The Difference Being Coachable Can Make
There is a perspective that will increase your chances of being able to navigate loss and adversity better than you might first think.
Being coachable
Being coachable is not so much a skill as it is an attitude. Being coachable is a humble posture that says, “I don’t know what I need to know right now. Can you help me?”
Being coachable is the capability to be easily taught and trained to do something different or better.
Being coachable is what it takes to learn a new dance after everything you knew shifts.
Years ago, at the great Bolshoi Ballet, auditions for the troupe were conducted among 8-year-old girls. That’s because it took ten years to become great. How did the auditions work? The teachers weren’t looking for the best dancers. They were looking for the dancers who took coaching the best. The rest would come with time. — Seth Godin
When Vicky died, I was lost and had no idea how to navigate the grief that I was experiencing. My solution? I looked for mentors and coaches who could help me. I found them all around me in people, books, stories, and so many other places.
The internal growth and healing that happened as a result of that coaching wasn’t automatic or quick. It took time but as I was helped to clarify where I was going, who I wanted to become, and given the steps and tools required to walk one step at a time, little by little things changed.
Eventually I went from the darkness of deep sadness to eventually learning how to live again after the loss.
Being coachable required me to take direction, spend hours in self-reflection, be held accountable, talk openly and honestly with friends, and maintain a teachable attitude always.
You’re ready for coaching when you say…
“I don’t know what to do. Can you help me?”
“I’m stuck. Can you help me get unstuck?”
“I’m not equipped for this challenge. Can you mentor me?”
“I don’t know what I don’t know. Can you help me discover where I’m in the dark?”
Quotes on Being Coachable
My best skill was that I was coachable. I was a sponge and aggressive to learn. — Michael Jordan
To succeed...at anything, you have to prepare yourself. That means you have to be open, be coachable, and willing to learn. — Tammi Fugitt
You must always be the apprentice. Even when you become the master. — Christopher Cumby
Climbing a new mountain may require you to learn new skills… that’s why it’s important to stay coachable. The climbing you’ve done doesn’t mean you’ll be comfortable with the climbing you have to do next. — Sean Glaze
Reflection Questions
What new mountain are you climbing that needs you be coachable?
Who in your life can you be available to coach because of what you’ve been through?
Where are you stuck in grieving your loss that coaching might be able to help with?
