Having been in a training role for 25 years plus, and trained well in excess of 30,000 people, one of the key success factors that comes through strongly as a positive trait is the ability to be coachable. When team members are coachable, they are always open to learning, particularly with new or better ways to achieve success.
Being coachable in any role will help us to achieve success. It’s no surprise that all the top athletes have coaches, some more than one. The world’s top athletes, musicians and CEO’s often spend thousands of dollars each year on personal coaching.
A recent article by best selling author Robert Glazer, reinforced why being coachable is critical to long term success. Glazer comments that when it comes to coaching, most people fall into three distinct groups:
- The first group doesn’t want feedback and coaching, they are sure they know everything.
- The second group believes they want feedback and coaching, but their pride prevents them from fully accepting it. These are the people for whom the same issues consistently come up in performance reviews.
- The third group actively seeks out coaching and feedback and acts on the advice. They will do anything to get better and rarely repeat the same mistakes when pointed out. These are the individuals who become superstars in their field.
I know which group I would much rather work with and the same applies to retailers, they need to employ and promote team members who are coachable.
So, what do you look for, how do you know if someone is coachable? Glazer identified the following 5 key indicators that usually determine if a person is coachable:
1) Humility: Is the person able to admit what they don’t know or can’t do?
2) Commitment: When working on a difficult task, do they demonstrate perseverance and grit?
3) Self-Awareness: Do they recognize how their actions impact others?
4) Willingness to Learn: Are they naturally curious and inquisitive?
5) Vulnerability: Are they able to be open and trust others?
If you want to be successful, then you need to be coachable and if you lead a team, identify and invest in your team members who are coachable.
Roger Simpson – CEO, The Retail Solution and Author of “The Ultimate Retail Sales Experience” With over 35 years’ industry experience, Roger Simpson is recognized as Australia’s #1 Authority on customer ROI in the retail industry and as a global expert on staff coaching, customer service, and selling skills.
