Great Coaches Don’t Know More—They Do This | Truth #3
Send us a text "Great coaches don't know more. They notice more." This powerful insight challenges the fundamental misconception that keeps so many coaches—both beginners and veterans—from reaching their potential. If you've ever felt like you need more tools, frameworks, or knowledge before you can truly help others, this episode will transform your approach to coaching. We explore why the most meaningful breakthroughs rarely come from impressive techniques or clever questions. Instead, the...
"Great coaches don't know more. They notice more." This powerful insight challenges the fundamental misconception that keeps so many coaches—both beginners and veterans—from reaching their potential. If you've ever felt like you need more tools, frameworks, or knowledge before you can truly help others, this episode will transform your approach to coaching.
We explore why the most meaningful breakthroughs rarely come from impressive techniques or clever questions. Instead, they emerge from creating space where both coach and client can slow down enough to see what's actually happening. When you're fully present, you notice subtle body language shifts, significant word choices, and energetic changes that might otherwise pass unacknowledged. These observations often lead to the most transformative moments in coaching.
The distinction between knowing and noticing couldn't be more relevant in today's information-saturated world. With AI making knowledge increasingly accessible, what people truly crave isn't more information—it's greater clarity that comes through genuine presence. Great coaches understand this intuitively; they coach the whole person, not just the intellect. This same quality of attention transforms not only coaching relationships but all human connections. Think about when someone last gave you their complete attention. How did it feel? We challenge you to bring that level of presence to everyone you meet today—your family, colleagues, and clients. You might be surprised by what becomes possible.
Ready to discover why trying to be the "best" coach might actually be making you worse? Join us for Truth #4 in our next episode.
Interested in learning more about our Coaching Certification program?
Visit us at: https://www.modernleadership.us/certification
Want a personalized strategy session for free? Book a free call with Marc or Teresa: https://www.modernleadership.us/apply
Whether you're looking to master your ability to coach, you're going through a challenge, or working on a powerful goal, join Marc or Teresa for a 20-minute strategy session and leave the call with a plan to make it happen!
0:00 So many new and experienced coaches feel like they don't know enough to be great. What would you say to them? I would say that belief holds more people back than anything else, and it's not true. Most people think that being a real coach just means you have a lot of tools, a lot of structure, a lot of framework, a whole ton of knowledge and a whole bunch of experience, and all of those things are powerful, but they're not going to help you when it comes to getting started. The real truth here, though, is that great coaches don't know more. They notice more. That's a powerful one, because real coaching is about presence, not simply performance. I want you to think about a powerful breakthrough that you went through. Most of the powerful breakthroughs that I've helped somebody through happened when we slowed down and we both had an opportunity to see what was happening.
0:47 It didn't have to do with any impressive question that I asked, but it had everything to do with just giving us the time and space and presence so that we could see what was actually going on. That's why today's quote is the best. Coaches don't impress you with what they know. They change you by what they notice. What are some of the things that great coaches notice that others don't. There's a couple of things, one of which is body language. When you see somebody lean in, when you see them lean out, when you see them excited, when you notice that they are looking down, these are all things that tell you what is actually going on in your client's mind, and if you're not present with them, you're going to miss it. Another thing that I've seen is words that certain coaches glance over.
1:31 Like if I'm on a group call and I hear somebody say something very specific, I won't glance over it, I will call it out, but you have to be present in order to even hear those words. And when you do and you ask that follow-up question, you'll be amazed at how much that actually helps the other person. Now, inside of our certification, we talk you through a process of how to be deeply present, so you're there to coach the whole body, not just the brain, because the truth is, the world doesn't need more information, especially with all the AI out there. What they do need is more clarity and presence. I want you to think about the last time you felt really connected to someone and what that experience was like for you. Were they fully present?
2:11 Were they listening to everything you were saying? Were they watching your body language? It's powerful. What can unlock when somebody gives you that level of time, energy and presence? And I want to challenge you to go out there and do that today too. This is not just with coaching, but also with connection with your family, your spouse, your kids, people at work. You'll be amazed at how much you get when you're just fully present with them. So today was truth number three. If you missed truth number two, definitely go back and check it out. We talked about why coaching isn't about helping or fixing, it's about leading. And now that you know that presence matters more than knowledge, here's the next trap that a lot of coaches fall into, and that's truth number four.
2:52 It's all about how trying to be the best coach actually could be making you worse. We'll see you in episode four.
