What the World Needs from Coaches

I’m in Lansing this morning participating in a World Cafe with 20 of Michigan’s most experienced coaches. One of the questions we are considering today is “What Does the World Need from Coaches?” Here is a sampling of what we are coming up with.

The world needs “generous listeners”. When our clients come to us with fear, nervous energy, a lack of certainty and other front-burning issues, coaches invite their clients to relax and to share their stories. Coaches validate the unique perspectives of their clients and truly pay attention to what their clients need to say.

The world needs safe places where individuals can go and not be judged. Coaches are trained to not become attached to their own thoughts and intuitions that commonly arise in most coaching conversations. Clients need to expect from their coaches that it is never about the coach’s agenda and always about the client’s agenda.

The world needs the truth to be told. Coaches often are the only relationships in our lives where we can count on hearing what we need to hear. Coaches must be fearless and always looking for advancing the coaching conversation in ways that best serve their clients. Sometimes, that means naming things that otherwise would go unnamed, even if it creates discomfort.

The world needs accountability. Coaches add value not only by listening to and acknowledging their clients; they also are responsible for providing a process for moving their clients to action and holding them accountable for their commitments.

The world needs to move beyond what is and embrace what’s possible. Coaches guide their clients in becoming free of limitations and claiming a bigger future. Coaching at its best is inquiry-based, and coaches are always mindful that all of us are “what we are today” and “what we are becoming” at the same time.

The world craves relevance. Coaches help clients adjust to new realities, including economic realities that have changed. Coaches focus on what really matters to their clients. They walk the talk with their clients and they bring a grounded energy to their conversations.

Look for additional posts coming to you live from the Professional Coaches Association of Michigan’s 6th Annual Conference in Lansing, Michigan.