Being an effective coach is all about having the appropriate mindset.

From how well team members listen to you, to what level of respect they show you, to how capable are you in motivating them, depends on the attitude you bring and not the certifications.

Without the appropriate mental state for coaching, you will not be successful. The quality of your presence is the key.

First, a quick reminder about what is coaching?

Coaching is the method employed for contributing to the development of people’s natural abilities and skills and improving performance.

It has also a lot to do with helping to identify issues and deal with potential challenges.

Therefore, a coach is a qualified person to help someone or a team to reach their full potential for performance. An effective coach must be able to ensure that goals are clearly set, expectations are discussed, and ideal achievements are decided as a team.

How to be a coach?

In order to “be” a coach, and embrace the right mindset:

• A coach should be aware of how to ignite passion and motivate people. I remember in my first coaching jobs, one of my previous clients labeled me a “contagious virus”! I was kind of confused at the time, was that a compliment or an insult. He explained that, he was impressed by my energy to get the team committed and excited about what I do.

As a coach, you can do all sort of activities, surveys to identify and play up each person’s unique strengths. This is great, yet not efficient, until you are able to show the person how to discover these qualities within himself and deploy them in the mission he is involved in. A person needs self-motivation and balance to adjust to the team’s aspirations.

You should also make sure that your energy doesn’t dominate, make sure you have a helpful and understating ear and seek others’ perspectives.

• You can choose a boss or managerial style in your coaching, it may seem like “doing” coaching but it is definitely not “being” a coach.

A coach is a trusted guide. He is an inspiring leader capable of guiding the exciting talent of members of his team. He recognizes greatness in each individual and develops tactics for drawing this out, showing them that they are capable of contributing and achieving goals.

• Being and understanding are not enough. An effective coach needs to be an adaptable strategist, and have a certain level of logic and leadership skills. This means you can realistically assess situations, goals, and the steps for achieving each goal. To be adaptable means, you are capable of looking at the situation and figuring out ways to get to a more ideal place. This involves strategy and openness, as well as a willingness to be always learning.

A key to being a coach, I find, is ironically not being during the coaching process. Your being is not focused on you anymore but your coachee. Focusing on aiding the person or team you coach, to figure out solutions for themselves, based on their own unique reasoning and experience, rather than forcing solutions upon them or reflecting your experience as a model.

Focusing on encouraging independence in finding solutions to and solving problems makes full engagement with methods and material a lot more likely.