A risk that will make you a better coach
As a coach, you are great at asking hard questions—but they generally aren't about you. Turning the tables on yourself with your clients is a risk you need to take.

Written By Robert E Logan

Christian Coaching Pioneer, Strategic Ministry Catalyst, Resource Developer, Empowering Consultant : Logan Leadership
One of the things coaches least like to do is take stock of how well they are doing in their coaching relationships. The very line of inquiry is a risk because it puts us in a vulnerable position. After all, people would tell us if something was wrong, wouldn’t they? Or we’d sense it, wouldn’t we? Probably best to just continue along a smooth path without throwing potential barriers in our own way.

Yet by having the courage to ask the hard questions—the ones we may not like the answers to—we can model precisely the kinds of qualities we are helping to develop in those we are coaching. Those qualities include courage, resilience, a commitment to doing your best, and a reliance on God for our self-esteem rather than others.

If you’re willing to take the risk…

coach assessment

Here are some good questions you can ask. You will become a better coach by reflecting on the answers and making appropriate adjustments.

  • What progress have you made through our coaching relationship so far?
  • What am I doing (or not doing) that is helpful to you?
  • What do you wish I would do more often?
  • What changes might be helpful?
  • What direction are you sensing God would have us go next?

Note that none of these questions have pre-conceived answers or lead people toward particular conclusions. The goal is to foster honest communication. To the end, you should take the posture of listening with an open mind to whatever the Spirit might be communicating. The result will be stronger and more effective coaching relationships.

Formal Coach Assessment

There is no better tool to help you raise your coaching effectiveness than the 360° Christian Coach Assessment. The assessment measures your coaching in 9 competencies and 55 behavioral expressions. Once you discover where there’s room to grow, your report will point you to resources and exercises that will help you refine your skills and become a better coach. Learn more HERE.

Photo by chris robert on Unsplash
Cover Photo by janilson furtado on Unsplash

7 Questions to Boost Creativity

Has your client been doing the same events for years even though they are getting diminishing results? They are in a ministry rut. Here are 7 questions you can ask to boost creativity for more effective ministry. 

When Your Coaching Client is Wounded

Sometimes new—or old—wounds hold clients back. Here is what you can do to help and what to do when you can’t.

Coaching Through Decision Fatigue

The world is changing at breakneck speed. For many ministry leaders, new innovations are seen as roadblocks to their mission and vision. Constantly navigating around them is exhausting. Here is how you help those leaders keep moving forward.

Drilling down for insight

Giving feedback is a learned skill.  Helping someone grow in this area can be a game changer. But you must slow down and remain present and ask reflective questions.

Is Coaching Still Relevant?

The way ministry is done has changed a lot recently. Your coaching ministry is losing steam. People just aren’t engaging like they used to. Is coaching no longer relevant? Is there another system out there that is more effective?

Building Cultural Awareness for Effective Coaching

If you are working to make your coaching client list more diverse, the best place to start is with a refresher in cultural sensitivity

Coaching for Resourcing 

Fighting a scarcity mindset by helping clients see God’s provision.

A Military Strategy for Coaching Ministries?

Big changes are needed to halt the decline of the Church in America. However, even small changes can be met with heavy resistance. Many pastors have tried to implement healthy changes and admit that it feels almost impossible. Here is a strategy that might help.

The Organized Coach

If you are coaching more than a handful of people, you know it can get hard to track all the moving parts. Here’s how you can keep it all organized.

2 Areas of Your Coaching Business to Consider

You’ve got the basics of your coaching practice in order. You are a trained coach and you have a business plan in motion. But things are moving slower than you hoped. Here are some intangibles and nonessentials that, with some attention, might be just what you need.