Chapter 4

The Coachable Coach

When I think about the people I most admire, I realize that many of them model coachability in ways that make them seem wise. That’s an interesting concept, isn’t it? That being coachable (a learner) might make us seem wise (someone who knows). It is not the acquisition of knowledge, facts, or experience that distinguishes us but our unending quest for learning and our openness to improving.

If you want to be the best possible coach, you need to be highly coach-able. Many moons ago, I set out to do a master’s thesis on coachability. My premise was that coachability was a larger lever to pull than coaching skills. ...

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