Why Successful Leaders Are Great Coaches

Can there truly be a coach who doesn’t criticise?
Can there be a critic who doesn’t coach?

While both roles aim to provide perspective, people rarely appreciate a coach who simply criticises. What they value is a coach who offers constructive feedback, guidance that focuses on behaviour, skills, and growth, rather than on the person themselves.

The key difference is this:

• Criticism tends to be individual-centric, personal, and often difficult to digest.

• Feedback is behaviour-centric, actionable, and easier to accept, making it far more effective for creating change.

A true coach knows the power of feedback and uses it as a tool to help others grow, not to tear them down.

What Coaching Really Is

Coaching is more than advice. It’s an ongoing, professional relationship between the coach and the coachee. A good coach helps uncover hidden talents, develop new skills, and align abilities with personal and professional goals.

Through active listening, open-ended questioning, and continuous feedback, a coach enables the coachee to achieve all-round success. It’s about working smarter, not just harder.

If you find a coach passionate enough to improve your personal, professional, and social life, you are truly lucky.

Great coaches don’t just give answers. They listen deeply, observe carefully, and ask questions that unlock the subconscious mind, helping coachees discover their own solutions.

Types of Coaching

Coaching can take many forms, including:

• Personal Coaching – building confidence, self-awareness, and life balance.

• Performance Coaching – enhancing results in a specific role or task.

• Sports Coaching – improving athletic ability, mindset, and strategy.

• Skills Coaching – developing specific technical or soft skills.

• Career Coaching – guiding career moves and progression.

• Executive & Corporate Coaching – improving leadership and organisational impact.

• Life Coaching – helping clients achieve personal goals and fulfilment.

• Leadership Coaching – developing influence, decision-making, and vision.

In today’s fast-paced, knowledge-driven world, specialised coaches exist for almost every niche, from wellness to creative entrepreneurship.

Coaching Methods

There are two main coaching approaches:

1. Directive Coaching – The coach teaches, instructs, and guides with structured lessons or processes.

2. Non-Directive Coaching – The coach uses questions to lead the coachee toward their own conclusions (often using the Socratic Method).

Both can be effective depending on the coachee’s needs and learning style.

Why Coaching Matters

Coaching is one of the few careers where your success is measured not by your own achievements, but by those you help.

It:

• Encourages self-reflection and personal growth.

• Helps people realise ambitions and stretch beyond perceived limits.

• Builds confidence and resilience.

• Shapes the next generation of skilled professionals.

Unlike mentoring, which is generally less structured and based on sharing personal experiences, coaching is formal, interactive, and feedback-driven.

The Qualities of a Great Coach

A strong coach is:

• Confidential & trustworthy

• A skilled listener

• Analytical and objective

• Empathetic yet direct

• Able to ask the right questions

• Results-oriented

Meanwhile, a great coachee is:

• Open to learning

• Receptive to feedback

• Committed to personal growth

The Coaching Process: From Strategy to Success

A successful coaching program has a clear blueprint that aligns with the coachee’s goals. Both coach and coachee should set SMART objectives:

• Specific – Clear focus and direction.

• Measurable – Progress can be tracked.

• Achievable – Goals are realistic.

• Relevant – Tied directly to desired outcomes.

• Time-bound – Deadlines maintain momentum.

The Five Stages of Coaching

1. Direction – Defining the purpose and expected results.

2. Relationship – Building trust and communication.

3. Development – Engaging in targeted skill-building activities.

4. Execution – Applying skills while removing obstacles.

5. Feedback – Measuring outcomes and making adjustments.

The Art of Asking the Right Questions

Great coaches rely on open-ended questions to spark new thinking. Examples include:

• What do you want to learn?

• What skills would you like to develop?

• What’s one step you could take this week toward your goal?

• What does success look like for you?

• What challenges do you face, and how will you overcome them?

When coachees create their own answers, they take greater ownership of the outcome.

Common Myths About Coaching

Myth 1: Coaches give quick-fix solutions.
Truth: Coaches guide you to find your own solutions by developing your strengths and abilities.

Myth 2: Coaches are superhuman.
Truth: Coaches are ordinary people with extraordinary commitment, skill sets, and tools to help others grow.

Feedback: The Breakfast of Champions

Feedback is essential in coaching, and it must be constructive, specific, and depersonalised.
One effective technique is sandwich feedback:

1. Start with a positive observation.

2. Share the area for improvement.

3. End with encouragement or another positive point.

This approach ensures that even difficult feedback is easier to hear and more likely to be acted upon.

Coaching & Leadership Development

Coaching is inseparable from leadership growth. Leadership Development Programs (LDPs) often include coaching because it’s one of the most effective ways to improve decision-making, communication, and influence.

In a world where technology and change create constant uncertainty, coaching provides the clarity, resilience, and adaptability leaders need.

The Lasting Impact of Coaching

Coaching is a priceless gift, not only for the coachee but for society. The effects ripple outward, influencing teams, organisations, and even future generations.

Coaches may not last forever, but their impact can shape lives for decades.

If you’re a coach, love your profession. Focus on the difference you make, not just the income you earn. And if you’ve never had a coach, find one. The right coach could change the course of your life.