Who Can We Coach?

We aren't rocket scientists. But could we coach a rocket scientist? If you are looking for a coach, this question is an important one.

As it turns out, none of us have subject matter expertise in propulsion, aerodynamics, orbital mechanics, or any of the other disciplines necessary to launch ... well, much of anything. Except maybe a golf ball. And even then, our golf balls miss their intended targets more often than we'd care to admit.

But interestingly, none of that matters. The answer is, yes, we can coach a rocket scientist.

Some people assume that hiring a coach means that they must go out and find an expert in their particular field; that an effective coach will be someone who is able to tell them what they should do next.

But if this were true, we'd need to have as many different types of coaches as there are professions in the world. Obviously, that's not feasible. Fortunately for rocket scientists, and perhaps for you, we do not need to be trained rocket scientists to coach them.

Instead, we need to be trained coaches.

In fact, our coaching model is clear: even if we did have specific subject matter expertise, we would not inject that into a coaching engagement. We simply would not tell someone we coach what to do next.

A mentor or consultant might do that, but our job is to help you process what you already know in ways that lead to creative thought and ultimately to action.

Surprisingly Our Backgrounds Don't Matter

For people who are really curious about such things, our website does mention who we are, how we think, and a little bit about things we've done in the past. But strangely, our professional experience—pre-coaching—is not actually totally relevant.

Why? Because while each of us does have subject matter expertise in different areas, even if we were experts in your field we do not believe that our role is to bring that expertise to the table in our coaching engagements.

This may sound counter-intuitive. I understand.

Keith Webb is an excellent coach who now actually trains coaches—and who led the first classes I went through as I began my journey toward certification as a professional coach. He lists six characteristics of a professional coach on his website:

• Coaches don't talk, they listen.

• Coaches don't give information, they ask questions.

• Coaches don't offer ideas, they generate ideas from clients.

• Coaches don't share their story, they tap into the client's experience.

• Coaches don't present solutions, they expand the client's thinking.

• Coaches don't give recommendations, they empower clients to choose.
  

In the article above, Keith suggests that professional coaches need to have a coaching mindset, a coaching skill set, and a coaching tool set. These are our tools of the trade.

The Relational Factor

If everything you've read here (or elsewhere on our site) resonates with you, there is still one more factor that should be carefully considered: the relational factor. The relationship that develops between a coach and a person he or she coaches is really important. So, when evaluating a potential coach, give weight in your decision-making process both to their philosophical approach to coaching and to your instincts about how well you seem to connect with a potential coach.

For a coaching engagement to be all that it can be, it requires some level of vulnerability. And that requires trust.

So can we coach you? Absolutely. Should we? Maybe. That will be up to you. We'd love to have a conversation to see if you think there might be a good fit.

The Surgent Test Drive

If you've never seriously looked at engaging a coach to help you in some area of your work or life, please consider our offer of one risk-free coaching session. This session will show you how the process works.

If, at the end, you do not believe the time was valuable, we will fully refund your money.