Our answer is: that it is better for them if they do.
A person who has been through a meaningful process of self-development is by nature going to be one who will find it easier to foster such a growth process for someone else.
And isn’t this what coaching is?
So yes, in a way, it’s important that you allow yourself to develop and grow personally as well as professionally when you train yourself as a skilled helper or a coach.
What personal growth may you expect when learning coaching skills?
• The ability to find out what is really important to you.
• Communication skills – how to really understand what the other person means and how to make yourself understood.
• Leadership skills – just like leaders, coaches lead their clients to their desired outcomes and goals, and from a fostering place.
• The ability to focus on what’s important to you.
• Be encouraged to dare, take action and stand for your decisions.
• Allowing yourself to be vulnerable and honest.
And the list goes on…
These are all things that we, coaches, encourage people to experience.
And the best is if we allow ourselves to first experience it too.
In fact, people who are not open enough to allow themselves to experience and go through this meaningful growth, are not going to make very good coaches. They won’t be able to recognise the needs of their clients to develop, and will therefore not promote much development or change.
We hope you understand how this will limit their abilities to coach compared to someone who believes in a growth mindset, and before anything else, allows themselves to develop. They will be by nature, more open to allowing such growth in others, and therefore will be better coaches.
And how is that done during coaching training?
When the trainers allow you to evolve and create a safe place to share, talk, and learn.
When the atmosphere on the course is of encouragement and with no judgment.
When students learn and practise the language of empowerment and encourage the growth of one another.
We invite you to enjoy such growth,
The ICCI team.