Last year, I saw Derren Brown perform and was predictably blown away. He uses body language and other cues to pick audience members who are incredibly susceptible to hypnosis – which makes it look effortless.
I am not Derren Brown (sorry).
However, I typically get the best results with leaders who are highly coachable. It’s almost guaranteed they will make stratospheric progress and totally nail it. While other folks can sometimes appear a little more…well, average.
The good news:
These coachability traits are learnable and you can apply them even if you’re not being coached.
The even better news:
I promise that if you consistently apply these behaviours you’ll become a better leader… or I’ll buy you a ticket the next time Derren Brown is playing at the Bristol Hippodrome*.
#1 Show up with a humble mindset of: “What’s my part in this?”
Don’t dodge things, make excuses, blame others or become defensive. And if you realise they’re doing those things put your hand up and own it.
#2 – Make strenuous efforts to remove yourself from the treadmill
Take ownership of your diary and make tough decisions to create space. Which could mean: focusing on resourcing, stepping up the delegating, saying no, managing up, and coaching instead of solutionising.
#3 – Use your extra capacity wisely
Create a weekly habit of reflecting on your progress. Focus on the future horizon. Schedule meaningful 121s. Seek feedback. Experiment.
Of course, sometimes you may lapse back to old behaviours and have to get back on the wagon. But if you’re committed to doing what it takes you will see stratospheric progress.
Hit reply if you want your team to be more coachable too.
* Ts and Cs apply. The main one being that I don’t think Derren Brown is performing in Bristol any time soon. But look, if you don’t get results after making these changes you might benefit from working with a coach to understand what’s missing. Hit reply (because I’m a coach.)