Archives for the Month of June, 2014

The Next 7 Habits of Highly Effective Coaches: Habit 12 – Dare to Be Different

Habit 12 – Dare to Be Different

Nothing stays the same but one thing’s for certain. Things change. Choose to challenge and change the status quo for better. Be the beacon that encourages people to stand up and stand out. When you’re bold and brave, you can transform the grey into a rainbow.

Exercise: Be a Super Hero

If you were a super hero, who would you be and why? Or perhaps, if you had a superpower what would it be and why? Take turns answering either or both of these questions over lunch with your friends at work. How can you leverage all your superpowers to transform the way you work for the better?

For more information, see: Watch a film or read a comic about a super hero (eg Kick-Ass). Ideally, do this with friends. It’s more fun and so much more empowering! Repeat the exercise and see what new ideas you can come up with. The more “out there” the idea, the better!

About This Blog Entry

The Next 7 Habits of Highly Effective Coaches is part of a mini series inspired by the style of Paul Coelho‘s “Manual of the Warrior of Light“. You can find the first 7 habits here.

The Next 7 Habits of Highly Effective Coaches: Habit 11 – A Good Teacher is a Good Student

Habit 11 – A Good Teacher is a Good Student

An effective coach is an effective teacher. An effective teacher listens. They recognise the needs of the student. They help a student think through a problem by asking open and genuine questions which challenge their assumptions and beliefs.

An effective coach understands the importance of continuous learning, both learning something new or expanding existing knowledge as well as practicing the skill of learning.

Exercise: Get and Give

Ask someone for help or advice. Reflect on the conversation afterwards. Identify what worked well during the conversation then apply one of the techniques the next time someone comes to you for help or advice. Last, but not least, reflect on how effectively you’ve applied what you’ve learned.

For more information, see: The Yellow Brick Road – Insights Through Peer Coaching an Agile Fairytale for learning the 4 key coaching skills of Questioning, Observing, Listening and Feedback.

About This Blog Entry

The Next 7 Habits of Highly Effective Coaches is part of a mini series inspired by the style of Paul Coelho‘s “Manual of the Warrior of Light“. You can find the first 7 habits here.

The Next 7 Habits of Highly Effective Coaches: Habit 10 – Use What You Know

Habit 10 – Use What You Know

Reading lots may make us feel cleverer, but it doesn’t necessarily improve our effectiveness. Knowledge through study without practical experience makes reading a hobby at best and, at worst, a waste of time. To get the most from our knowledge, we need to apply it.

Exercise: Personal Practice

Pick a tool you’d like to learn more about. Share it with a friend. Take turns applying the tool then reflect on what you’ve learned – about yourselves, about each other and figure out together how you can use the tool to solve a common problem.

For more information, see: The Johari Window – a tool that gives you a view on how you interact with other people around you.

About This Blog Entry

The Next 7 Habits of Highly Effective Coaches is part of a mini series inspired by the style of Paul Coelho‘s “Manual of the Warrior of Light“. You can find the first 7 habits here.

The Next 7 Habits of Highly Effective Coaches: Habit 9 – Know Thy Self

Habit 9 – Know Thy Self

Socrates’s gentle reminder “wise is he who knows himself” remains one of the hardest things to do. As coach, you need to know yourself better than anyone else. Befriending the person in the mirror may not be easy or comfortable, but it’s not until we take a good look at ourselves that we can become more congruent and effective at what we do.

Exercise: Personal Reflection

One day, at sunset, find a quiet place to sit. Have a sheet of blank paper and a pencil to hand. On the lefthand side of the sheet of paper, list your personal values. On the righthand side of the same sheet of paper, note down at least one concrete example of how you lived that value today. Come up with one example per value. Take a look at the output. How quickly did you write down your values? How easy was it to come up with the examples? What have you learned about yourself from this exercise?

For more information, see: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall… Why Me? an Agile Fairytale for leveraging individual strengths and weaknesses of your team.

About This Blog Entry

The Next 7 Habits of Highly Effective Coaches is part of a mini series inspired by the style of Paul Coelho‘s “Manual of the Warrior of Light“. You can find the first 7 habits here.

The Next 7 Habits of Highly Effective Coaches: Habit 8 – Play to Stay Alive

Habit 8 – Play to Stay Alive

As time passes, you will develop a reputation as an effective coach. This is when you’re at your most vulnerable because it’s easy to become complacent. You rely more and more on talking the talk. You grow lazy and stop walking the walk.

That’s pretty much what happens to the adult sea squirt, a creature that gets so comfortable bobbing along while stuck to a boat’s hull it ends up devouring its own brain since it doesn’t need it anymore. Coach beware!

Exercise: Move It, Move It, Move It

Play is one of the most effective and efficient ways to get us moving. Look out for opportunities to play, especially during your working day. Play for at least 5 minutes a day to reinvigorate the body and refresh the mind. Play isn’t just for children. Adults need play, too.

For more information, see: The Power of Play, a presentation by Portia Tung, based on the book Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown and Christopher Vaughan.

About This Blog Entry

The Next 7 Habits of Highly Effective Coaches is part of a mini series inspired by the style of Paul Coelho‘s “Manual of the Warrior of Light“. You can find the first 7 habits here.