One of the first things I learned when I became a Gazelles Coach is the principle of being a catalyst.
Gregg Thompson, author of The Master Coach, Leading with Character, Building Connections, and Engaging in Extraordinary Conversations, speaking at the St. Louis Scale Up Summit admonished all of us to learn how, “..to shift to be a catalyst to others.”
A Catalyst to Others
What’s a catalyst?
I’ve written a number of blogs on what a catalyst is:
A catalyst gets comments like these from his customers, “Enjoyed the time together and look forward to gaining new ground with your help. These retreats have been off the charts with the knowledge and learning gained. It’s like a 500 gallon fill up of fuel in a vehicle made to drive a year.”
And, “As we discussed this week, our company is better with you involved and look forward to continuing to work with you.”
Two comments from my customer I worked with last week in the Punta Cano for two days. You’ll hear more about their work in a future blog.
Watch this video from Thompson’s business to understand his 3 C coaching model, and the challenge each of us has in being a good coach.
What I noticed and liked best about Thompson’s approach is he asked questions, versus giving a lot of advice. It provided a powerful message on how to coach.
Where to start?
Thompson reminded us, “Coaching starts with who you are as a person.”
He emphasized:
“Do others leave conversations with me better in some way?”
“If it was illegal to be a great coach, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
“Are other people perform at a better level because of you? More committed, agile, engaged, productive, aligned, innovative?”
BEST COACH
Thompson reminded us what this person looks like: Imagine someone who holds you accountable. Saying you have value, you are important, we need you.
He asked us to consider, when you are with someone, do your people want to be special around you?
He asked penetrating questions, “Imagine someone who was special to you, because of them you are a better person? And Who was your best coach? He or she saw something in us that we didn’t see in ourselves.”
His presentation exemplified this. It’s something he’s learned in coaching, “Giving advice – doesn’t show up in your story (It shows up at about a 6 on scale of 1-10)”
“REAL IMPACT IS SOMETHING ELSE OTHER THAN ADVICE.”
If you’ve watched Thompson’s video in this blog you already know this. Here are his 3 C’s of coaching:
Thompson reminded us, “Coaching, like swimming, cannot be learned by reading about it.”
Thompson shared The 60 Big Coaching Questions (you can download these through the link).
At our group tables, Thompson asked us to review the list and circle a few we felt were critical for us or someone we know. I chose these six:
The questions are broken into three categories, Discovery: Exploration and learning, Creation: Possibilities & Opportunities, and Commitment: Action & execution.
Echoing the words and thoughts of Ryan Holiday’s, The Obstacle is the Way, Thompson noted, “Look back at our success, it’s almost all about the constraints we overcame.
Thompson left us with two thoughtful ideas, “Unless someone makes the commitment to take action, coaching is just talk.”
His final thought, should tell you how close all of us can be to a breakthrough in our lives, “85% of people in room, avoiding having a conversation with someone that they know will make it better if they have it.”
Are you avoiding a conversation with yourself on how you can grow your business? We are experts helping your business to scale up!
Eight Characteristics of Great Coaches
Next blog will share Thompson’s characteristics of great coaches. Join us.