Saturday, August 29, 2015

A coaching mindset

I recently read Chad Hall's insightful little ebook 'The Coaching Mindset: 8 Ways to Think Like A Coach.' It was a nice refresher on some basics of leadership coaching, but also opened up some new ways to look at it, at least as far as I am concerned.

It is short - only took me about 40 minutes to read through it while working at my day job - but also very well written and informative for those interested in coaching. And at $.99 it's hard to go wrong with the price.

Here are the '8 ways to think like a coach':
  • Take a dumb pill - The coach is not there to solve the clients problems, but to facilitate the client solving their own.
  • Go to the movies - Learn to think of the client as the "star" of the issue, not yourself.
  • Embrace the primitive - Ask simple (primitive) questions that allow the client to process.
  • Follow the first rule of improv - Be a "yes" coach, not a "no" coach; go with whatever the client gives you.
  • Get curious - Don't assume you know the issue or the answers.
  • Ask for directions - Don't pretend to always know where to go. It doesn't hurt to ask the client.
  • Avoid the dark side of empathy - Don't get stuck in the same mindset your client is in. Have fresh eyes.
  • Think like a kid with a crayon - Be artistic and free like a kid with a box of crayons. Be creative, and don't worry about staying inside the lines.
Overall I thought these were not only some great points, but I like how Chad worded them. Very simple, yet memorable. Good stuff.