The best way for any professional to evolve and advance in their industry is to keep an open mind and learn from others. Whether you’re keeping an eye on seasoned coaches who have been in the field for decades or new coaches with innovative visions, if you are a coach, there’s a lot to learn from watching others in your space.
You wouldn’t want to try and replicate other coaches’ exact methods or styles, but you can incorporate some of their best practices into your own work and adapt them to build your own unique style. Here, 16 members of Forbes Coaches Council share some of the best lessons they’ve learned from other coaches and explain how they’ve adapted and used those lessons in their own practices.
12. ‘Suspend Assumptions’ And ‘WAIT’
Two concepts have stuck with me, and I’ve used them successfully with clients: “Suspend assumptions” and “WAIT”—which means asking yourself, “Why am I talking?” As leaders build skills such as delegating, empowering others, communicating, listening and so on, doing this helps them slow down their thinking, disregard any assumptions they may have about the person or situation and listen more than talk. – Kristy Busija, Next Conversation Coaching, LLC