Developing Your Coaching skills

Today’s leaders are starting to recognise the importance of coaching in the growth and performance of their organisations. Having this in mind, they hire coaches and integrate coaching principles into their respective workplaces.

But problems arise when the coaches hired are ineffective because of the lack of formal coaching skills. Without them, investing in such a coach would be a waste of a company’s time and resources. Its progress, as well as that of its workforce, would most likely get stuck in a rut.

How about you as a coach? Have you ever felt like you’re going nowhere with your efforts in your profession?

Do you know that it only takes three important coaching skills for you to gain a positive development in your coaching career? Focus on learning, developing, and polishing the following skills and success will surely be within your reach. Your career will reach greater heights as you satisfy your clients with your effective coaching.

1. Analytical skills. Having this skill will give you the ability to think logically, to break things down, and to recognise cause and effect. Developing this can help you and your client investigate a problem and find a solution in a timely and efficient manner.

People who have developed these skills exhibit:

– creativity
– critical thinking
– good observation skills
– the ability to analyse data
– competence in research

2. Intrapersonal Skills are internal skills that are perceptions and attitudes that occur within a person’s mind. Having this skill will allow you to work through real life situations and to respond using awareness, insight and intentional strategy in order to gain positive outcomes.

Examples of intra-personal skills include such things as self-esteem, open mindedness, being aware of your own thinking, the ability to learn, being able to understand and manage your own emotions, self-confidence, self-discipline, self-motivation, being able to overcome boredom, being patient, being a self starter, being able to take initiative, working independently, being persistent, having a positive attitude, and being a good manager of time, to name but a few (Rostrata Technology Resources).

Intrapersonal skills are a must in coaching. Coaches who possess these skills are well aware of and are sensitive to their clients’ needs and emotions. They are also conscious of their clients’ need for these kind of skills and they work intentionally to help their clients achieve them too.

3.) Interpersonal Skills are skills that a person needs to interact with others properly. This is a cluster of personality traits, social graces, communication, language, personal habits, friendliness, and optimism that characterise our relationships with other people. It is often related to a person’s “EQ” (Emotional Intelligence Quotient).

People who have honed these skills exhibit:

– Self-Confidence
– Positive attitude
– Good communication skills
– Resilience
– Flexibility
– The ability to give and receive constructive feedback
– Effective stress management
– Positive work attitude

Having good interpersonal skills helps a coach to relate better with their clients’ needs and to empathise more deeply with their feelings – resulting in a stable and strong client-coach relationship.

In a nutshell, if you want to be an effective coach, focus on developing the skills mentioned above and resolve to apply them not only when you are coaching others, but also in your daily life. This way, you will live out what you coach about.

To learn more about coaching and how to become a professional coach, visit our website and download our free Course Brochure.