You Are Delaying Your Own Progress by Thinking This.

This has been written about coaches, and it translates to all of us. Please read with yourself in mind and stay open to the message that is in here for YOU.

One common stumbling block for coaches is the desire to know everything in advance, before taking action. It is often driven by a fear or getting it wrong, and an idea (conscious or not) that messing up will create uncomfortable feelings or much havoc and irreversible damage to their business or reputation.

However, waiting until you have it all figured out in advance is a sure-fire way to hinder progress and delay your growth.

You see, coaching is an apprenticeship profession. Not a degree earned in the classroom that you study for three years before applying it in the workplace.

Success in the coaching arena is not found by simply acquiring knowledge. It goes beyond theoretical understanding and demands a real time, practical application of what has been learned. The coaches who I see excel are the ones who implement their learning immediately, embrace the process of growth, and remain open to receiving ongoing coaching as they go.

Let’s use a metaphor…Imagine embarking on your first driving lesson. Would you read the car's manual from cover to cover and attempt to perform every manoeuvre all at once? Of course not. Instead, you start by understanding the basic functions of the pedals and gears. Then with each next move, you gain more confidence to navigate through each stage of driving, encountering new road blocks along the way. (Pun very much intended)

It’s only when you get in the car and try to make the move you read about that you realise, oh.. how do I do this again? I can’t remember what the manual said all those months ago. And then you ask for help, but by then you’ve already used up all your driving lessons with your head in the manual, and the instructor is now fully booked with other learners for the next 6 months.

Similarly, coaches go through programmes with their coach, asking theoretical questions and getting ready to be ready. Filing their notebooks but never putting a foot on the court. Coaches who try to have it all figured out in advance will delay their own progress. They miss out on valuable opportunities for learning and improvement. Just like the driving lessons, the coaching programme comes to an end and you no longer have your coach to turn to and ask for support from, on something that is here now.

All coaches I have come across want to be impactful but many have their fears and concerns about not being impactful, or getting it wrong in some way, keep them off the court and stuck on the training pitch. Don’t be that coach. Please stop getting ready to be ready.

Instead, actively put theory into practice. Coaches who do this uncover new questions and challenges they hadn't even realised they had. This hands-on approach allows them to receive relevant and impactful support aligned to their needs in each moment. 

The true value of learning, the true value of coaching, lies in the application of it. Be the coach on the court. I promise you, it is this which will lead to a faster, deeper mastery of the craft and to the impact you want to have.

Let’s go coach!

L x