Many novice coaches, thinking about their careers, have a vision in their minds of some “magical” moment when they achieve mastery and can already start cutting coupons from years of work…. And here comes the first disappointment when I make them realize that the master coaches I know do not achieve this state.
They constantly practice HUMILITY, which means that they they question their ways of working and their solutions… constantly, over and over again and without end . Why? After all, they have years of experience and practice, which allows them to find themselves perfectly in various situations with clients.
And yet! Simply questioning the method you use and the ways you work is to keep YOU and the CUSTOMER from becoming get locked into the clutches of a well-known reality and routine . This is a huge trap, and to avoid falling into it, you need to put the right processes in place in your practice to support identifying and countering it. How to do it?
Because it is very difficult to be a judge in your own case, the humility of master coaches manifests itself in regular supervisions, reaching for accreditation, staying ready to be tested .
I myself undergo supervisions on a regular basis, many times a year, to check whether I am constantly in a continuous learning mode, but whether I am duplicating (involuntarily) the same behaviors or going outside the method, e.g. imposing my solutions.
It is important to understand that achieving mastery in coaching does not mean becoming an omniscient guru . Mastery in coaching is a state in which you can sit in front of your client with humility and ease and talk to them for an hour, keeping them focused.
Humility and freedom are key here.
Humility Helps one to mobilize for constant learning and to question what one thinks .
The freedom comes from experience and diversity , which you need to take care of in your practice. It also shows that you have put the right amount of work into practicing and trying different things, you have worked with different clients.
It is not easy, but I wholeheartedly encourage all of you (and myself) to continually strive (with humility) to achieve mastery.
