Close your eyes

Ask yourself to picture the word “Coach”

What are some of the images that come to your mind ?

Someone…. “grey haired” “knows all,full of wisdom” “motherly figure” “years of experience” “pointing to the north star”

Is it necessarily true that the best coaches are folks who have accomplished a lot, have had very long illustrious careers ,have all the answers,are “the non-playing captains” of their Teams ?

Not necessarily!

The best coaches that I have worked with , people who have changed some of my ingrained beliefs with their insights and experience , people who have taught me “how to fish” had these traits in common,

1. They were not at the fag end of their careers or disseminating boardroom wisdom from an armchair
2. They were selfless in giving time to others
3. They were honest about not knowing everything
4. They were not ashamed to speak about their vulnerabilities
5. They did not hold back from coaching because they had lots to learn , still

These are the foundational principles and behaviors that I strive to model during my coaching gigs

I dont think we have to wait to achieve coaching nirvana to act as coaches.

I think we just need to show courage and be driven by our intellectual honesty,a desire to teach the process that has worked for us ,a desire to share knowledge and to improve others and ourselves.

And doing all this as a personal choice rather than a demand of the role.