Are you really ready to be coached?

Over the years, I’ve worked with a number of coaches and most of my experiences have been brilliant. But, a few fell short of my expectations. Now, it would be easy for me to say that the experiences that weren’t so great was down to the coach’s capability, but that’s only half the story.

The other – more uncomfortable – truth is that I wasn’t really ready for and committed to the change that coaching would demand of me right then.

So, as I’ve developed my own coaching practice with clients, one of the questions I ask myself is whether a leader really is ready to be coached. Are they ready to make the shift they say they want?

Based on my own learning over the years, here are four questions that could help you see if coaching is the right development approach for you right now.

Image: Rfstudios, pexels

Are you absolutely clear what coaching is?

This might sound like a daft question, but if you’re going to have a successful coaching relationship, you need to be clear on, or be prepared to learn, what coaching really is. Knowing how it differs from training, mentoring and counselling is key but just as important is having the willingness to be prepared to be open to a different approach.

Then when you’re choosing a coach, look at the full picture – qualifications, experience, do they have their own coach and/or supervisor and what’s their area of focus? Remember that chemistry in a coaching relationship is the foundation to building trust and integrity – it’s absolutely key to success. Listen to your intuition on this one.

How ready are you to be accountable and responsible?

A common misunderstanding about coaching is that you’re learning by being told what to do. Using a phrase shared with me by a coach many years ago, a coach will walk by your side but it’s you doing the work, both in sessions and in between. It’s you who’s responsible for your own work and learning. Where you’re not sure of the next step, but being supported by your coach will help you to move forward. If you really want to make change, you’ll need to take responsibility to make it happen.

Are you prepared to be comfortable with being uncomfortable?

We’re often taking ourselves out of our comfort zone through coaching practice so we need to be prepared and OK with feeling uncomfortable. Trying new things can range from feeling daunting to terrifying but learning from them can be really powerful in creating change. But, you won’t know unless you try. Having a coach walking by your side as you have a crack at new things will make it feel less lonely and, I’d argue, less scary.

Trying new things, stretching ourselves, being constantly curious and continuously reflecting on our learning can move us forward. And, being prepared to fail forward too – learning from what doesn’t go to plan - helps to build our resilience.

Will you make the time investment that’s needed?

As well as the financial investment, coaching involves a time investment. From my own experience, much of the work in coaching happens between sessions. It takes time, resilience and focus to build on what you’re learning to shift and sustain change. If you want to get the most from your coaching, it’s not about finding the time to do this but making the time.

Moving from a space of ‘lack’ to one where we recognise that we have the potential and resources we need to make the change we want and taking action and committing to that, can be really powerful. Coaching can bring feelings of excitement, challenge, discomfort and sometimes a bit of trepidation but, with the right approach and the right coach, it can be life-changing.

One of the biggest steps you can take is to think about how ready you really are to be coached. Be really honest with yourself. I’m confident that even just thinking about these questions alone could really help you decide.

If you’d like to explore how coaching could help you create change and get clarity to move forward, I’d love to chat.