Get Real: Why Good Coaching Requires Honesty
Get Real: Why Good Coaching Requires Honesty
“No legacy is so rich as honesty” – William Shakespeare
At Cenera, our coaches work with leaders at every level within a company. Regardless of where you are in your career, working with a professional coach can help you understand your strengths, clarify your weaknesses and set goals to put you on a path toward tangible improvement and success.
However, for coaching to be effective, there needs to be clarity. And for clarity to be achieved, good coaching requires honesty and trust.
Let’s look at some of the reasons why honesty is so important in a coaching relationship and how we can work to achieve it.
1. Good Coaching Requires Understanding Your Context
Since no behaviour takes place in a vacuum, effective coaching requires gaining a complete picture of a situation or a recurring behaviour in order to address the root causes effectively. A good coach will know how to ask the right questions that provide perspective, clarity and awareness.
Without the ability to ask tough questions, a coach is unlikely to gain a clear view of the issues at hand, and therefore won’t be able to offer the insight and advice needed to define and achieve success.
2. Honesty is Actually a Sign of Respect
Trust forms the foundation of any positive relationship – and honesty is integral to trust. Just as we rely on our close friends and family to tell us the truth, a good coach will be honest in their assessment and feedback.
Ultimately, honest feedback is a sign of respect; it represents a commitment to an employee’s goals and confidence in their ability to learn and grow. While coaches do develop excellent relationships with their clients, the best coaches are not there ‘to be liked’; they are there to help. A good coach will tell you what you need to hear rather than waste your time with empty praise or half-truths.
3. Avoiding Honest Conversations Benefits No One
Attempting to set professional goals and make change is useless if you don’t understand the underlying cause of an issue. While avoiding honest conversation may feel easy in the moment, ultimately, it only contributes to a snowball effect that causes the problem to grow, not disappear.
Demonstrating that honesty is not only acceptable, but encouraged, gives people the space and capacity they need to make real change and experience meaningful professional growth.
4. Honest Coaching Brings Out The Best in Your Employees
When done with integrity and respect, honesty in professional coaching brings out the best in your employees. The reality is that the truly valuable things in life are rarely easy, and coaching is no different. Real growth happens outside of our comfort zones, and professional coaches must be honest with their clients in order to hold them accountable to the goals they have set. If that honesty is established, tremendous things can happen.
The experts at Cenera have decades of experience providing honest feedback grounded in mutual trust and respect for employees at all levels on your team. If you’re ready to develop your skills, contact us to learn more about our Professional Coaching program.
Let’s Connect
Never miss an update, click here to subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
Plus, follow us on LinkedIn!
Share This Story, and Choose Your Platform!
