Have you had a coach in your past that made a difference in your life during your sports days, or in a work environment? Successful coaches have that innate ability to instill the best in YOU! They take that glob of clay and masterfully mold it into that striking and gifted performer. Whether you play sports or music or any of the arts and sciences, or worked on a business project, chances are you performed much better because you had a great coach. Great coaches know what buttons to push, and they have a knack of pushing you further then you though you could ever be pushed.

On the obverse, you have probably experienced the bad coaches. They seem to be the ones who just show up….someone told them they needed to be at this place at this time….they were “just there” consuming oxygen. Maybe they were asked or ordered to perform a role that they did not really want to do, or were ill prepared to do. These coaches don’t really leave much with you other than their time. And that my friend is a shame. Life is too short for bad coaches!

My theory is this…Coaching is a gift. Great coaches have it. It can be learned, but like any discipline, it takes time, practice, effort and a constant education. You must learn to read people well, quickly understand their strengths and weaknesses, find their breaking points, and what makes them tick. You must also be able to engage that persons trust and confidence. Most of all, you must protect that trust and never allow it to be broken or damaged. Like integrity, trust is irreparable…once betrayed; it can never be made whole. Great coaches are remembered. Great coaches are sought out. If you have found a great coach through out your life, chances are you are still in contact with them in some way or another. We seem to not want to let go of the good ones do we?

I hope I fall into the category of a good coach. I have carved my life success plan towards coaching and mentorship. This series of writings is intended for those people who:

• Need a Coach
• Want to Become a Great Coach
• Are Somewhere in Between!

Do you need a coach? Do you want a coach is probably the more important question! Are you a coach and want to become better at it? Then you need to pay attention to this series. My goal is to answer your questions, and more importantly impart some of my learning’s on coaching to you. I hope that you choose to seek out the true pearls of being a great coach. The world will be a better place because of it!

Keith