It all starts here:
The starting point for Confidence-Centred Coaching is the coach’s own self-confidence. More than past experience as a former champion, more than having detailed technical knowledge – confidence-centred coaches have a personal authenticity, assuredness in the space and an openness that underpins their own self-confidence.
dip into the detail
Authenticity:
Genuine self-confidence comes from an awareness of one’s own make up, vulnerabilities and motivations and being true to oneself. It is easy to think of charismatic sports coaches and managers, radiating a sturdy, unshakeable belief in their ability, driving their athletes or teams to great performances. Whilst there is much to admire and learn from such figures, few of us will share the same characteristics and make up. The journey to being the best coach we want to be and instilling confidence in those we coach starts with being true to oneself, rather than trying to imitate others.
For this reason the Confidence-Centred Coaching journey, the workshops and one to one support all start with exploring our self-awareness:
what motivates me, both as a coach and at a deeper, more personal level? What’s really important to me?
what are the things that “get to me”, evoking a strong emotional, maybe angry, dismissive or painful reactions? How well do I know myself and where these feelings come from?
and what are my values, the person and coach I want to be?
Assured Spaces:
Whether you are a new coach starting out or you have many years of experience, we all have moments of doubting ourselves, maybe feeling out of our depth or caught unsure in the moment of being asked for advice. Here some athlete turned coaches will fall back on their former achievements and regimes, with the risk that what worked for them is unlikely to suit everyone (even anyone) else. And those coaches who don’t have experience of competing at a high level in their sports may doubt they have any extra insight or knowledge to bring. Though understandable, both miss a key point at the heart of Confidence-Centred Coaching.
A key focus of Confidence-Centred Coaching is how we create a space – safe, supportive and focused on each individual’s learning. You don’t need to have been a past champion for this.
There are several practical aids and actions that help here so that, even while we may continue to carry some nerves and self-doubts, we can feel more in control of the spaces we create and feel more assured about the great coaching we can provide.
Openness:
To be the very best coach you want to be requires an openness – a state of mind or readiness to learn; to not accept our first reactions or go with preconceptions; and to acknowledge that we don’t have all the answers, that technical prowess or expanse of knowledge is not enough.
There is something of a paradox here: those coaches who appear to be supremely confident and sure of themselves may actually have quite closed minds; those who can acknowledge what social researcher Brené Brown calls their vulnerability – their doubts and fears – are more likely to be open in ways that go to the core of Confidence-Centred Coaching. They are more able to empathise and be alongside those they coach; they may have a more intuitive feel for what will bring out the best in others and themselves; and they are more likely to stay fresh and continue learning and finding exciting, rewarding challenges.
There are many extremely helpful frameworks and approaches that help here, most notably the emotionally powerful work of Brené Brown on vulnerability and the pioneering educational work of Carol Dweck on fixed and growth mindsets. In the Confidence-Centred Coaching process other, less obvious sources from the creative arts will also be drawn on to encourage openness and an ability to learn from feedback and self-reflection.
Where we want to get to:
the best coach only you can be, true to yourself
confident to be open, creative and always learning
adept at creating safe coaching spaces, infused with confidence