How to Become an Influential Coach and Inspire Others to Greatness
Is there an influential coach you greatly admire and aspire to be like? What is it about her that makes you want to be like her? When you look closely, you’ll find it’s not because she’s charismatic and mesmerizes you. Or that she “leads” by bullying or intimidating. A good leader influences others by example, bringing the best out in those around her because she walks the talk.
What are some characteristics of an influential coach? She can:
- Restore calm out of chaos.
- Express her emotions instead of squelching them.
- Have deeply meaningful conversations, not confrontations.
- Diffuse tricky situations.
- Remain calm during negotiation sessions.
- Listen without becoming defensive when criticized.
- Find a nugget of wisdom in the criticism.
- Stay positive and resilient when faced with setbacks.
- Inspire respect and loyalty.
How do they do it?
When you understand how influential coaches inspire and bring out the best in others, you can model the same behavior as you step into a leadership role. It’s important to note that at the heart of success is Emotional Intelligence. Most likely you’ve heard of this before. Daniel Goleman, who coined the phrase Emotional Intelligence, defines it in this way:
“Emotional Intelligence is the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.”
It’s been noted that Emotional Intelligence (EI) is twice as valuable as IQ in the business world since the emotional health of a working team directly impacts productivity, motivation, engagement, and loyalty. This is good news, because Emotional Intelligence can be nurtured and, like a muscle, strengthened with use.
The foundation of EI is strong self-awareness, which comes from a practice of mindfulness. When you develop a sense of certainty about your own abilities because you’ve explored your strengths and limitations, you’ll become more confident, which is a hallmark of leadership.
Self-awareness, in turn, makes self-management possible, which creates the ability to stay calm under pressure. Learning to control your emotions and finding positive ways to express them will give you flexibility and adaptability.
Not only are leaders able to control themselves, but they understand how others think and feel. By using that knowledge to build rapport and trust, they’re demonstrating empathy. When you know what makes other people tick, you can bring out the best in them – more than they ever thought possible.
However, it’s not enough just to know how someone feels. The influential coach has developed good communication skills, which include the ability to listen intently. Only when you learn to truly hear people will you develop insight, which helps you create the most innovative solutions possible. You create a team environment that fosters a synergy where, as a group, you accomplish more spectacular things than you ever could as individuals.
We’ve only scratched the surface of how you can become a more influential coach. I’ve compiled the processes and systems into a workbook. Within it, you’ll find the tools and baby steps I continue to use to grow personally and professionally. Some may seem insignificant; some create remarkable breakthroughs. Combined, they form a road map for Stepping Forward into a life of meaning and fulfillment. Feel free to download an Introduction to The Stepping Forward Program. My clients and I are using my new Stepping Forward Workbook in our private coaching sessions, and they love it!
Thank you for the photo jay carpio
