Coaching – Embodying a Coaching Mindset

Everywhere we go, the latest books we read, all speak to mindset and how the mind is so powerfully designed that it is able to create a reality for us, good or bad. One of my favorite quotes around the mind is from the late Dr. Wayne Dyer ” have a mind that is open to everything but attached to nothing” “Let it all come and go as it will”. In many ways the session around embodying a Coaching Mindset reminded me about this quote. It was a great reminder about how important it is for a Coach to have a mindset that is curious, be able to listen with your eyes and BE in the constant awareness of his/her state during coaching. After all if the sessions serves me more than the client, because I as the Coach is in the KNOWING, and YOU SHOULD language, then I immediately am aware that this is not Coaching. This is serving me and not my client.

There are ways in which a Coach can ensure the embodiment of this behavior. These are the steps we covered in the session.

Open – Curious – Flexible – Client Centric

These words often have different meanings to each of us, and still there are universal meaning to them in the coaching profession. When I am able to embody these as a Coach, It naturally becomes who I am and allows me to live into my purpose of WHY I am passionate about Coaching and BEING a Coach.

Appreciating the Coachee’s Partnership, the key word being Partnership, we are there to be present and create a space where the Coachee feels safe and is able to go deeper into their own thinking without the Coach imposing his/her thinking. As a Coach we are present to another’s independent thinking. In that moment it is important to let go of our own opinions and biases for our coachee. We are coaching the person not the problem as Mel beautifully put it.

When I look at the steps that support the embodiment of a Coach, it is clear that there are ongoing steps a Coach needs to take in the various stages of a Coaching relationship. As Coaches one of these is also our own Learning and Development. The world is constantly changing around us, and COVID certainly taught us great lessons in how VUCA ( volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) life can be. As a Coach we do need to have a mindset of continuous learning for our own Growth.

The other step is around Reflective Practice and our Intuition. How far are we able to take our Coachee. Our Coachee can only go as deep as we are ready to go. As a Coach are we able to pick up words more loaded than others, to watch if the words match the body language and start to get curious with the Coachee on what we might be observing. At the same time be aware about what are we observing about ourselves. As Coaches we should be able to practice this with care and consideration for our Coachee, their Culture and Systemic influence as well as our own. To embody the mindset of a Coach, Self is equally as important as other.

Everything we do needs to speak to our Vulnerability, being okay with not knowing. The beauty of a Coach is to be able to unlearn and re-learn. We deliver our truest self when we are most authentic as ourselves. It is in our Being and Doing as Coaches, after all we are also Human. 🙂

It is however much easier when we have a sense of Preparedness as a Coach. Our level of IQ, EQ and PQ all play a role in how we are able to balance our Journey as Coaches.