• 8.You have to have the ability to go deeper in all the major issues your client may have be it technical, human, psychological, financial or any other functional issues
• 9.You have to have the expertise to ask tough questions to yourself & your clients
• 10.You have to have the ability to take failures in your stride & move on as well as make you client do the same, while you move towards delivering the agreed results
• 11.You have to be well read, well informed & develop the habits of seeing the emerging trends, therefore your reading/learning exposure cannot be confined to one particular technical aspect or a specific technical area. You have to become master on many as well as jack of any
• 12.You have to have the conviction to accept seemingly impossible tasks & challenges and challenging/brain-storming to get alternatives & possibilities
• 13.You have to develop the art of questioning to be able to unearth & go from explicit to implicit needs of your clients
• 14.You have to have the ability to ignore the red-herrings & distraction and focus on the most important aspects and in order on priorities
• 15.You cannot operate from the perspective of an expert ever, it has to be participative, collaborative, partnering, learning & helpingyour clients sees the possibilities that He/She never thought possible
• 16.You cannot never give up on your clients & neither on the growth of your client. But having said this cardinal principal. You have to be candid enough to tell your client, when you feel it is beyond you. In this scenario you can either redefine your role, walk away or suggest a real expert. But do not stick with the client for money by bull-shitting & beating around the bush or by creating confusion and distractions.
• 17.Your only focus has to real, meaningful value addition to your clients & not doing as the money you are getting
• 18.You can never compromise on Quality, Safety, Discipline, and Productivity. These are always have to be at least the level of excellence. It goes for you as well as your clients
• 19.You just can't have any ego or judgment while dealing with your clients
• 20.You should be able to resist the urge to start giving advice, without understanding the situations
• 21.You have to have utmost respect for all the people in your client's organization even if you are working for the Biggest boss.

Some Established Myths about Coaching

• 1.How can I coach them they are superior to me in almost everything – position, power, qualification, status, experience. You will find most of the Biggest Stars in any field are coached by people who are most time are unknown to the fans of these stars
• 2.I am not as successful star like them so how can I coach anyone. You will find that few coaches were as successful but most were not.
• 3.Coaching purpose is to solve problems, achieving goals & improving performance [upto a limit it is the purpose of coaching- but it is the coachee & their team who would implement & achieve. You are just a facilitator who creates enablers for all these]
• 4.I am not even from same industry /field so how can I even think about coaching them - A coach that is from exactly same field like client may share the client's blind spots and biases & may not be effective in creating big differences. It actually creating in coachee & their team to view from different perspective,
• 5.All different types of coaching does not mix it has to operate from their particular silos, like personal coaches cannot do business coaching. It is actually so much interrelated, that when you are coached almost all areas improves under a master expert coach
• 6.People who are highly successful don't need coaching. It is actually the other way round, successful people need more coaching. Coaching is actually about refining & fine-tuning, which can happen even to the best like Olympic records & performances
• 7.Coaches will fix every problem that we face. Coaching is actually creating , unraveling & understanding the success process
• 8.Coaching is a luxury, it is actually about how to live a more meaningful life in an even better effective manner.
• 9.Coaching is about my capabilities. Actually Coaching works through creating the power through synergies of WE instead of ME

When coaching should not be used

1.When your client won't take responsibility be accountable for taking actions

2.When your client wants you to fix everything, without getting involved himself/herself

3.There is lack of seriousness, discipline, commitment & serious misconduct on part of either party

4.Lack of trust

5.Regular conflict between coach and coachee

6.Too close relationship between coach and coachee

7.When someone doesn't want to be coached

8.When someone is not coachable

9.When your clients veto everything & tries to impose his/her will on everything & is not a learning

10.When your client actually needs counselling or therapy rather than coaching

Different types of coaching – a list as an example only

• 1.Performance coaching
• 2.Transition Coaching
• 3.Skills coaching
• 4.Career coaching for sliders, high potential candidates
• 5.Personal or life coaching
• 6.Business coaching
• 7. Executive Coaching
• 8.Work shadowing
• 9.Relationship Coaching
• 10.High-Potential or Developmental Coaching
• 11.Coaching to Provide Feedback Debriefing and Development Planning
• 12.To interpret the results of their assessments and feedback.
• 13.Targeted Behavioral Coaching
• 14.Legacy & Succession Coaching
• 15.Wellness Coaching
• 16.Coaching to Improve personality
• 17.Sales Coaching
• 18.Health & Fitness coaching
• 19.Spiritual Coaching
• 20.Financial Coaching
• 21.Family Coaching
• 22.Parental coaching

Coaching Methods – Sometimes all of these will happen & the other time only one will take place

1.1 on 1

2.Team Coaching

3.Calendar-Driven Coaching happens on a regular intervals

4.Event-Driven Coaching

Effective Coaches Develops The Following Coaching Skills

• 1.Building trust
• 2.Building rapport
• 3.Building relationship
• 4.Objective assessment
• 5.Objective feedback
• 6.Listen without any bias
• 7.Asking tough question
• 8.Assertiveness
• 9.Challenging the assumptions, perceptions, ideas, beliefs of the Coachee as well as other experts
• 10.Being flexible
• 11.A Self & continuous learner
• 12.A corrector when realizes his/her mistakes
• 13.A great improviser
• 14.Focuses on excellence
• 15.Have A high level of integrity & other strong positive values
• 16.Supports & encourages
• 17.Facilitates as against telling
• 18.Drives for results
• 19.Makes coachee thinks, introspects & take tough decisions
• 20.Makes coachee empowered
• 21.Does not look for personal glory
• 22.Is without any ego
• 23.Never judges
• 24.Does not take things personally & gets hurt
• 25.Focuses only on the outcome & improvement in coachee & adding maximum possible value
• 26.Ask questions till coachee starts asking/challenging himself/herself
• 27.Never accepts the rumors & what heard from others, only focuses on first hand experiences with their coaches
• 28.Always dig deeper to get to the root cause
• 29.Understand the difference between Coaching, Dictating, Teaching, Counseling, Training, Therapy
• 30.Understand the motivations of their coaches
• 31.Does not feel inhibited by the coaches personality
• 32.Is not scared about giving correct analysis
• 33.Is good in communication to make even the layman understand
• 34.Focus more on actions rather than conversations only
• 35.When coachee is genuinely stuck, facilitates by gently guiding, directing & advising to bring them back to right track
• 36.Committed to make real meaningful difference in the coachee
• 37.Never accepts the first idea, solution or established belief
• 38.Always looks for maximum possible alternatives, possibilities & options
• 39.Does not accept excuses
• 40.Never makes excuses
• 41.Follows up till the objective is achieved
• 42.Never accepts can't or no from their coaches
• 43.Constantly motivates & encourages
• 44.Seeks & uses all avenues for keeping own passion, self-motivation & enthusiasm alive all the time
• 45.Have a strong desire to help people
• 46.Have a sense of curiosity about understanding & learning about people
• 47.A strong sense of caring
• 48.High level of empathy & institution
• 49.A very high level personal standards
• 50.A very strong emotional & social intelligence and maturity
• 51.Entrepreneurial mindset

Coaching Steps

• 1.Have , shows & expresses confidence in the coachee's ability
• 2.Creates clear understanding of the problem, goals & objectives to the coachee. Focus on the problem or behavior that needs improvement, not on the person
• 3.Determines which issues internal[which the coachee can himself/herself solve with coaching] or external [which may not be in the coachee's area of control]exist
• 4.Determine whether the coachee needs your help to remove the barriers
• 5.Explores potential solutions to the problem or improvement actions to take
• 6.Asks the coachee for ideas on how to correct the problem, or prevent it from happening again
• 7.With a high performing coachee, talk about continuous improvement
• 8.Gets Agreement of the coachee on action plan that lists what the coachee will do to correct the problem or improve the situation
• 9.Identifies the core goals that the coachee must meet to achieve the objectives
• 10.Creates schedule with date and time for follow-up

The following content from this point onwards totally is taken from the internet

According to the ICF, there are 11 core competencies that every aspiring coach (no matter what niche or specialty they choose) should master before receiving a coaching credential.

These include:

A. Setting the Foundation

1. Meeting Ethical Guidelines and Professional Standards
2. Establishing the Coaching Agreement

B. Co-creating the Relationship

3. Establishing Trust and Intimacy with the Client
4. Coaching Presence

C. Communicating Effectively
5. Active Listening
6. Powerful Questioning
7. Direct Communication

D. Facilitating Learning and Results

8. Creating Awareness
9. Designing Actions
10. Planning and Goal Setting
11. Managing Progress and Accountability

ICF Questions

1.What's important to you about that outcome or result?

2.What have you tried so far?

3.Tell me more.

4.What will change if you achieve this goal?

5.What's worked for you in the past?

6.When have you been successful in a similar situation in the past?

7.What did you do to make it successful?

8.What strengths can you utilize in making this change?

9.What's the current situation?

10.What is in your control?

11.What can you learn from this situation?

12.If you could start over again, what would you do differently?

13.What's the cost of not taking action?

14.What's the benefit of taking action?

15.What barriers stand in your way?

16.What's getting in the way of your progress?

17.What's your biggest obstacle to achieving this goal?

18.What else?

19.Imagine you had no barriers, what would that look like?

20.What changes are needed to move forward?

21.What specific events led you to that conclusion?

22.Think of someone you respect. How would she/he handle this

23.situation?

24.Action Plan and Accountability

Learn to understand your passion to specialize in a focused niche to coach or to get coached

1.business

2.small business

3.entrepreneur

4.marketing

5.public speaking

6.personal image

7.public relations

8.writing

9.real estate

10. career

11. career transition

12. life passion

13. interview/job search

14. retirement

15. executive

16. corporate

17. management

18. sales

19. dating

20. marriage

21. divorce

22. parenting

23. aging parents/eldercare

24. grief

25. assertiveness

26. academic

27. admissions for college

28. teen or college student direction (or other age groups)

29. spiritual

30. inner peace

31. intuitive

32. religion (Christian, Jewish, etc.)

33. mid-life crisis

34. meditation

35. transformational

36. life-work balance

37. personal development

38. extreme self-care

39. organization/declutter

40. time management

41. financial management

42. stress management/relief

43. life skills

44. productivity

45. success

46. performance

47. motivation

48. goal setting and achievement

49. health

50. wellness

51. fitness

52. holistic

53. raw, vegan, or vegetarian

54. addiction

55. weight loss

56. eating disorders

GROW coaching model

1.What is the aim of this discussion?

2.What would need to happen for you to walk away feeling that this time was well spent?

3.If I could grant you a wish for this session, what would it be?

4.What would you like to happen that is not happening now, or what would you like not to happen that is happening now?

5.What outcome would you like from this session/discussion/interaction?

6.Can we do that in the time we have available?

7.What do you want to achieve long term?

8.What does success look like?

9.How much personal control or influence do you have over your goal?

10.What would be a milestone on the way?

11.When do you want to achieve it by?

12.Is that realistic?

13.Is that positive, challenging, attainable?

14.Will that be of real value to you?

15.How will you measure it?

GROW Coaching Model Questions: Reality

Here are some coaching questions you can use during the second GROW coaching model step – Reality.

1.What is happening now? (what, where, when, who, how much, how often). Be precise if possible.

2.How do you know that this is accurate?

3.How have you verified, or would you verify, that that is so?

4.What other factors are relevant?

5.Who is involved (directly and indirectly)?

6.What is their perception?

7.When things are going badly on this issue, what happens to you?

8.What happens to the others directly involved?

9.What is the effect on others?

10.What have you done about this so far?

11.What results did that produce?

12.What is missing in the situation?

13.What do you have that you're not using?

14.What is holding you back?

15.What is really going on (intuition)?

GROW Coaching Model Questions: Options

Here are some example GROW coaching questions for the Option phase to inspire you:

1.What could you do to change the situation?

2.Tell me what possibilities for action you see. Do not worry about whether they are realistic at this stage.

3.What approach/actions have you seen used, or used yourself, in similar circumstances?

4.What else could you do?

5.What if…? (time, power, money, etc.)

6.Who might be able to help?

7.Would you like another suggestion from me?

8.Which options do you like the most?

9.What are the benefits and costs of each?

10.Which options are of interest to you?

11.Would you like to choose an option to act on?

GROW Coaching Model Questions: Will

The last step of the GROW coaching model is Will. Here are some example coaching questions to inspire you:

1.What option or options do you choose?

2.To what extent does this meet all your objectives?

3.What are your criteria and measurements for success?

4.When precisely are you going to start and finish each action step?

5.What could arise to hinder you in taking these steps?

6.What personal resistance do you have, if any, to taking these steps?

7.What will you do to eliminate these external and internal factors?

8.Who needs to know what your plans are?

9.What support do you need and from whom?

10.What will you do to obtain that support and when?

11.What could I do to support you?

12.What commitment on a 1-to-10 scale do you have to taking these agreed actions?

13.What prevents this from being a 10?

14.What could you do or alter to raise this commitment closer to 10?

15.Is there anything else you want to talk about now or are we finished?

Setting the Foundation