Are You Coachable?

The Top 10 Things That Prove a Client is Coachable.

Coaching works best when the client is coachable; that is, is open to being coached by a coach.

1.  The Client consistently takes action in order to reach a goal.

If the client is just going to talk and not take action consistently, then the client isn’t ready for coaching.

2.  The Client sets a large, breakthrough-type goal, thus creating a gap to be coached on.

Coaching works best when a gap is created between where the client is and where the client wants to get to.  Breakthrough-type (large) goals are often easier to accomplish than incremental-type goals.

3.  The Client comes to the coaching call ready to report, discuss, change and adapt.

The client should bring several topics for discussion to the coaching call, and also clearly share their wins and challenges of the week.  Also, facts, figures, measurables and trends are an important part of the coaching call.

4.  The Client uses the coach, instead of the coach pushing or motivating the client.

The client is the one who leads the coaching call, but is also open to the input and questions posed by the coach.  The Client doesn’t expect the coach to “do it for them” or motivate them.  If the client expects the coach to do most of the work on the coaching call, the coaching doesn’t work very well.

5.  The Client makes key changes in his/her life.

Coaching isn’t about just getting support to continue one’s life pretty much as it has been.  Rather, the client who makes key changes in his/her personal and professional life is probably getting a lot out of the coaching process.  These key changes may be large or small, but they need to significantly improve the client’s quality of life.

6.  The Client gets better and better at telling the truth to themselves and to the coach.

With discussion comes an increased awareness and with increased awareness comes truth.  And the better we are about sensing and articulating the truth to ourselves and to the coach, the more successful we’ll be in life and in business.

7.  The Client sticks with it when the going gets tough.

During the coaching process, it’s common that a client will “hit a wall” or feel challenged to grow or do something differently.  The successful client sticks with the process until they move through the temporary (and it’s always temporary) block.

8.  The Client wants and is ready to have more of what they really want.

So few of us know what we really want, and coaching is a great place to discover what that is and how to get it.  But the client needs to be able to want in order for coaching to work well.

9.  The Client puts integrity and needs ahead of wants.

In coaching, the client is expected to do what is right for them right now instead of pushing themselves to acquire a result at the cost of their integrity.

10.  The Client lets go of past approaches or beliefs and continually experiments with new ones.

Much of the coaching process is that of letting go of what used to work in business and in life and to begin freely experimenting with new ideas and approaches.  The successful client is willing to experiment vs hold on to what used to work.

I received this list from my coaching training from Coach U back in 1996 – 1998.