Developing a Coaching Mindset

Having a coaching mindset means to possess the skills to provoke insight from clients so that they can find their own meaning and solutions rather than instructing them what to do or fixing their problems for them. To adopt the right attitude, it is very helpful to form beliefs that support the right coaching behavior. Some of these beliefs are the following.

• Most people can and want to change by learning and growing.
• Almost everyone wants to do their best and be successful.
• People are the experts of their own lives and know more about their problems than a coach does.
• Most people will rise to challenges and expectations.
• People are more likely to be committed to following their own ideas than someone else’s.
• There are always multiple approaches to solve a problem.

A coach who holds these beliefs and can effectively convey them to clients using the right interactive skills has the best chance at successful coaching relationships.

The Skills of a Coaching Mindset

Many of the skills required to develop a coaching mindset are already implicit in the character strengths related to wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence.

However, it is useful to pinpoint five specific skills that are critical to guide and stimulate clients to change. These are the abilities that a good coach has to build trust and rapport with clients, get accurate information from them, motivate and inspire insights and change that may be difficult and distressing, while protecting themselves and clients from potentially harmful situations.

#1 – Listener

With practice, listening can be done in such a way that it provides clarity and motivates the client at the same time. The coach pieces together the puzzle of what the client is saying, not saying, and the deeper meaning underlying it all to discover his or her goals and dreams. The roadblocks and fears that interfere with success. The strengths and resources available to support progress.

#2 – Ethical

Being ethical means that the life coach does not influence the goals and intentions of the client to suit any personal benefit. The services of the life coach must be conducted within his or her limits of expertise, values, and comfort.

The coach must avoid any bias regarding to a client’s attributes or beliefs, including personal or cultural identity aspects, that may interfere with providing and objective professional service.

#3 – Empathetic

To have empathy means to put yourself in that person’s shoes. To feel the experience that they have rather than sorrow or pity on the surface. You want to understand where they are coming from. Why they are feeling the way they do.

More importantly, you genuinely want to help and improve their situation. A good life coach employs empathy to understand clients. And build an emotional rapport to enable them to understand their situation and reaction better. As a result, clients are empowered to guide their own solutions.

#4 – Motivating

Being motivated is the single strongest predictor of success. A client who lacks motivation will not try hard to change. A good life coach is skilled to support the knowledge that they share with various motivational techniques.

They align a client’s goals with development of strengths and skills. They celebrate progress. Demonstrate a belief in the great potential of the client. Build their self-confidence. Reinforce the reasons and benefits of positive change. These and other motivational techniques are incredibly successful to stimulate success.

#5 – Inspirational

Life coaches convert their inner inspiration to make a difference to motivate clients to draw on their own inspiration. Different from motivation that is often reason-based, inspiration is feeling-based. By helping clients to imagine or recreate the feeling that someone experienced in the same situation by doing something that brought success, they are inspired to do the same.

Conclusion

Overall, adopting and developing a coaching mindset enables the coach to have constructive and productive conversations with clients, motivate and inspire them to make personal growth a lifelong journey, and increase the impact of change on the client’s life. These skills can all be learned and practiced to improve the ability of a coach to transfer their strengths to others.

Conclusion

Overall, adopting and developing a coaching mindset enables the coach to have constructive and productive conversations with clients, motivate and inspire them to make personal growth a lifelong journey, and increase the impact of change on the client’s life. These skills can all be learned and practiced to improve the ability of a coach to transfer their strengths to others.