Being coachable is the key to continuous improvement.

Whatever level of success you have achieved, it is likely because you have BEEN coachable in the past… and benefitted from that learning and development.

But where you are now – what you will be dealing with in the future – requires that you (and your team) be able to unlearn and relearn and move beyond complacency.

In the book Staying Coachable (4 Questions to Help You Thrive in Change and Enjoy Relentless Improvement), the main characters meet a wise woman who presents them with a series of questions that help them to get unstuck.

She explains that being coachable is about wanting to get better and being willing to change.

The first part is easy.

The second part is more challenging.

So, if YOU are in a place where you are annoyed instead of appreciative…

If YOU are in the midst of dealing with a new process or platform…

If YOU are ready to grow yourself bigger than the obstacles in your path…

Then reading through the following quotes may provide a needed moment of reflection and clarity about how you can move forward more successfully.

Here are 21 quotes from the parable Staying Coachable:

1

“The four main ceilings that limit our growth we usually build ourselves.  The first is the ceiling of contentment, the second is ignoring reality, the third is personal pride, and the fourth is knowing without doing.”

2.

“Frustration is a magnificent and powerful tool… like a hammer.  You can use it to build something impressive, or to wreck something you worked hard to build”

3.

“Complaining is always a symptom of complacency… because complaining is what you do when you are not willing to change.  And unhappiness is always a side effect.”

4.

“Turns out the greatest obstacle to getting better and having more success is their own resistance to being coached.”

5.

“Most people want to get better, but they want to do it their own way.  That usually means doing what they already know, which is just repeating the same stuff that got them stuck.”

6.

“Change is what happens when you make a commitment to something more important than your own comfort.”

7.

“Climbing a new mountain may require you to learn new skills… that’s why it’s important to stay coachable. The climbing you’ve done doesn’t mean you’ll be comfortable with the climbing you have to do next.”

8.

“We don’t need more time, we need better priorities.”

9.

“All failure is the result of vagueness… neglecting to choose and commit.”

10.

“The brightest of headlines only blind you in the darkness.”

11.

“Blame is a form of neglect where we refuse to acknowledge our responsibilities.”

12.

“Refusing to accept a new reality doesn’t alter the reality… it only keeps you from contributing in a helpful and significant way.”

13.

“Confidence is thinking you can help. Arrogance is thinking you don’t need help.  And humility is being willing to ask for help.”

14.

“You cannot pour growth into a cup already full of assumptions and ego.”

15.

“The weakness that you most need to admit is the one that keeps you from contributing what your team most needs from you.”

16.

“Your habits are external evidence of internal commitments.”

17.

“People expect they will need to do hard things to reach their goal… but the hard thing they must do to succeed, the challenge they must master, is more often doing small simple things with extraordinary consistency.”

18.

“Successful people do consistently what others only do occasionally.”

19.

“Through habits, you eventually become the person who is worthy and capable of accomplishing what you set out to achieve.  Challenges don’t change… you do.”

20.

“We measure a man not by how well he does things he likes in the sunshine, but by how well he does things he doesn’t like in the storm.”

21.

“When we climb, we inspire others to do the same.”

But Being Coachable is About More Than Reading Quotes…

As the story suggests, nothing changes until your habits change.

And while a new mindset and greater understanding are powerful, your results only change when your behaviors do.

So one of the more powerful interactive tools I have used during my leadership keynotes and team building events is this “quote conversations” activity.

You can use the quotes from Staying Coachable to help yourself and your team to not only reflect on their relevance in your next meeting, but to inspire new behaviors!

Here is the how to lead the “quotes conversation” activity:

1. Write or type out quotes on individual slips of paper.

• Place one quote slip on each table for your team.

• Spread out your team so there are 4-8 people at each table.

• Give each person at the table a pen and an index card.

• Have the people at each table read out their quote.

• Then have each person answer two questions on an index card:

Question one (answer on front of card)

– How has this principle affected you or your team in the recent past?

Question two (answer on back of card)

– What can you do in the future to be better by focusing on this principle?

• Have each person share their responses with others at their table.

• Ask for volunteers to share their insights with entire group.

.

.

The process of reflection is valuable – many successful people use a daily leadership reflection journal to increase their awareness and accelerate their personal growth.

But the next step – identifying what you will DO DIFFERENTLY in the future – is a requirement for improving your results, personally or as an organization.

Being Coachable begins with asking questions.

And those questions inspire new habits.

And if you are truly coachable, that is what leads to relentless improvement!!

     –     –     –     –     –

Sean Glaze is an author and leadership expert who has worked with clients like Cisco, John Deere, Coca-Cola, and Emory University to increase collaboration, boost productivity, and build exceptional workplace cultures.

As a successful basketball coach and educator for over 20 years, Sean gained valuable insights into leading winning teams – and now he travels around the country to share those lessons…

Sean’s engaging conference keynotes and interactive team building events help accelerate the growth of more effective leaders.

And Sean’s books, Rapid Teamwork, The 10 Commandments of Winning Teammates, and Staying Coachable are entertaining parables with powerful take-aways to improve team performance and leadership!