A coaching mindset plays a significant role in establishing and building trust in our relationships and this is a key success factor in our professional and personal lives.
Coaching Mindset As A Lifestyle
“Do you wear your coaching hat at all times?” I was asked that interesting question not long ago.
That got me thinking and upon reflection, I realised that I tend to adopt a coaching mindset whenever possible. That’s right, I do so even in my everyday life and in non-coaching conversations.
“Don’t you ever switch off as a coach?” That’s another interesting question.
A coaching mindset means being present, establishing trust, listening attentively, asking thought provoking questions etc. Personally, I find this set of skills as vital human skills that are important in our daily lives.
So tell me, why would I want to switch off my coaching mindset when that helps me become a better person who in turn can better help others?
Allow me to recap what coaching is from my previous blog post- What Is Professional Coaching? (https://www.kaceconsultants.com/post/i-am-an-executive-and-leadership-coach)
According to the International Coaching Federation, the leading global organisation for coaches and coaching, coaching is defined as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential. Coaching is client-driven and focuses on setting goals, creating outcomes, managing personal change.
Personally for me, coaching is about the coach establishing trust with the coachee and partnering the coachee in a self-discovery journey by asking relevant questions that enable the coachee to ‘see’ things from different perspectives and thereafter generate suitable actions and solutions.
As an executive and leadership coach, I am not only a big advocate of the coaching mindset but also coaching as a lifestyle. In my humble opinion, it’s a beautiful art that is life-changing for both the coach and the coachee!
What I absolutely love about coaching is its ability to play a significant role in establishing and building trust in our relationships and this is a key success factor in our professional and personal lives.
Ask yourself these questions:-
How will your relationships be when there’s higher level of trust?
What will you be able to achieve when this change occurs?
Trust is undoubtedly the foundation for productive relationships in our professional and personal lives, and it’s not something that can be achieved overnight. It takes conscious effort and time to establish and strengthen trust.
Coaching Mindset Tips For Leaders
How do leaders leverage on the coaching mindset to build trust in their organisations?
Tip #1: Establish a new mindset for your team that supports change
People fear failure and hence will resist change. Also, when things go wrong, there is a tendency for people to conveniently play the blame game. Leaders can help build trust by being honest when speaking about how change can be embraced, model behaviours that support the change and use coaching to shift individual team member’s mindset to improve creativity and potential. Through this supportive process, the team will feel more secure and confident in embracing and moving through the change.
Tip #2: Ask thought provoking questions by being curious
Thought provoking questions are meant to invoke reflection and deep thoughts in the team. By staying curious and asking thought provoking questions, leaders will help shift individual team member’s mindset so that they can better engage and work with one another. Then, by carefully listening to their responses, leaders will more deeply connect with the team. This leads to trust, which is at the core of strong lasting relationships.
Tip #3: Listen attentively and with empathy, and be supportive of your team
Trust is built when your team members know you are supportive of them and have their back. How you respond throughout the course of the project especially during high-pressure times and how you demonstrate your coaching mindset with your team is the catalyst for building trust. Leaders need to be empathetic towards the team and respond with empathy as this is key to gaining trust and reducing resistance to change.
Conclusion
Leaders might initially find it difficult to integrate the 3 tips above. The leaders could be hesitant or the team could be sceptical of the leaders’ approach. Whatever the case may be, leaders need to be persistent and persevere. It is certainly worthwhile as once trust is established and strengthened, leaders will be able to support diverse stakeholders and promote shared goals and values.
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