7 Steps to Making Sure Your Coach Works for You No 2. Take responsibility

Once you’ve decided you really do want to work with a coach then to make sure that coach works for you, take responsibility for that work. It’s like most things in life; the more you put in the more you get out. This is very true of coaching.

To draw on the world of elite sports for a moment, the British Cycling team performance director, David Brailsford,    interviewed after a world beating performance byat the Beijing Olympics, told how he had to change the attitude of both coaches and cyclists to coaching. He pointed out that no coach ever won a medal – only the cyclist on the track could do that and at that moment the cyclist is totally responsible for their performance. Also during training the cyclist has to be in charge of their own development. It’s not the coach’s agenda that drives the process.

I know it may be stating the obvious but it is true that when you work with a coach you will be responsible for any change in your performance. The least useful thing you could do for yourself would be to sit back and relax in front of your coach waiting for them to give you the magic injection!

This means that to make your coach work for you please be prepared to make it work by:

• Knowing the overall goals you want to achieve from the work; if you’re not absolutely clear then take control by asking your coach to help you get clear.

•  Setting your own outcomes for your conversations: what do you want from this meeting or call that will move you at least one step closer to your goal? If your coach prefers to take over and set the agenda be prepared to challenge this and suggest your own ways of using your time together.

• Agreeing at the end of each session a plan of action – who will do what to keep you moving towards your goal between now and the next session.

• When you’ve agreed the action, keep this as a focus for yourself i.e. find a way of preventing everyday events from taking over. One client of mine put it well when he said it was my job was to make him think about him, whilst back at work everyone else’s job was to make him think about them – his boss, his team, his customers etc.

Remember, the session isn’t an opportunity for the coach to demonstrate how effective they are – it’s an opportunity for them to demonstrate how effective you are!

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