Get Your ACT Together: Coaching as the Catalyst for Performance

Coaching Is Not a Fix

One of the biggest misconceptions about coaching is that it’s for people who are underperforming. In reality, coaching is for high performers who are serious about getting even better. From professional athletes to world-class musicians, from CEOs to frontline leaders, it is those who are already performing at a high level who seek out coaching because they understand that they have the most to benefit from it. 

In organizational settings, the same principle applies. Workplace cultures where coaching is accessible, encouraged, and actively used at all levels consistently outperform those where it is not. This is true for both objective metrics such as high performance outcomes, as well as subjective valuations such as employee morale and engagement. 

The reason coaching works so effectively is not because people are broken and need to be fixed, but because, by definition, transformation is only possible with knowledge and capabilities beyond our current limitations, and transcending our limitations will always require the guidance and support of at least one other person. 

What Great Coaching Looks Like

Having experimented with many coaching styles over the years, I’ve come to believe that, just as with leadership, great coaching is based on timeless and universal principles. 

Regardless of which style of coaching someone practices, they generally involve connecting people with what matters most to them, figuring out what obstacles are in the way, getting them moving in the direction of their goals, and helping them build resilience on their journey. If that sounds familiar to you, it’s because it closely mirrors the Clarity-Focus-Commitment-Resilience Model I use in my own coaching as well as in my training of other coaches. 

Another thing that unites all great coaches is, as alluded to earlier, that they aren’t focused on fixing people; they’re focused on freeing them. Great coaching is never about turning someone into someone else; it’s all about helping people become the best version of themselves they can be.

Great coaches help coachees:

• Sort through their mental noise

• Reconnect to the outcome they’re truly committed to

• Identify their next move

• Feel inspired and confident enough to act

As Werner Erhard once stated, “The world does not care what you intend, how committed you are, how you feel or what you think, and certainly it has no interest in what you want and don’t want. Take a look at life as it is lived and see for yourself that the world only moves for you when you act.” 

Extraordinary coaches must not only understand and embody this truth, they must help their coachees live it. And to do that, coaches need to have their ACT together.

Extraordinary Coaches Have Their ACT Together

When I reflect on the most impactful coaches I’ve encountered, I notice they share common traits. I don’t mean that they all look or sound or even behave the same, but that they embody a consistent set of ways of being, doing, and relating toward the world and their coachees.

Extraordinary Coaches Are:

• Accountable – They don't coach from the sidelines. They engage fully, investing themselves in the coachee’s success.

• Courageous/Considerate – They challenge others directly, but with genuine care and respect.

• Trustworthy – They earn trust through consistent integrity and demonstrated commitment to the confidentiality of the coaching relationship.

Extraordinary Coaches Do:

• Ask Great Questions – Not to guide the coachee toward their answer, but to unlock the coachee’s own inner leader.

• Compel the Coachee to Act – They don’t let things stay theoretical; they drive coachees to get in action on their transformative insights.

• Tune In – They listen not just to what is said, but also to what is unsaid. They listen with their full presence: eyes, ears, and heart.

Extraordinary Coaches Have:

• Abundance Mentality – They believe in win-win and see possibility everywhere.

• Charisma – A grounded, non-judgmental presence that helps people feel safe to open up and fully engage.

• Teacher’s Heart – They are focused on building capability in their coachees, not just shifting their immediate results.

A Coach's Growth Has No Limits

No matter how long you’ve been coaching others, you never graduate from learning how to coach better. And no matter how long you’ve been coached, you’ll never reach a point where coaching can’t still take you further.  

The most powerful thing you can do to grow, either as a coach or a coachee, is to stay coachable yourself. So, never stop asking for feedback, and realize there is no greater source of feedback for a coach than from your coachees. 

• Where are you doing well?

• Where do you need to grow?

Ask your coachees to help you answer these questions for yourself, and coach them through doing the same for themselves. Do that, and the virtuous cycle of mutual growth you create will continue without end.

ICYMI

The Transformative Leader Book Study Guide is now available in The Ghannad Group store. Although it is available for anyone to download at no cost, please note that it was designed to be used in a group context.

The purpose of this study guide is to provide a basic framework for teams to follow as they go through the book as a group. It can be used by leaders who wish to take a cohort through the book, or by peers who would like to study the book together, to facilitate group discussion where team members share their individual takeaways from The Transformative Leader and discuss the practical applications of each concept as it relates to their area of concern or responsibility.

Every Wednesday, I post a question on LinkedIn asking for my audience’s perspective on a specific topic.

In case any of my followers missed it, I wanted to start asking the same question in the weekly newsletter as well.

Last week’s question was: 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮?

Have an answer for the community? Head on over to the LinkedIn post and leave a comment!

Get in Touch

If there are topics you find to be of special value to you, or if you’d just like to get in touch and chat about what’s going on with you, simply reply to this newsletter or send me an email at amir@theghannadgroup.com. If you’re experiencing challenges that you would like my perspective on, or you’d like to explore how we can partner with you to support you in your transformative journey, please click here to schedule a call with me. I’d love to hear from you.

Let’s have a chat!

Clients and audience members at my talks frequently tell me:

• "I felt like you were talking specifically to me!"

• "Your perspective is so real and practical!"

• "Are you sure you don't work at my company? Because you were talking about exactly what we’re dealing with!"

I love hearing this feedback because my intent is always to make a real difference in your team's mindset and behaviors, which ultimately shape the culture, results, and fulfillment in your workplace.

The top problems we solve for clients with our coaching, speaking, and consulting services are:

• People working in silos and lack of collaboration toward a shared vision.

• Functional experts in leadership roles who aren’t equipped with the right skills and mindset to lead effectively

• People in the middle or frontlines of an organization failing to take initiative and be accountable.

If you’re experiencing any of these issues—or other challenges you would like to get some expert guidance on—get in touch with me and let me know your situation. I’ll get back to you very shortly with my thoughts on what you can do to start making progress.

Alternatively, click here to schedule a free discovery call to discuss your situation in more detail and to explore if and how The Ghannad Group can partner with you to transform your culture and results. During our conversation, I’ll share practical ideas and insights relative to your situation and we can jointly determine whether we can support you going forward.

If you found something of value in this edition of the newsletter, I'd love to discuss it with you in the comments below. And if you'd like to share that value with others, I encourage you to do just that by clicking the Share button below as well!