What can stop you being curious as a coach?

“Unfortunately, the better you know someone, the more likely you will quit being curious. “

Marcia Reynolds, Coach the Person, Not the Problem (p. 173)

 

Over the years, ReciproCoach has written much about the ethical considerations coaches need to be aware of when coaching a loved one:

 

• Think twice about coaching a family member or friend
• How to avoid and manage conflicts of interest in coaching
• What are the ethical risks of coaching a loved one?
• Don’t risk attempting to coach a loved one yourself
• Have you ever attempted to coach a loved one?

 

In addition to the array of ethical dilemmas coaching a loved one can present, Marcia Reynolds highlights how coaching a loved one can actually affect your coaching process – the more you know someone, the harder it is to maintain curiosity.

 

Despite these risks, many coaches still fall into the trap of attempting to coach a loved one. After all, we feel compelled to help, right?

 

 

This is the reason ReciproCoach runs a Gift Coaching Round every Christmas. Regardless of whether or not you celebrate Christmas, our Christmas Gift Coaching Round allows you to give coaching to a loved one, without taking on the risk yourself.

 

Open to coaches with 100+ client coaching hours, as a participant of a Gift Coaching Round, you will be assigned a coach and a client. Your assigned coach coaches your loved one, and in return, you coach the loved one of another ReciproCoach. Your loved one could be your partner, brother, mother, best friend or anyone else with whom you already share a close relationship which would normally prevent you from coaching them effectively.

 

ReciproCoach Gift Coaching Rounds rank among my favourite ReciproCoach experiences. This year I participated in the Easter Gift Coaching Round. In addition to my partner receiving some brilliant and much-appreciated coaching, the client I coached was one of my most willing and coachable clients to date.