Ten Marks of a Coachable Leader

When Phil Jackson became coach of the Chicago Bulls, his first meeting was with Michael Jordan. Phil shared with Michael his dreams and plans for turning the Bulls into a Championship Team. He said to Michael, "It will only work if you embrace them"... to which Michael Jordan said, "I am with you Phil, you know I have always been coachable." The rest is history! Michael Jordan, because he was coachable, submitted himself to his coach, to his coach's process and plans. He was willing to be put under the scrutiny of others, so that they could see what he couldn't. He was willing to trust his coach enough to make the necessary adjustments to make him (Jordan) one of the world's greatest basketball players that led one of the greatest champion runs in NBA history. Are You Coachable? As a pastor, coach, regional leader, and father I have discovered one thing: It is so much easier to work with people who are coachable! They have a demeanor that is receptive and not resistant! They take the view of a learning student not a suspicious critic. They have a posture that is open and not guarded. One of the great biblical examples of a coachable leader was Apollos. Luke gives us a great description of him in Acts 18:24-26: Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. Apollos was a great man, well educated, cultured and eloquent. He knew God's Word and he spoke with great passion and courage. And yet all the greatness didn't go to his head because he was willing to receive more instruction from a couple of tent makers. Great leaders are teachable leaders. In the end, Apollos' usefulness to God's great cause expanded to the point that the Corinthian Church began to look at him as an equal or even superior to the Apostle Paul. (I Corinthians 3:1-8). Continual learning is a basic necessity to improvement in life and in many cases, it is other people, such as coaches and mentors, who will help you get there...but only if you are coachable. In 2009, a study done by Douglas McKenna & Sandra Davis, "Hidden in Plain Sight: The Active Ingredients of Executive Coaching", which links psychotherapy outcomes to executive coaching, finds that 40% of the impact of coaching is dependent on the learner's readiness to receive coaching while 30% depends on the relationship between coach and coachee; 15% on the coachee's expectation of improvement; and 15% on the implementation of the coaching models, theories, and methods. This begs the question, "What does it take to be coached well?" It's coachability. Coachability is the ability to take advice. The Bible says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice" (Proverbs 12:15 ESV). And again, "Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future" (Proverbs 19:20 ESV). To be coachable is to be willing to learn from others, from their experiences, their expertise, and their perspectives. It is not always comfortable. I remember as a young pastor in my twenties telling a future church member, "If you have any advice for me, please don't hesitate to give it to me". She responded, "Do you mean that?" I replied, "Yes, of course." She told me, "You need to take care of your shoes and shine them more". Thirty-five years later I have applied that advice every day because first impressions count. If being coachable is to "take advice," then to be uncoachable is to "reject advice". Solomon wrote, "...since you disregard all my advice and do not accept my rebuke, I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you; I will mock when calamity overtakes you" (Proverbs 1:25- 26). Again, he writes, "Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them" (Proverbs 1:30- 32). Living without a coachable spirit sets us on a path of consequences that can be heartbreaking and devasting. To be coachable means to be: › Approachable › Attentive › Receptive › Curious › Objective › Trusting › Shapeable › Confident Here is a quick 8-point checklist on your coachability from a sales and marketing perspective. Which of these are true and to what extent? 1. I usually allow my manager and others to complete their sentences before responding. (If you don't, it's not a good sign.) 2. When I'm given feedback/criticism, I usually think about it before responding, waiting just a bit. (If you don't, you're likely not giving it real consideration.) 3. When I'm given feedback/ criticism, I rarely find myself defending a position or action immediately. (If this is true, you're probably trying to really learn how you can improve.) 4. When I'm given feedback/ criticism, I ask questions about it in order to try to better understand it. (A good sign.) 5. I feel my work's purpose is to serve my external customers. ("You're gonna have to serve somebody." – Bob Dylan) 6. I feel my work's purpose is to serve my internal customers (managers, colleagues, other departments). 7. I've changed/ revised my position/approach because of the advice of another individual. (If not, how coachable do you really think you are? No one is always right.) 8. My manager invests time in my professional development (If she/he doesn't, it might be because of a perception that you're uncoachable). There's no rating scale here. These questions are simply meant to raise awareness (when answered objectively and truthfully). In this study we are going to examine ten marks of a coachable leader because coaching can only work when there is a coachable person.