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This week, I am focused on giving you common characteristics of good coaches. These are things you should be evaluating to make sure you hire a coach that will work for you! If you are already a coach, these tips will help you to evaluate yourself and become an ever better coach for your clients.
Yesterday, I covered the first four out of twelve common characteristics. They were: A Desire to Help Other People: Become Invested in Your Client’s Success; Push Them to Become Better and Do Not Become Emotionally Involved in Your Client’s Problems!
Today, I will continue with the next four of these common characteristics.
Quality #5: Help your clients to discover who they truly are.
Many people today are not happy with their “lot in life.” It could their career, marriage, or a variety of things. Your job is to help them uncover who they “truly are.” Help them to understand that society, family, friends, finances, etc. cannot “tell them” who they should be. It has to come from within.
They have to figure out, on their own (although this may be why they hired you, it still has to come from THEM) what it is THEY want out of life! If they continue to say things like, “So and so says…” – you have to guide them away from that method of thinking. You job is to help them discover what their higher calling is for life!
Quality #6: You MUST have good people skills!
You cannot survive long in this field if you are not a person that can develop a trusted relationship with other people. This is a skill you can develop. But it is essential that you do so overtime. You may be a good “people person” right now, but you can always get better!
Quality #7: Be a role model for your clients.
You should be able to share your victories with your clients as an example of how you can help them to do the same. For example, if you want to help people lose weight, you cannot be 200 pounds overweight yourself. If you want to help people get out of debt, you cannot be in massive debt yourself!
You need to be able to push your client to the success level they desire to achieve. Sometimes, it will take demonstrating, explaining or simply sharing how you overcame the exact thing they are asking you to help with. You cannot do that if you are bound by the same problems.
Quality #8: You need to have compassion.
Compassion, love, understanding. These three things need to be exhibited on a continual basis as a coach. Many times, you might be the only person you client can trust to be completely open with. You may their one and only ally in a battle they are experiencing alone.
But in order for you to show compassion, love and understanding, YOU must have the same compassion and love for yourself on the inside of YOU! You need to develop compassion for yourself and where you have failed in the past. Forgiveness goes both ways, towards others but also towards yourself.
You cannot be a successful coach to someone if you are confronted by behaviors that mirror issues of your own that you still have not successfully dealt with. For example, if you are someone who drinks alcohol (for this example, I will say “socially in a responsible manner”), and some hires you to help them in business and you find out they are an alcoholic. How can you help them to abstain from alcohol when you do not do so yourself? If you are hired to help someone control their spending habits, but you spend money as fast as it comes in, how can you help them?
Bottom line: Know your own limitations. Be sure to offer true compassion, love and understanding when dealing with other people. Failure to do so will only hurt your ability to help.
For more information on today’s topic, please watch the YouTube video I created HERE: https://youtu.be/H-cm0D7-1Rc
For more information and possibly a different perspective on this topic, check out the resources I found which discuss this idea.
If you are looking for an opportunity for a new, part time business that will help you to generate an additional income stream, I recommend you take a look at this. I’m involved in it and would love to share more with you.
References:
https://www.acsedu.co.uk/Info/Natural-Health/Mental/Attributes-For-A-Successful-Life-Coach.aspx
https://www.mentalgamecoach.com/articles/CoachingQualities.html
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