Being a coach or manager is never easy, people look up to you for direction and when something doesn’t go right, you get the blame. If a team is underperforming, the coach is usually the first person who suffers and sometimes loses their job. As a manager or coach, you must have certain skills to succeed. In this article, we will discuss 5 of the most important ones and how to work on them.
- Listening Skills – Many coaches believe they are good listeners but are surprised to find out that they are not. The only way to know whether you are a good listener is to work with an experienced coaching supervisor. They will be able to assess your performance in certain situations and provide constructive criticism to improve your skillset.
- Autonomy – Instead of telling your employees or students what to do, let them be more independent and work on their own. People respond better to requests when they are asked to do something rather than being told to do a task. When it comes to individual team members, ask them about goals and let them work alone as opposed to be authoritarian.
- Be Inspiring – As a coach, you are in a unique position to mould employees or students in a way that helps them to progress. You must be careful with your words and not come across as judgmental. Focus on using open questions that leave room for trust and a sense of support. You must be inspirational in your approach and not hypercritical.
- Encourage Development – One aspect where many coaches fall short is their willingness to be held accountable and follow up on goals and objectives. There is no point in handing out goals if you are not willing to follow them up and see if others have seen them through.
- Priorities – A coach must focus on priorities when assigning tasks and working with students or employees. The most important thing is the person, not the task. If a coach concentrates on the result rather than the individual, they are doing things wrong. After all, it is individual development you are trying to achieve.
There are many skills needed to be a good coach and this article has listed a sample of the main characteristics. The sign of a good coach is not just a successful team but a productive team that gets the job done in the right manner.
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