Does your coach need to be an expert?
The coach must build hope and optimism
The role of a coach is often looked at purely from the lens of skills and performance. The real value of the coach as a human being is equally important when it comes to success of the person being coached - the coachee.
Does your coach need to be an expert?
Not at all. Here is what is the advise given to the coach. “The client is the one who is behind the driver’s wheel; they are in complete control of when they want to move forward, when they want to turn, stop or change direction. You as the coach, you are in the passenger seat. And although you may have a map or GPS device that helps to navigate, ultimately it is up to that client to be the expert, to be the expert in their own life to drive that vehicle.”
If the coach is an expert in the same area you wish to get stronger in, you start walking on the same path as the coach did. Organizations make this mistake ever so often when they get someone who has “been there, done that” as the coach.
How can the coach get out of the trap?
The coach needs to go beyond the skills and credentials conversation. See the sketchnote below.
In my role as a coach to individuals, (especially as they go through transitions in their career), building hope and optimism helps the coachee to move from one phase of their career to another.
