Habits all 5-Star coaches possess – The 7 Cs

Everyone needs a little support sometimes to make life-changing decisions and a coach is that accountability partner to have on your journey. The coach has the extraordinary quality to help the client come to a new level of understanding of what’s possible. That special skill that guides clients to create a lasting change and make real breakthroughs is what makes coaches tick.

Great coaching is beyond a mere goal-oriented approach, it’s the yearning to see a lasting transformation in the client. Extraordinary coaches know this and constantly sharpen themselves with these habits:

The 7-C habits that 5-star coaches possess:

1. Care
   The job cycle of a coach is to be supportive of their clients. Empathy being a common characteristic with remarkable coaches, they understand their clients thoughts and feeling in profound ways. They handle the enormity of their client’s situation without carrying the burden themselves.

2. Curiosity
   5-star coaches believe that a curious mind is akin to an open mind, so they focus their energies on being ‘interested’ rather than being ‘interesting’. This is why asking relevant questions that evoke the client’s awareness is an important forte of a coach.  How would you ask questions that will help your client find his way if you are not innately curious?

3. Communication
   Communicating clearly and respectfully with people of varying personalities and ideas of doing things is a habit great coaches have and constantly develop. They have the extraordinary skill to dig deep into the client’s choice of spoke and unspoken words. They listen actively, excellently suppressing to urge to want to interject with a personal opinion.

4. Change
   An effective coach helps the client see that the journey of change is just as weighty as the goal or outcome in itself. The metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly summarises what great coaches help their clients to become.

5. Collaboration/Connectivity
   It is possible to be vast, yet fail to connect with a client. 5-star coaches know that collaboration and connectivity are essential skills to a successful coaching relationship.  Coaching in itself is supporting the client through a journey of equal partnership.

6. Clarifying
   5-star coaches understand the dynamics of clear goals, and they help their clients to clarify these goals through questioning, aligning beliefs and values, experiences, case studies and others.

7. Confidence
   Excellent coaches are self-assured, without the ego, they can ‘self-manage’ when a client displays strong emotions, thus helping clients gain their confidence in what they can do and who they can become.

Finally, coaching is all about the client, and 5-star coaches know how to utilize these 7-Cs to support their clients to navigate that journey to greatness.

About The Author

Author’s Name: Tosin Babasanya-Craig

Title of the Blog: Habits all 5-Star coaches possess – The 7 Cs

About the Author (a short description of yourself): I am a trained Architect who has since transited into people management for over a decade now. Whilst working diligently on construction sites, I discovered that I’d rather be helping to ‘design’ lives rather than buildings. I trust that everyone has the capacity to become the best version of themselves and I have since carved a niche for myself in this area of service, as a corporate soft skills trainer.

Program Attended with CTT: I attended the ICF Coach Certification Program Level 1, July 2021 cohort.

Reason for taking this program: To find the link between training and coaching, and become more self-aware and ultimately to get a global certification in coaching.

What worked for you: The simplicity of the training sessions and coaching practices. I liked the very engaging classes and I made life-long friends too.

What benefits you got: I gained deep insights of my strengths, and was clearly able to differentiate between training and coaching, and how I can use both approaches to get the best for my clients.