Are You Coachable?

I just love to be in coaching engagements with those who are truly and openly willing to be coached.?They show signs of coachability that makes the coaching very effective for them, and for me as a result.

I was coaching two people the other day, who showed signs of active engagement and willingness to reflect and improve.?They came out of these sessions with higher self-awareness and with actionable steps of development. I came out of these sessions full of energy and even more passionate about what I do.

Coachability is key for a coaching engagement to be successful. It is our responsibility as coaches to check, validate, and nurture it with our clients. It is also a responsibility of the client to ensure before investing time and money in a coaching program.

Here is a list of areas that you can use to check your own coachability.

01| Genuinely Vulnerable

Coachable clients show genuine signs of vulnerability that simply reflect their humanity and their willingness to show and express their weaknesses.?Their egos are contained, or at least regulated, in a way that doesn’t block them from talking about their dark sides.

At times, those who show genuine vulnerability also show aspects of low self-esteem.?This is usually caused by the fact that they might become more self-critical than needed.?I usually draw my client’s attention to this point, and make sure he or she sees the vulnerabilities as changeable traits and behaviors, and not as a rigid part of who they are.?I encourage them to embrace these vulnerabilities, and turn into action if they happen to become blockers of their development.

02 | Willing to Act

Coachable clients are usually willing to discuss what they can do about something and how.?They might spend time ruminating on the situations at hand, but they are also willing to talk about action as well.?Not only that, but they are also willing to walk the talk.

When we agree that there is a pain point, and brainstorm together about ideas to overcome them as actions, I see them putting energy and time in doing so.?The next time I meet them, I see that they have done something and they usually come ready with results.?If they face challenges along the way, they are ready to share that and discuss what they can do about it.?They simply don’t hang on excuses, and usually do not easily give up.

03 | Seeking Feedback

It is rarely my effort or drive to get coachable clients seek feedback from others.?On the contrary, they usually are the ones who are eager to ask for the opinion of others about their strengths, weaknesses, behaviors, and performance.?They are the ones who don’t hesitate to ask for feedback from a nemesis.?They actually seek that more than the feedback from their friends and alliances.

Not only that, but when they receive their feedback reports or responses, they don’t reject them at first sight.?They have the energy and skill to read them with a curious and critical mind.?They try to learn from the feedback received, and they are willing to seek evidence and clarification when needed.

04 | Ready For Self-Reflection

Self-reflection is not an easy thing.?It requires time and a bit of muscle-building to attain it to a beneficial point.?Coachable clients might not have good self-reflection skillset in the beginning, but they get it and learn it fairly quickly.

They are willing to pause and give themselves time to reflect, which is the first and essential skill for good self-reflection.?They are willing to ask themselves the hard questions, and yet are willing to keep an open mind when answering them.?They don’t hesitate to pull past files and incidents, not to debate them or proof their point-of-view, but to dissect them for where they could have done better and what they can learn about them.?

05 | Committing To Development

Coaching is all about development.?Yes, we might need coaching for raising our self-awareness, but that is not the ultimate target.?We raise awareness of ourselves and give time and space for coaching in order for us to grow and develop.. to become better versions of ourselves, if that resonates well with you.?Now, development in and for itself is a process that needs commitment.?Without commitment, you might find yourself circling around the same points and situations and making the same mistakes.

Coachable clients are willing to commit to their development.?They might need a nudge from the coach as an accountability-partner, but they are also self-accountable to a large degree.?If they fail, they will admit it and bring themselves back.?You won’t find them digging for excuses of not developing.?To the contrary, you will find them retrying and looking for alternative paths of action.