A few years back, a company we worked with was engaged in an effort to improve basic skills across thousands of line managers worldwide. They discovered they had 22 different coaching models that were being taught and supported. One could argue the merits or shortcomings of any one of those approaches with conviction.

With that experience as a backdrop, we suggest a far more practical first step for those that seek to improve their coaching skills. Think about the best person to whom you have ever reported. If you are like most, two things just happened:

• An image almost immediately came to mind.
• A smile found its way to your face almost just as fast.

If we asked you to tell us the characteristics that distinguished this individual from everybody else you have ever worked for, you would likely produce a list of boring, predictable, unassuming “you kind of had to be there” responses like:

• “He really took the time to understand my perspective.”
• “She had the ability to make me feel appreciated; actually, more than that, she had the ability to connect me (and my work) to something ‘bigger’ and far more important.”

By digging deeper, you would probably recognize that this individual achieved distinction because they challenged you! They invigorated you! They made you feel special! They figured out a way to get the very best you out of you!

There are very few skill sets that are in greater demand than the skills associated with coaching. Good coaches:

1. Consistently figure out a way to deliver desired results. They understand “the scoreboard” and are in no way intimidated by it. They recognize that the most tangible way to measure their value in the short term is by their documented ability to orchestrate “organizational wins.”
2. Drive engagement, positively influence retention and shape culture. They have a “personal scoreboard” that extends beyond the organizational bottom line. They deliver the what, but they truly excel at the how. Their identity and legacy are functions of the impact they have on the people they work through to deliver targeted results.

So, how do you build or enhance these skills? It is, without doubt, a process that demands a focused effort in three highly interdependent phases:

Reflection – Effective coaching is the product of thoughtful consideration. It isn’t something you “wing” or “get out of the way.” Great coaches always seem to know what to say or how to respond because they have proactively considered a variety of different variables before they engage. Examples of the questions good coaches consider before they “dive in” are:

• In specific terms, what is the task/activity?
• What happened the last time I spoke with this individual about this task?
• What are behaviors I have observed or heard about?
• How does this person prefer to communicate? (i.e., DiSC® style or MBTI profile)
• What would it look like if this discussion goes well?
• Where (and how) might this discussion get “off track?”

Execution – Good coaches gather relevant data but also act on instinct. Can you be over-prepared as a coach? Absolutely! We have always thought Colin Powell’s “70 – 40 Rule” has always been a good guideline for coaches:

• Be hesitant to initiate if you have less than 40 percent of the available information
• If you have accumulated more than 70 percent of the information available, you have probably lost your best window of opportunity

Follow-Up – As is the case with almost any realm of attempted influence, what you say is one thing. What you do is something different altogether (and far more important). Good coaches recognize what was said during a coaching discussion wasn’t necessarily what was understood. They seek clarity on what was established and align expectations around who is going to be doing what and by when!

So, the “good news – challenging news” associated with becoming someone that others will identify as “the best person to whom they have ever reported” is that good coaches do simple things, but they do them well, consistently and with such frequency over time that those simple things very quickly become remarkable!