Unlocking Potential

Unlocking Potential is a guide that will help you as a leader make a difference in people’s lives in the long run by learning how to coach people in a way that brings to light their greatest strengths and capabilities.

If someone who you didn’t trust started giving you advice, would you listen to them? Of course not! I remember recently a leader I had no faith in tried to give me advice. Not only was it awkward, it also fell on deaf ears. In contrast, recently I’ve enjoyed working with mentors that I knew I could trust. With their help, my happiness and success have reached new heights.

To make a difference in anybody’s life, they must trust you. And the only true way to get that is by being completely honest with people. When you have the power of confidence in your team, it fosters healthy communication. This happens because it allows people to feel more free to be open with one another.

Next comes a principle that is a large component of this book, and that’s potential. When coaching, you need to believe that everyone has the power to learn, grow, and become better.

This type of faith in a person can help light a fire within them that they didn’t know was there. To develop this skill, practice listening to understand other’s paradigms. When you know what they believe in, you can help them move past whatever is holding them back.

Motivation is difficult to maintain over the time it takes to achieve a goal. But when we fully commit, that desire to work hard becomes more consistent. So how do you help the people you’re coaching stay motivated and committed? The answer goes back to the hallmark of coaching, which is asking questions and actively listening. Try asking “what actions and goals are crucial for you to reach professionally and personally?” Or you might try “how badly do you want to make an impact on the world?” Gauge daily progress by using the question “do you seek to grow your skills each day?” Take time to think of your own questions to help your specific clients commit to their goals. After a pledge to action the next step is execution. To invite action towards your people’s goals, change your vision of your own role as their coach. Don’t view your job as pushing or pulling them to your idea of fulfillment. Instead, seek to make sure that you take the client where they want to go. The best way to do this is to help them figure out what will get them into the flow state. What work makes them feel completely absorbed in body,…