You’ve been coaching for a while now. You may have even completed coach certification, but you feel there is something more… Are you coaching at your optimal level or could you be a better coach? How do you really know how well you’re doing?
Sure, there are always some obvious red flags when your coaching isn’t effective. But don’t wait for your clients to start dropping off the face of the earth; instead, consider these 5 signs that you could be a better coach.
How to Know When Your Coaching Needs to Improve
1. People aren’t knocking at your door.
If you are functioning well as a coach and helping those you serve, word will spread. People you have coached will start sending others your way because they know how helpful you can be. The influence you have will be expanding because of the quality of what you’re offering. If you’re not experiencing those word-of-mouth referrals, it’s time to assess how well you’re really functioning as a coach.
2. You don’t ask for specific feedback.
If you don’t regularly receive specific feedback from clients, you aren’t getting the constructive critique you need to grow. Most coaches are afraid to ask for feedback about how they can be. Those who do ask are the ones who keep improving. Even for those who are good at reading the room, no one really knows how clients are actually experiencing them. To really find out, you’ll need to ask–and you’ll need to ask for specifics. A general, “How’s everything going?” is unlikely to yield anything constructive. Don’t let insecurity prevent you from continuing to grow as a coach.
3. You’ve stopped checking your mirrors.
If you think you don’t have blind spots, you will eventually crash. Thinking you already know it all or you have nothing left to learn is the classic trap of overconfidence. Even if you’re at the top of your game, there is room to grow and sharpen your skills. In fact, coaches who are prideful often receive the most negative feedback from those they have coached. Be sure you’re not thinking more highly of yourself than you ought (Romans 12:3). Overconfidence leads directly to complacency…and then to lower and lower performance levels.
4. The thrill is gone.
Sometimes when we’ve been doing the same thing for a long time, we experience a drop in our level of excitement or our enthusiasm plateaus. If you’re not looking forward to your coaching sessions or they begin to feel burdensome, it’s an important indicator that you’re going through the motions and need to find a way to effectively fill your tank.
5. You don’t have time to grow.
If you haven’t participated in intentional growth training of some kind in the last 18 months, you may not be prioritizing your coaching. Practitioners in almost all fields are required to engage in ongoing training–and for good reasons. Working with people has profound implications, and when you try to improve and learn by yourself, it doesn’t have the same effect as doing it with others. It requires humility and intentionality to keep stretching and growing.
Feeling uncomfortable?
If one or more of these signs have hit home, it’s time to renew your commitment to grow as a coach.
The good news is that we have the perfect way to get you back to coaching at your best—the Coaching Excellence GrowthTrack!
This GrowthTrack utilizes the only research-backed Christian coach assessment on the market to identify your strengths and areas for development. Learning is customized to meet your needs as you meet one-on-one with a highly qualified coach mentor as well as peers in a cohort format.
It’s time to be the best coach you can be!
The Fall 2022 Coaching Excellence GrowthTrack starts September 1st! Get the best deal by paying in full before 8-15-2022 for a 10% discount!
Register for the Coaching Excellence GrowthTrack today!
Written By CCT Team
Robert E Logan and Gary Reinecke Christian Coaching Tools Co-Founders.
Photo by Kalle Kortelainen on Unsplash
