The Power of Coaching

As some of you may know, prior to entering the corporate world, I was a professional soccer player. I grew up playing the sport and continued playing up until I began my career in the wireless industry. There are many valuable lessons I learned as an athlete that still resonate within my daily life. Perhaps the most important thing I carry with me is the value and power of coaching. 

Needless to say, I’ve had my share of coaches - in my youth, in college and in the pros. Some were tough, some even relentless, and over time some became my friends, but regardless of style, they all worked with me to accelerate my success and I was able to learn something from all of them.

 Coaching is something we can all benefit from, whether you are coaching or being coached, at almost any time in our lives. As kids, most of us had coaches for a variety of sports, music or theater and even for academics. We relied on them to teach us, guide us and help us reach our goals.

However, as we move through life, the stakes get higher. It’s no longer about winning a little league game or acing a test. We have demanding jobs and we are balancing work and home lives in a fast-paced world surrounded by lots of people who depend on us every day to get the job done. Ironically, at a time when we need coaching most, we tend to gravitate away from it. 

I am writing this article because I recently saw the below graphic on my LinkedIn feed and it got me thinking about coaching- specifically how people thrive when they have good coaches. 

Sachin Tendulkar is considered by many to be the greatest cricket player of all time. As he rose through the ranks, he continued to be coached as he worked on perfecting his game. In fact, Tendulkar recently paid tribute to his childhood coach, noting that his coach “made him a better version of himself and he could not have done all this without him.” 

At a time when Tendulkar could have easily adapted the “I’m good enough already” mindset: however, he knew that even he wouldn’t shine as bright without being coached and guided in the same way he had been his whole life. 

So knowing that coaching is such a powerful tool, why is it that in the corporate world we often stop taking the time to coach and be coached? Just as an athletics coach helps to prepare an athlete or team for competition, in business, a coach should be a part of the strategic arsenal- no matter what our level or career aspirations may be. 

Coaching at its core is a great development tool. In my opinion, a good coach provides a neutral, unbiased perspective and serves as a confidant and ally to inspire, motivate and challenge us so we are always learning and growing. A business coach does all of the things highlighted in the above graphic and more. They are a sounding board focused on helping us discover and leverage our unique strengths and abilities to maximize our performance. 

I encourage that we all open ourselves up to both coaching and being coached. We can all find coaches among our managers, peers and colleagues outside of our teams and the company. You’ll find that coaching is a partnership built on trust and the key is the willingness and openness to be a coach and be coached in return. 

If you don’t already have a coach, you owe it to yourself to actively find one and if you aren’t already coaching someone, make it a goal to do so! We all have unique experiences and ways of looking at things that can be helpful to others. Don’t shy away from using praise and recognition either- simple words of encouragement and appreciation can make a big difference and are great motivators. 

Remember, you can help bring out your inner coach by referring back to the simple illustration above and consistently incorporating these traits and characteristics into how we interact with our colleagues. 

Glenn