How to Find a Coach Tip #345: Don't Settle for an "Armchair Coach"

Abstract

How to Find a Coach Tip #345: Don't Settle for an "Armchair Coach" I may be dating myself here but like the old "Hair Club for Men" commercials where the speaker said, "I'm not only the Hair Club president, but I'm also a client", I am not only a business coach but I have a coach! And, guess what? My coach has a coach even though she was one of the founding leaders of what is recognized today as the premier coaching association, ICF. She is esteemed worldwide as one of the best coach trainers. She humbly believes our business journey must continue to evolve and have perspectives outside of ourselves. "No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main..." -John DonneI share all of this to emphasize that your business coach can best help you resist stagnation and obsolescence if they have also committed to the same things they are requiring of you - to be coached and remain coachable! Don't go for what I call the "Armchair coach". Like the "Armchair quarterback", the "Armchair coach" is the person not in the game and not doing the work that they are barking at others to do. It's easy to tell everyone else what to do from an armchair recliner when you don't have to do it but that does not make for effective coaching that considers real-world issues and opportunities.