Sept. 5, 2025

The Secret To Being a Great Coach | Truth #4

Send us a text Are you ready to unlock *The Secret To Being a Great Coach*? In *Truth 4*, we tackle one of the biggest myths in coaching: the belief that perfection is the key to success. In fact, striving for perfection can hold you back from true connection with your clients. This video dives into why being present, not perfect, is where real coaching power lies. You’ll learn how to break free from overthinking, stay fully engaged with your clients, and embrace growth through practice...

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Send us a text

Are you ready to unlock *The Secret To Being a Great Coach*?  In *Truth 4*, we tackle one of the biggest myths in coaching: the belief that perfection is the key to success. In fact, striving for perfection can hold you back from true connection with your clients. This video dives into why being present, not perfect, is where real coaching power lies. You’ll learn how to break free from overthinking, stay fully engaged with your clients, and embrace growth through practice—even when mistakes happen.

Discover how perfectionism sneaks into coaching, how it impacts your presence, and why your clients need you to listen more than they need you to be flawless. We’ll also share insights from our coaching certification program, where hands-on practice helps coaches build confidence and overcome the perfection trap.

Join the conversation! Share your thoughts on today’s truth, and let us know how you're working on being present in your coaching journey. Don’t forget to subscribe for more truths about coaching and leadership, and stay tuned for *Truth 5*, where we’ll uncover what real coaching is all about. Let’s grow together!

#onlinecoachingbusiness #coachingtoolbox #coachingdemonstration #coachingbusiness #personaldevelopment

#coachingmethodology #coachingsessionexample #activelistening #coachingforcoaches #personaldevelopment

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!


Chapters

00:00 - The Perfectionism Trap in Coaching

01:00 - Getting Better Through Doing, Not Perfecting

01:41 - Signs of Perfectionism in Coaching

02:37 - The Power of Practice and Feedback

Transcript
WEBVTT

00:00:00.381 --> 00:00:05.392
So many coaches, especially new ones, feel like they have to get it right to be effective.

00:00:05.392 --> 00:00:06.939
What do you think is the problem with that?

00:00:06.939 --> 00:00:13.374
That belief is the fastest way to disconnect from your client your gift and your growth.

00:00:13.374 --> 00:00:19.272
Coaching isn't about delivering the perfect question, the perfect answer or the perfect feedback.

00:00:19.272 --> 00:00:25.667
It's about being fully present with your client so that you can help them explore what is really going on.

00:00:25.667 --> 00:00:35.613
And perfectionism that actually kills your presence, because in that moment you're actually stuck in your head and not focused on the human that is in front of you.

00:00:36.034 --> 00:00:41.427
The real truth is, coaches get better by coaching, not by being flawless.

00:00:41.427 --> 00:00:46.042
So many times I've personally learned how to coach better by actually doing it wrong.

00:00:46.042 --> 00:01:00.701
I mean, many of the things that I help people with are things that I used to struggle with as well, and if you're constantly wanting to be perfect, you're never going to be doing the thing you need to do most, which is just coaching, and that's why today's truth is perfection can make you a worse coach.

00:01:00.701 --> 00:01:04.329
Growth comes from showing up real, not perfect.

00:01:04.329 --> 00:01:09.167
So in this truth, let's remember that you don't need to be perfect, you need to be present.

00:01:09.167 --> 00:01:11.152
That's where the power really is.

00:01:11.152 --> 00:01:13.525
What does perfection look like in coaching?

00:01:13.525 --> 00:01:14.549
How does it sneak in?

00:01:14.549 --> 00:01:18.555
Perfection could look like what's the best question that I can ask right now?

00:01:18.555 --> 00:01:20.763
Or I wonder what they're going to think if I ask them this.

00:01:20.763 --> 00:01:30.484
Instead of you focusing on your client and what they're saying, what their body language is trying to tell you, you're focused and stuck in your head thinking about all the ways that you need to show up perfectly.

00:01:30.927 --> 00:01:35.427
One of the things that our clients ask us all the time is how do I know what's the right, best question to ask?

00:01:35.427 --> 00:01:36.430
And I always tell them.

00:01:36.430 --> 00:01:43.168
Your client will tell you, but you have to be present with them and listen to them fully until they're finished.

00:01:43.168 --> 00:01:49.281
Don't be thinking about what the next question is going to be, the next path that you're going to take them down, or the next skill you're going to use.

00:01:49.281 --> 00:01:54.341
Wait for them to be finished and be fully present with them and you will know when you get to the end.

00:01:54.341 --> 00:01:55.504
All else fails.

00:01:55.504 --> 00:01:59.980
You just get curious and ask an additional question to find out more information.

00:02:00.382 --> 00:02:09.921
So if you find yourself in your head spinning over and over and over while there's a client in front of you, you really need to take a step back and remember that it's not about you, it's about them.

00:02:09.921 --> 00:02:21.788
Now, this is why our coaching certification actually creates a coaching lab where you actually do this live, because this isn't one of those skills that's like really easy to learn or that it's going to just start happening automatically.

00:02:21.788 --> 00:02:31.609
You need to be able to practice it and get some feedback back and forth to see when you accidentally go into this, because the way our brain is wired it's going to unconsciously get us to do that.

00:02:31.609 --> 00:02:37.414
We just have to be able to recognize it and to do that it takes practice and feedback from others.

00:02:37.896 --> 00:02:42.046
So today was truth number four, and if you haven't seen truth number three, definitely go back and watch it.

00:02:42.046 --> 00:02:48.748
It's all about why noticing, not knowing, is the key to coaching, and today's truth ties right into that.

00:02:48.748 --> 00:03:02.925
But it also leads us into what we're unpacking next, because even when you drop the need to be perfect, there's another trap that can sneak in and that's trying to prove yourself, trying to perform your way into confidence and trying to make the next session about how well you're doing.

00:03:02.925 --> 00:03:06.662
And in truth number five, we're going to break that right open and why.

00:03:06.662 --> 00:03:08.545
Real coaching isn't about you.

00:03:08.545 --> 00:03:10.108
It's about this.