#131 Why coaches fail

Here are some thoughts about what it takes to be a great coach. My feeling is that success is about getting the balance just right between not enough and too much, the so-called Goldilocks Effect.

1.       Self-belief

2.       Being fully present

3.       Passion for coaching

4.       Balancing Awareness & Action

5.       Building Trust

6.       Coaching with Ease

7.       Ethics

8.       Imagination

9.       Empathy

10.   Goal-focus

11.   Use of self-as-instrument

Leadership Development coaches reading this might well recognise my inspiration from the Hogan Development Survey. This is a survey of the dark side of leadership – the traits, when underplayed or (more typically) overplayed, that derail a leader’s career.

Because these are personality-based, I have an instinct that similar derailers apply to coaches. Here’s an at-a-glance description of how coaches might underplay or overplay these behaviours and derail the chances of successfully helping their clients reach their goals. Great coaches manage to strike a balance between these extremes and get it just right.

Go to Free Resources — Grow the Coach to download more details about each of these 11 derailers, and an exercise to identify yours.