What Are the Key Qualities of Innovative Coaching?

Innovative coaching can take your organization to the next level! What results should you expect from an innovative coach? I believe that many of my best clients have been very creative and innovative without my coaching.

So why do they keep coming back, asking for my assistance throughout their successful careers? I thought it might be helpful to understand what it takes to get maximum results out of your coaching investments. Here are several key qualities of innovative coaching.

Innovative coaching helps you see patterns and opportunities where you are now. This coaching should help you look at the bigger picture before going into the details. It’s critical that you choose a coach that can help you see the bigger picture. The smaller your organization, the more critical this becomes.

Most organizations’ growth slows down when the vision of the leadership begins to falter.  Is your coach helping you develop a bigger vision to lead from? Make sure you coach can help you stretch and grow!

Innovative coaching must be driven by powerful, probing questions throughout the innovative coaching process. Most successful leaders I work with have very strongly held beliefs about what works and what doesn’t in their markets. Successful coaching must involve changing or elevating their thinking to a higher level. Great questioning and helpful insights help shape your agenda. Make sure your coach helps you better understand what you are seeing and where new opportunities might exist.

Innovative coaching involves you and your coach to observe how your markets are evolving and changing. Understanding what you’re seeing and how it impacts others is a critical skill in an innovative coaching relationship. You should choose a coach with whom you are comfortable in the silence.

Many CEOs shared with me that the time when they are doing the least impacts their organization most. Make sure you’re comfortable with the idea that making observations is one of the key attributes of an innovative coaching process.

An innovative coaching process can help you look at what the other person might want in a relationship. It’s not always what you expect. Taking time with you coach to develop a better value proposition for your partners can increase your results 10X.

An innovative coaching process should leverage the impact of your network. I believe the quality of your network has a large impact on your career and organization’s success. Innovative coaching can help you leverage your network in ways that are different than how you might have leveraged it in the past. A good network can become great when you begin creating stronger relationships with people in your network.

While talking about network, what type of network should your innovative coach bring to the table? I believe the best coaches can bring you many other people and resources throughout the innovative coaching process. It’s critical that your coach helps you leverage your networking opportunities by bringing key introductions to connect at every level of your career.

An innovative coaching process should allow you to grow and take risks with your coach. Thinking partner, communication coach, or just a person you can try new things with safely. These are the qualities that your coach should provide you with during your coaching engagement.

Innovation by its nature involves risk. A great coach should help you minimize risk while increasing opportunities for growth and personal development. How does your coach help you minimize risk while helping to see new opportunities faster?

Innovative coaching requires you to stretch and develop your strengths. The best coaches are strong partners, but are also able to help you continue to grow after your coaching is done. How do you do this effectively?

Next week, we will share ideas on how to develop your team through an innovative coaching process. I think you’ll enjoy what you learn and apply to your teams.

See you next week!