4 qualities that every coach should have

A leader is not only expected to launch initiatives and allocate responsibilities, but also guide and support team members.

When you present yourself as a resource to your staff, their loyalty toward you increases tremendously. Why? Because you’ve demonstrated that you care about their career development. We’ve identified four qualities every coach should have:

1. Cooperation

A study conducted by the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) discovered that effective leadership fosters teamwork within an organisation. In this respect, it’s best for leaders to adopt collaborative roles. Think of yourself as a platform on which team communication can occur.

Once this level of knowledge sharing is established, the leader can than deliver conclusions and plans to their team members. This makes personnel feel valued, and develop further respect for their managers.

2. Patience

You can’t expect new personnel to tackle responsibilities immediately. Remember, your job is to show them the ropes. If they fail to perform a task correctly the first time, don’t berate them for poor work. Follow each step of the process and figure out where the kinks are. After you identify the challenges, demonstrate how your team member can navigate them.

3. Tranquillity 

A coach is always going to experience pressure, but how he or she handles it depends on their emotional stability. Dr Sandra Fielden of the Centre for Diversity and Work Psychology at the University of Manchester found that poor coaches often think impulsively when challenged. This puts a bandage over a broken arm, so to speak.

4. Ambition 

Coaches are responsible for the success of their teams. A lack of drive can hamper a group’s momentum to complete projects, achieve goals and meet deadlines. Most importantly, indifference can create disunity within a team. If a coach doesn’t care about the outcome of an endeavour, why should those working for him or her?

In contrast, an ambitious coach knows how to push the right buttons and figure out what his or her team could be doing better. This improves the functionality of an organisation as a whole, because new ideals can lead to experiments.