Coaching

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While leaders often excel in steering their organizations toward success, they must engage in continuous self-reflection to identify and address their leadership weaknesses.

In this article, Work It DAILY experts from Vistage, renowned for their expertise in executive coaching and leadership development, share invaluable insights on recognizing and addressing leadership weaknesses. Read on to tap into the collective wisdom of these experts, gaining practical tips and actionable strategies to enhance your leadership acumen.

Kirsten Yurich


I have a “3-M” policy when it comes to leadership weaknesses. And it doesn’t involve Post-it notes! The three Ms are mindset, mentoring, and measurement.

Armed with these three Ms, a leader will spot and correct their biggest weaknesses!

The first "M" is mindset. A leader who desires to practice leadership at its highest level must cultivate a mindset of humility. We see humility and vulnerability a lot these days and for good reason. The leader who understands they are not perfect may lack key skills and knowledge in certain situations, or is just downright fallible... Is a leader people are willing to follow. This leader will receive honest feedback from those around them. And will engender positive and authentic relationships with key team members.

The second "M" is mentoring. Any person who wants to become a leader or a better leader needs to spend time with people who are further down the path than they are. This could be mentoring or coaching or even a peer group. Placing yourself in a position to get advice, challenge, encouragement, and perspective will go a long way toward finding and closing those performance gaps.

The third and final "M" is measurement. Measurement takes the form of formal or informal and valid instruments designed to give you objective feedback about your skills, preferences, impact, and performance. In this realm, we have to be very careful consumers. There are tools out there that have excellent face validity and no substance. However, I firmly believe that if we want to change something we have to measure it.

Armed with the "3-M" strategy, any leader can improve!

Kirsten Yurich is a former CEO and current Vistage Chair. As a clinician, professor, author, and executive, she leverages this unique blend and creates learning environments for executives to become better leaders, spouses, and parents.

Mark Fackler


Leader talks about workplace relationships during a work meeting

Identifying weaknesses in yourself, as a CEO, is critically important for growing your company. You are the bottleneck. Since your weaknesses affect the entire company, dealing with them, however hard, is a great return on investment.

Depending on your level of self-awareness, identifying some of your weaknesses can be easy, but even the most self-aware individuals need to look to others for help.

But as a CEO, getting honest feedback is problematic. People defer to you. Talking truth to power is difficult. Employees often withhold the feedback that is the most important for you to hear.

Creating the right culture will make getting feedback on weaknesses easier. You need to create a culture where feedback is the norm and not just positive feedback. You need to model for your staff the right way to provide feedback, both positive and negative. Feedback should be specific and timely, and most importantly, negative feedback should be non-judgmental.

There is a saying, “Praise in public, criticize in private.” I strongly disagree. If you create a culture where feedback to help someone is only done in private, you are missing out on group learning. Failure should be celebrated. Failure talked about publicly will lead to the identification of weaknesses. You can’t fix a weakness until it is identified.

Another great source for feedback is a peer group, a peer group without competitors and vendor relationships. When I joined such a group, a Vistage CEO group, it took just a few months for my fellow CEOs to see one of my weaknesses. They saw me avoiding a tough conversation that I needed to have with a key executive. When month after month they offered advice that I did not take, they realized it was not a lack of knowledge, but a weakness that I needed to confront. Because they were my peers, there was no deferential treatment. There was no judgment, just a desire to help me.

Find your weaknesses. Fix your weaknesses. Don’t just count on self-discovery. Create a company culture where non-judgmental feedback is the norm. Join a peer group. Be relentless. Never stop improving.

Mark Fackler is a retired CEO and currently leads the Vistage CEO group that he was a member of from 1991 to 2002. He is passionate about creating great ROI for his member CEOs.

Mike Thorne


Leader talks to his team members during a work meeting

There are three critical areas for CEOs to pay attention to spot leadership “weaknesses.”

The first is “unstructured” self-reflection/assessment. Find some quiet time and think about the things that are always on your mind that you avoid dealing with.

The second is structured. Seek either executive coaching or even behavior therapy. We often need a sounding board to work through whatever we are going through.

The third, and last, is to look at metrics for insights. Employee turnover, morale, general team dynamics. Look for patterns of issues that crop up and dig into why. Deal with them before they become crises.

Mike Thorne is a former CEO and current Vistage Chair. He leads and facilitates a group of trusted advisor entrepreneurs and a CEO peer group in New Hampshire and Maine.

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How CEOs Can Spot Their Biggest Leadership …

My Job As A Sports Coach



For me, coaching is a passion. I've been an athletic coach for 18 years. My job description is to teach basketball and baseball, schedule, write game plans, attend clinics, hold camps, and general duties.

To have success according to my contract, I have to get my teams to win games. When people criticize coaches saying that we only care about winning, they need to understand that we have to win in order to keep our contract. If we don't win, our administration and our fans want us fired.

I rate my job satisfaction as a coach at 9. I have to deduct a point from a full 10 because of the outside pressure, which comes mostly from parents. Years back, I allowed myself to be concerned with their noise. Now I know every day that I walk into the gym or onto the field and impact my players, in a way, that doesn't matter to their parents. I know that I put my team together in the best way possible to win games. I know that I improved every athlete in some way.

What I can do with these kids is awesome. I teach them plays and fundamentals but I use athletic discipline to instill life lessons in them. First I teach kids to love the sport, and then I take kids who are below-average students and require them to better themselves academically to play the sport. When they want to quit, I ask them for more. I challenge them to work as a team with people they don't like in the hall at school. I require them to think smartly in an intense situation.

I do enjoy working with more mature teams, to an extent. The challenges are that bad habits have already been formed and I have to coach to win. I spend a tremendous amount of time with my line-up so that everyone who works hard gets to play, regardless of skill. It's important to me that I reward every athlete with decent game time.

Middle school teams give me the opportunity to work on solid skills and good habits. I can teach more and I have leeway to make certain that I develop every athlete by giving them game time. The pressure to win is not as intense as at the high school level.

When I entered into coaching as a volunteer in a recreation center for at-risk kids, I became hooked. I'm glad that I started the way I did. I see the big picture of what I can actually do for kids other than teach them to hit a ball. I still volunteer with young kids who eventually play for me on a school team. Sometimes I have to buy their shoes or pay for their fees. I always have to tutor them, but as I do so I see the high school diploma that they might not have gotten otherwise.

When I first became a paid coach, I was miserable. I had parents screaming at me. For a while, I tried to keep everyone happy. I wasn't having the impact on my kids that I wanted. I eventually got to the place that I am now. I know that I am here for these kids and no one else.

Without a doubt, parental interference is the most frustrating thing about coaching. Parents believe their kid is the star. I'm fortunate to coach team sports so that I can hide weaker players and get every kid in the game for a decent amount of time. It helps the athlete keep working and it keeps the parent quiet.

To me, coaching is not particularly stressful. There are definitely some intense moments, 11 seconds on the clock and we are two down, but it's not real stress when you look at the big scheme of life. Job stress in coaching comes from outside the gym.

The money is a supplemental income unless you make it to a college or professional team. I make around $2,000 for a six-week season in middle school, and $5,000 for a three-month season in high school. I only coach in small schools. Bigger suburban schools certainly pay more. I open the gym in the off-season two times a week and run two camps a year. Other than season play, my time off is up to me.

A degree in teaching or coaching is a standard requirement to coach at a school. I don't have that, but I do have the ability to put a group of athletes who are very diverse in skill, talent, and attitude together and eventually win games and titles. I would like to become a coach in a juvenile detention center or somewhere like that. I want to bring kids back to the world and I think I can.

I'm not getting rich in this job, but I am certainly enriched because of it.

This is a true story told by LatPro.com, the worldwide leader in providing online employment resources for Hispanic and bilingual professionals since 1997. With 95 of the Fortune 100 companies using its service, LatPro is the largest diversity employment site in the U.S. and the most complete personal career advancement service for Latino and bilingual professionals. Visit to find careers in your field specifically tailored for Hispanic and bilingual professionals like yourself.

Job sports coach image from Bigstock

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My Job As A Sports Coach

Coaching For Growth: Lessons Learned On The Path To Self-Transformation



Understanding one's stage of self-awareness development as an executive coach who facilitates leaders to practice conscious leadership is crucial. My own developmental journey emphasized the need to pay attention to how my beliefs and assumptions enabled my effectiveness in varied contexts and interactions.

I realized the importance of aligning my developmental stage with my role and goals. As a learning practitioner, it was clear to me that unless I became able to make sense of my own way of being and acting at a level essential for enabling others to transform, I would not be acting with a high degree of integrity. Nor would I be effective.

What provoked the realization that I was stuck in a level of mindset that was not going to serve me was my encounter with one of the leaders of consultancy that I was seeking to join.

My Pivotal Moment


Soft skills, growth, development concept

During an interview, the company director asked me, "What are your strengths?" Proudly, I responded, "According to my StrengthsFinder, my strengths are Activator, Communication, Connectedness, Woo, and Positivity." I believed I was showcasing my expertise. However, my ego took a hit when the director responded, "I don't want you to define yourself by an instrument. I want to know your essence, who you are."

My Transformation Journey


Growth, development, self-transformation concept

Despite the rocky start, I was hired. At the beginning of our professional relationship, the director played the bad cop, challenging my tendency to act as the subject matter expert. He aimed to unveil my authentic self, and this feedback served as a wake-up call for me to reflect on who I truly was.

At this point, I needed a framework that I could understand that would help me find my way to what many call a “later stage of meaning-making.” Enter Robert Kegan's five stages of adult development, a framework that, despite my conceptual understanding, revealed a disparity between my self-assessment and reality. Believing I was at a stage referred to as Self-Authoring Mind focused on what I could create of value according to my own standards, I discovered I was operating from the perspective of Socialized Mind, which draws self-esteem and orientation based on how others would judge me.

I engaged the support of an executive coach, driven by my eagerness to learn, enabling a breakthrough that helped me transition from a Socialized Mind to Self-Authoring Mind. I was able to free myself from always needing to know the answers, to be more comfortable with the ambiguity of not knowing, and to be more collaboratively accepting of others’ perspectives.

Power Of Coaching In My Journey


Coaching, mentoring, guidance concept

This experience highlighted the power of coaching that fosters self-awareness and transformation. I acknowledged that I wouldn't have progressed to higher stages without my coach's guidance. This personal evolution equipped me with the wisdom to help others grow.

Another resource, Jennifer Garvey Berger's book Changing on the Job: Developing Leaders for a Complex World, deepened my understanding of transformation. It guided me on how to assist others in identifying their level of development and fostering corresponding growth.

My journey underscored the importance of self-awareness, coaching, and aligning developmental stages with professional roles. This experience fueled my passion for enabling others to navigate their transformative journeys.

Your Journey


Growth, professional development concept

As you reflect on my journey of self-discovery and professional growth, consider your own path. What stage of development are you in, and where do you feel called to be to lead more effectively? Are you ready to embrace the transformative power of coaching, self-reflection, and continuous learning?

If you're ready to unlock your full potential, take the first step today. Seek a coach, explore relevant literature, and commit to your own evolution. Remember, the journey to self-awareness and authentic leadership is ongoing—embrace it and you will empower yourself to inspire meaningful change in both your professional and personal spheres. Your transformative journey awaits!

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How To Successfully Manage Your Career Goals



When it comes to having career goals, it's important to aim high. But sometimes the challenge we all face in aiming high is putting too much pressure on ourselves and then becoming overwhelmed. Achieving your career goals is all about balance.

The best way to achieve your career goals without putting too much pressure on yourself is to understand that it's very unlikely that you'll achieve your goals overnight. You have to build a career plan, be flexible about it, and work to chip away at the goals that you set.

Here are three ways that you can successfully manage your career goals:

Set Mini Goals


A business woman celebrates a small win after accomplishing a mini goal

Setting mini goals is a way to help accomplish your overall goals, but in a way that is manageable and less overwhelming. For example, say your goal is, "I want to be promoted in a few years." This is a solid and ambitious goal, but for some, it can be difficult to know where to start in making this goal a reality.

This is where mini goals come into play. In order to put yourself in a position to get promoted, you can start with the mini goal of, "I want to do something every month to help grow my career."

Accomplishing this mini goal could include taking a month to focus on courses or certifications that will help you upskill, using another month to put greater emphasis on your networking efforts, and using yet another month to learn a new skill entirely. All these mini goals help make you a more well-rounded employee, and that type of effort adds up over time.

There's no guarantee that you'll get promoted in a few years. There are so many factors at play, but focusing on career growth will at least put you in a position to be considered.

Build Better Career Habits


This is similar to setting mini career goals in the fact that you're taking small steps to achieve a larger benefit. Changing the smallest habits can make a huge difference in your career.

One habit that many job seekers can improve on is how often they update their resumes. A lot of people don't update their resumes until they're applying for a job, but a better habit would be updating your resume every six months.

Updating your resume every six months helps you keep track of things you've done to learn and grow your skills. It's much easier to remember recent events than to try to go back three years ago to assess what you've learned. It can also be motivating, as it can serve as a good reminder of the skill gaps that you still need to fill.

Other career habits to change could include cutting out 20 minutes of daily social media time to focus on your career instead or making it a point to reconnect with one LinkedIn connection a week.

Creating better habits can go a long way toward helping you accomplish your career goals.

Incorporate The 3 Cs Into Your Career Goals


Young professional on laptop takes online courses to help advance her career goals

At Work It Daily, we're big proponents of the 3 Cs because they can help professionals at all levels of their career journey, including those looking for a job, aiming for a promotion, or exploring other ways to grow their careers.

Here's a refresher on the 3 Cs:

Content: There's a lot of great information on the internet, including at Work It Daily, that can help professionals plan their career goals, including video tutorials, online quizzes, blogs, etc.

Coaching: Whether it's an online coaching platform like Work It Daily, or consulting with a trusted colleague or friend who has had career success, take advantage of the knowledge of others.

Community: Whether it's a coaching community, or someone you know also trying to get their career in order, it's always best to not address career challenges alone. In addition, it never hurts to have positive reinforcement.

All of these small steps can make a big difference in helping you accomplish your career goals, and the best part is that it's all manageable. As long as you have these small goals in mind, and stay organized, you can grow your career without feeling overwhelmed.

Need more help with your career?

We'd love it if you signed up for Work It Daily's Event Subscription! Get your career questions answered in our next live event!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

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How To Successfully Manage Your Career Goals

Corrective Coaching: What It Is & How To Do It



Thirty-plus years ago, I was an officer cadet in the Royal Navy. On one occasion, we were lined up on the parade ground and took turns in telling each other off under the supervision of a Royal Marine Drill Instructor.

Confrontation is part of leadership. Most of us are brought up at home to be “nice” and “polite.” We have a problem, as leaders, confronting our staff over poor performance. Nobody wants to be the “bad guy,” so s/he does not know how to handle these discussions. Either s/he gets aggressive, then abuse is exchanged, or s/he avoids confronting the person and the poor performance continues.

Military-style reprimands are not appropriate in civilian life, so what can a civilian leader do?

"Corrective Coaching"


Leader talks to her colleagues during a work meeting

One method is an extension of my “four questions” approach to problem-solving. See “further reading” below for the original article.

The “4 questions” – a recap:

This is my personal twist on the GROW method. GROW is an acronym. This is how the four questions fit into the acronym.

  • “What are you trying to do?” = Goal – This helps your colleague to define what she is trying to achieve. You will probably ask more questions to define the goal in more detail.
  • “What’s stopping you?” = Reality – This builds a bridge between the current reality and achieving the goal. If you want to build a real bridge, you have to know how wide the river is. To solve a problem, you have to understand its size.
  • “What are your options?” = Outcomes – This encourages your colleague to produce as many ideas as possible. Follow-up questions help to assess which are practical.
  • “What is your plan?” = Will – This leads your colleague to make decisions and formulate a concrete plan. These conversations must end with a plan, even if the plan is to do more research.

“PRO-GROW”


Man writes something down while working

How do we adapt the GROW method for "Corrective Coaching"?

We add three stages to the front end. The “PRO” elements set the conversation up.

P = Present: Present your colleague’s poor performance as factually and as unemotionally as possible. Describe actions taken or not taken with dates, times, and other measurable data.

Keep your presentation as unemotional as possible. Your colleague may be feeling defensive. If s/he interprets any language or behavior as emotional or judgmental, s/he will attack.

R = Response: Give your colleague the chance to respond to the issue presented.

Ask your colleague to respond. I would not recommend asking: “What have you got to say for yourself?” This is aggressive, arrogant, and cliched. Try asking: “Would you like to comment?” or “What are your thoughts?” Make your invitation to respond as neutral and non-confrontational as possible.

Now say nothing! Their silence will feel uncomfortable. It will be a lot less comfortable for your colleague. Let the silence do its work. Listen very carefully to what your colleague says and the way s/he says it.

If s/he admits that it is his/her fault, skip the “O” stage shown below. If s/he gets defensive or blames other factors or people, proceed to the next stage.

O = Ownership: Ask a question to get your colleague to take ownership or responsibility for the issue. Here are some examples:

  • How is this going to affect the business/team/company etc.?
  • How do you think your colleagues will feel about this?
  • How would you deal with this situation if you were in my position?

Having asked the question, wait silently for the answer.

When your colleague replies, don’t just consider the words, but also how they are spoken. Does s/he look like s/he means them?

If your colleague continues to be aggressive, then you may need to escalate to higher levels of management.

If s/he does admit responsibility, move on to the following adapted version of the GROW questions.

  • What are you going to do to fix this? = GOAL
  • What’s stopping you from fixing this now? = REALITY
  • What are your options? = OPTIONS
  • What is your plan? = WILL

The first two questions have been slightly adapted to focus on the issue to be solved.

Your colleague may see this as a way to regain your trust and respect. The result should be a plan with a concrete timeline and actions that you can follow up on.

General Principles


Man talks to his colleague at work

Whatever happens, keep control of this conversation. That means:

  1. Your aim is to present the issue and agree on a plan to address it.
  2. You represent your employer or your business. Personal relationships are off the table.
  3. Do not respond to your colleague’s provocations or emotional outbursts. Stay calm and silent.
  4. Control the conversations by asking the questions. Don’t let your colleague lead you astray by answering his/her questions.

The Ball’s In Your Court!


Women talk at work

Confronting people can be quite scary. This is what builds your colleagues’ respect for you as a leader. If you feel like it, contact me in a private message and let me know how you get on!

Further reading...

Here's the original article on the four questions: 4 Steps To Solving Problems


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The Top 6 Skills To Become A Better Leader Coach



If you are a leader who aims to become a human leader, who might feel that your personal mission in life encompasses enabling greatness in others; helping people figure out how they matter, how their teams matter; how they can work together unleashing their potential for the greater good; and making a positive difference, then these might come in handy as you continue to build your leadership skillset—for today and the future.

1. Establish Trust


Group of professionals standing and talking at work

In any human relationship, trust is at the base; it is foundational. In this great period of change, uncertainty, and anxiety that we’ve all felt—how many of us feel exhausted and scared due to all of this? The teams and the people that you’re leading might be feeling deep levels of discomfort, maybe paralysis and even fear. There has never been a more crucial time to establish, deepen, or re-establish trust.

Establishing trust with the whole person, with everything that they are, is especially important. One way to do this is firstly by getting to know them. Take the time to know your people, really know them—what their aspirations, challenges, and career expectations are amongst other key areas.

Display your ability and expertise in supporting them, act with integrity, genuinely care for others, and be dependable. These will get you a long way in building or deepening trustworthiness.

2. Ask Powerful Questions


Leader stands in her office

If you want to learn what other people think, feel, expect, aspire to, etc., you must ask, and asking powerful questions can really provide you (and your coachee/employee/direct report) a lot of value and insight.

The definition of a powerful question is a question that will help the recipient “think, reflect, wonder, gain an insight” amongst other powerful things. Think of it this way: when you ask a powerful question, you are helping the recipient of that question gain perspective.

These types of questions usually start with what, how, when, or who. Depending on the topic at hand, they can really help you create a thought-provoking, high-impact conversation. Try it!

3. Listen Actively


Woman listens to a coworker

Have you ever wondered why we have two ears and one mouth? Some of us think it’s because there is an important proportion of time that the coachee/employee/direct report needs to have to express themselves, instead of us providing them with all the right answers.

Coaching is about “partnering with someone, in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential” (ICF).

One way to listen effectively or actively is to “listen to understand” not to respond. One of the shortcuts that we, as humans, create is what we understand as an ability to be ready to fire the response to someone as soon as they finish speaking. This is not active listening. This is listening to respond, which does not give you the necessary information or clarity. Does this sound familiar to you?

4. Establish Vision


Man talks during a work meeting

​There are many ways to achieve a desired state, yet when you use a “vision” technique for your coachee/subordinate/employee to envision the future (desired) state, you provide them with a unique opportunity to not only decide how to get to that goal, but you’re also promoting the opportunity for him/her to be creative, imaginative, and grow.

This is about focusing on the future, not on the past—yet taking advantage of lessons learned and capitalizing on both.

5. Set SMART Goals


Woman gives a presentation at work

Focusing merely on setting up a strategy and expecting everyone to understand what they needed to do to achieve it is no longer the right approach. Productivity is no longer the result of repetitive, routine actions—so passee, especially in the light of a post-pandemic environment. We need everyone in our teams, in our organization to be able to bring their whole selves and unleash their full potential.

We’re so in a VUCA world and for our organizations to succeed, we need our people’s imaginations, we need them to bring their whole best selves to work. Whatever they might be feeling and living outside of work, which is now also part of work. Leaders, therefore, must show up as human beings.

Employees expect empathy, vulnerability, and authenticity from their leaders in addition to clarity. When coaching, approaching goal setting using the SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound) approach, makes it easier for everyone involved.

6. Establish Accountability


Man talks to a coworker in the office

Currently, with so many challenges and uncertainty, it is not infrequent for employees to feel unclear on what the right priorities to pursue are. When you coach, making sure that there is clarity on who’s accountable for what and by when, becomes critical.

If accountability (and goals) are not proved in coaching conversations, they could simply become nice conversations. There is no growth, no actions, no path forward.

Avoid confusion and increase meaning and impact through insightful, thought-provoking coaching conversations. Good luck!

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The Most Important Coaching Question You Must Ask



It started well. James was delighted with the approval of his "ask" to work with a leadership coach. The coach he selected had a great background, including key executive roles with top-tier companies. James was on track to be promoted and was also on a high-potential list for a senior-level position. James had recently received comments about giving more attention to listening before giving his opinions. He knew he could work on that. But in his mind, others knowing James was working with a coach would signal to everyone that he was on his way up and increase his visibility in the company.

A few weeks into working together, and far from gratifying James’ ego, the coach kept asking James to see things from different perspectives and committing time to hold conversations with his coworkers about what he could do to become a better peer and leader. James told his coach how busy he was, and besides, he wasn't paid to make friends but to make good decisions quickly. A month later, James was shocked when his coach said "full stop" because they had made no progress on the work that brought them together a couple of months before. Worse, James knew others would ask about what happened and why. Working with a coach could have been a powerful way for James to boost his executive career opportunities. But if coaching could be his answer, what question should James have asked?

Coachability


Leadership coach fist bumps his client

The first and most important question to ask yourself is, "Am I coachable?" No matter how much you want to achieve something. No matter how experienced and talented the coach you hire, the situation will become frustrating and disappoint everyone if you are not coachable. Working with someone who is not coachable is the number one reason coaching engagements fail, as was the case with James. Coaches also know it is the number one reason to decline accepting someone as a client.

Looking Into The Mirror That Is You


Leadership coach gives his client a thumbs up

You are the expert on yourself, not the coach. To get the maximum benefits from coaching, you have to invest time before working with a coach to know how you will show up and follow through on what you say you will do. Whether you're looking at career coaching, life coaching, executive coaching, or any other coaching engagement, keep the phrase COACH in mind. It will guide you to the things you need to pay the most attention to before beginning a partnership with a coach.

"The most important relationship in your life is the relationship you have with yourself. Because no matter what happens, you will always be with yourself" –Diane von Furstenberg

Candor. You have to be honest with yourself before being honest with anyone else. Spending hours and hours in deep soul-searching is unnecessary, nor crafting perfect answers. But getting clear on what motivates you and what gets in your way will help you know how successful you can be with a coach. Consider some or all of these questions: What do you want to focus on with a coach? Why does it matter enough for you to commit to bringing about a change? How does it matter to others who may be family, friends, coworkers, or people you've not met yet? What could cause you to become un-coachable or disrupt your efforts? Remember, honesty with yourself leads to being open with your coach.

Openness. Results through coaching depend on having mutual trust. You are not obligated to tell a coach everything on your mind. Still, you must share enough information to make a successful coaching partnership possible. A coach will listen, asks questions, and, with your consent, may provide observations and occasional insights from their own experiences when and if it could be helpful. Together, you and your coach will create and maintain a "space" where open conversations occur. Some questions to ask yourself to see if you are ready to be open include: Do you listen fully to questions before forming your response? Have you changed your mind on anything important to you because you looked at it from a different point of view?

Action. Though many of your conversations with your coach will be enjoyable and inspiring, results do not happen just because of those conversations. No tangible progress will occur until you have goals or steps supported by intentional actions outside of the coaching sessions. The coach can help you put a plan together and offer new ideas and resources, but the coach will not give you answers or do the work for you. Going back to your mirror, when you've set goals and achieved them in the past, what did you need to have in place for success to happen? What will you share with your coach about this that would help them help you? Are metrics you track yourself, having an accountability partner, or both, the best way for you to track progress on your actions? Being clear about what it takes for you to build momentum and sustain it is a valuable insight for you and your coach to work from to convert your plans to actions.

"All progress takes place outside the comfort zone" –Michael John Bobak

Commitment. Picturing the future is fun, but it takes more than initial excitement and a plan to get there. And this is especially true if what you want is outside your comfort zone. If you have ever pushed beyond your comfort zone before, you know how unsettling it can be. All manner of doubts, distractions, and temptations appear. Turning around and going back to what is comfortable is the easy thing to do. What gets you through this will be your commitments, where your candor meets your actions. Sustain those actions, and together, you and your coach will get you to those better outcomes you've said were important to you and the people around you. To create firm commitments, get curious about what could slow you down or stop you. Think of a time when things did not come easily to you. What sustained you to keep going and not settle for what was easy? If you became distracted or began to doubt yourself, what would it take to get back on track? When will the resources (time, money, energy) you're investing to reach your goals start signaling you to stop? Give yourself the gift of awareness here and share it with your coach.

Humility. People are captivated by the "aha moments" in coaching where someone visibly lights up because of unexpected insights, inspirations, or realizations. It is almost magical. The coach asks a powerful question, there is a pause, and then suddenly everything shifts. Here's the thing: the power is not in the question; it is in that moment when your humility steps forward. Humility is not about meekness or submission. Quite the opposite. It is having the courage to let go of what is holding you back. Humility is a gateway you have to pass through to get to the best things that coaching will bring out in you. Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself to see if you're ready to engage with humility: How do you react when another person suggests you may have been wrong, made a mistake, or could have done something in a better way? Does it matter whether that person is a peer, a boss, or reports to you? When was the last time you asked for help because you didn't know what to do?

COACH-able. You will know you've chosen something powerful for coaching when you feel the weight of the Candor, Openness, Action, Commitment, and Humility you will have to carry and still see it all as being worth taking along on your journey. When your coach asks you questions to gauge your coachability, don't be surprised. Instead, surprise them with how well you've prepared yourself for your work together.

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