“Bizarre ways to get coaching training.” OK. I picked that title to get your attention. But I am so committed to it that I looked up the word “bizarre” and what do you suppose I found? The definition, of course… “strikingly out of the ordinary.” Hum. Here are three sensible, if perhaps strikingly out of the ordinary ways to become a trained coach. Learn by following these examples.
Who else Helps Their Client Play a Different Role?
How about a director? Are they involved in coaching training? Yes. A dear friend of my three daughters, literally a forth daughter, just graduated from Northwestern as a theatre major and she is a professional director. She is a great mix of tenderness and steel. She shows you what is called for and lovingly encourages you to play the role, but if necessary, she reminds you, in no uncertain terms, why we are all here. So perhaps a rich presentation of the desired role, followed by a sensitive invitation to step into that role, followed – if necessary – by an intense meeting of the minds to explain that it is simply time to step up, play the role, and move ahead is a required skill for a coach.
Who else Holds Their Clients Accountable as a Model for Coaching Training?
Who could be a better model for accountability coaching training than a real hard-ass boss? That’s right, a “show me your scales you heartless reptilian SOB” who takes “sorry I just couldn’t get it done” for what it is – a protest. A protest of a three year old crying, holding their breath and stamping their feet. And certainly not the behavior of a person aspiring to be a true adult, who has made a commitment, and who will do whatever it takes to meet that commitment. That is often exactly the job of an accountability coach.
Who else Lifts the Hearts of Their Clients and Makes Them Sing?
Contrast these images with that of a conductor, who demands at least as much but motivates by tapping into the inner drive that elevates our spirit and our very soul to heights beyond our own imagining, by showing what can be. Yes, when it comes to coaching training, learning to inspire is among the necessary skills for anyone who calls themselves a coach!
Dave Iuppa
JTS Advisors Strategy and Accountability Coach
Pretty bizarre, Dave!
That is, strikingly out of the ordinary.
Most people don’t think about how integral a coach is to their development at all stages of life, beginning with parents, moving on to teachers, bosses and supervisors.
For those of us who are entrepreneurs, it’s especially important to seek out our coaches and mentors because they simply are not part of the landscape like a parent at home, or a teacher at school is.
Thanks for the great tips, Dave.