Unleashing Your Remarkable Potential
Issue 7.10 - March 8, 2009 ISSN: 15516571

In Kevin's Own Words

Five Powers of Coaching

Spiderman, Wonder Woman and Superman all had super powers; they had special skills that allowed them to be super heroes.

They had great powers given to them at birth that made them special. Generally speaking, they didn't have to develop those powers, they just had them. We too were born with tremendous skills, but unlike like our comic book and big screen heroes, we have to work to understand and develop those powers.

Because they are fictional characters, it might seem easier for them. We on the other hand can't become "Super", "Outstanding" or even "Remarkable" in any phase of our lives, as speakers, teachers, parents, singers, ballplayers, < insert anything you want >, or leaders without help or coaching.

Our "Super Powers" can only develop with help; to reach our potential we can't do it ourselves. Here are five powers coaching gives you to help you unleash your own potential and become the best you can be. You might even say they could be your super powers.

The Power of Focus. Having a coach can help you stay focused. Great coaches will help you determine your goals (or understand them if they already exist), and then help you stay focused on achieving those goals, regardless if they are results goals or developmental goals. Focus is critical to top performance, having a coach is perhaps the best way to increase this power.

The Power of Perspective. The best performers in any field want to know both their strengths and weaknesses, and they know that they don't see what others see. Most people don't accurately see their strengths, or their weaknesses, and a coach can offer that perspective, help you keep those insights in mind, and help you use those perspectives to create greater results.

The Power of Feedback. Beyond knowing your strengths and weaknesses, you need to know how you are doing. Are you getting better? By how much? Is the improvement fast enough? What are you missing? These, and a hundred other questions, can be answered with the help of a coach. Coaches are in a position to give you feedback, and great coaches give that feedback timely, wisely and skillfully to help you get the most from your experiences.

The Power of Accountability. If you are serious about your performance and improving, you must hold yourself accountable for your actions, thoughts, habits, choices and results. While some are more capable of this than others, when you have a partner who cares about you and wants you to succeed, they can help hold you accountable. This is one of the biggest powers a coach offers you.

The Power of Synergy. Have you noticed that a team can achieve more than an individual? Do you believe in synergy? Far too often people think about their own performance and learning as a self-help project - they want to take full responsibility for their improvement. While it is true that in the end, you must take the actions and do the work of learning and improving your performance, having someone "on your team" will make a big difference. The best coaches hold you responsible, but are "on your team" and help you move forward faster through the power of synergy.

Your question at this point might be, "must this be a 'formal' coaching relationship or can it be informal?" The answer is two-fold and important.

First, there are a variety of types of coaching and coaches, both formal and informal, that can give you these powers and help you. And, if you are truly serious about reaching your potential, you must find formal coaching relationships with people who can help you reach for your very best.

As a final thought, while this article has focused on the power you get from being coached, recognize that when you act as a coach, mentor or advisor to others, you not only help them develop, but gain some of these benefits for yourself as well. 

Potential Pointer: The top performers in any endeavor have coaches to help them maintain their performance and continue to improve. The very best both receive coaching and gain even more by coaching others as well.

Remarkable leaders realize the power of coaching - both for themselves and those they lead. To get a deeper understanding of the power of coaching - and to learn from world class coaches from a variety of disciplines - join us for the next episode of RemarkableTV: Coach and Be Coached. It's fr/ee and tips off at 11am ET on March 16. You can learn more and register now!

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Kevin's Recommends

Rules of Thumb: 52 Truths for Winning at Business without Losing Your Self
By Alan M. Webber

Among other things, Alan Weber has served as Editor of the Harvard Business Review and is the co-founder of Fast Company magazine. In this book he has taken his experiences from these roles and others (which admittedly have given him access to interesting situations and people), tied them together with his writing skills and created an easy-to-read collection of Rules of Thumb.

Early on he talks about a habit of collecting truths and ideas on 3x5 cards. He took the best of the ideas and insights on those cards and created this book. What it leads to is 52 somewhat random ideas, lessons and, yes, rules of thumb.

Some people love this type of book because each chapter varies, and it moves quickly. It provides bite-sized pieces that can be read in very short periods of time, whenever desired. However, if you prefer or are looking for a treatise on any of these topics, this style and this book won't be as effective for you.

Overall, I liked the book (or I wouldn't be recommending it to you, would I?). I found the value of the ideas varied - some were excellent (sorry there are no examples as I am writing this while traveling without the book), others less so, at least for me. Many of the examples and lessons are especially important and relevant if you are interested in starting up a business or are an entrepreneur - but there are MANY that are far broader in their application.

This is a book where you will find nuggets that will teach you, or remind you of, very important lessons to create the business and life you want to have.

Learn More and Purchase | Comments

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