What Makes A Great Coach?

What are the qualities of a good coach?

and

How can you become one too?

1. They love people and have a heartfelt desire to help them.

2. They have incredible listening skills.

Awesome life coaches listen to the words you are saying, the tone of your voice, the energy you exude and pauses during the conversation. They listen deeply to the things both voiced and those unsaid.

3. They ask questions that make you pause and think.

Good coaches maintain a curious mindset.  This endless curiosity leads to powerful questions that prompt you to reframe your perspective.

 4. They help you feel comfortable.

When you’re with a great coach you can be comfortable and relax. Great coaches have a talent of putting you at ease, building trust and honouring the confidentiality of the conversation.

 5. A good coach encourages you to take action.

Changing your thoughts is the first step to improving your life. With coaching, you will learn how to take inspired action to take you closer to your goals.

 6. They celebrate your success.

Great coaches are cheerleaders who stand in your corner. Too often we don’t celebrate our successes for more than a couple of minutes. As soon as we achieve one goal, we rush forward to the next thing. A good coach will help you learn how to celebrate your wins and enjoy your life.

7. Is comfortable with all your emotions.

Living an authentic fulfilling life does not mean you are never disappointed, heartbroken or filled with fear. A good coach gives you a place to safely process your emotions, so you can get free and choose to move forward.

8.  Don’t buy your B&*&(*t story and excuses.

They will help you to remember what is really important and support you to take steps to live more authentically. When you get nervous and start to make excuses, they will kindly hold your vision for you and help you to see that your bigger more fulfilling life is waiting to welcome you at any time.

9. Hold you accountable.

A good coach holds you accountable to your commitments. Accountability for your actions is one of the ways you will reach your goals more quickly.

10. Remind you of how far you’ve come.

When you hit a roadblock, a good coach reminds you of all the progress you’ve made already.  They help you to remember, this is only a small bump in the bigger picture of your life. They show you where you’re too hard on yourself

11. They are comfortable with silence.

They are adept at holding space and quiet for you while you process your thoughts, emotions and motivations. By giving you space they help you understand yourself better and allow you to decide on the best actions for yourself

12. They don’t tell you what to do.

Coaching is not about giving advice. Great coaches facilitate the session, so you can decide what’s best for yourself.

13. They don’t judge you.

They respect that your life and your choices are yours to make. They encourage you to live the most fulfilling life, on your own terms.

14. They don’t talk endlessly about themselves and their experience.

Coaching is about you, your choices, your growth. A great coach knows how to manage themselves out of the coaching conversation. It's not that they never share anything about themselves, it's more they know when to speak and when to listen.

15. They don’t focus on mistakes.

Instead, they help you use your mistakes as a chance to learn and grow

16. They help you get motivated, inspired and in touch with the things that make you excited!

Now over to you.  What do you think are the most important qualities of a great coach?  Which of these skills will you choose to improve on your path to becoming a great coach?

My goal is to help you, have your dream coaching practice. How’s it going? Is it everything you hoped it would be? Leave a comment below.