How ready are you for coaching?  Read these statements and consider how accurate they are for you at this moment in time (today).

Rate each statement from 1 to 5 on how true each one is for you – 5 being very true.  Add the ten scores.  If your total score is:

• 10-20: consider waiting until a better time
• 21-35: explore your readiness with potential coaches
• 36-50: you’re ready; get started soon!

Hint: Read each statement, and note your reaction.  Does it ring true for you and affirm your sense of readiness? Or does it create doubt and discomfort? The more the statements seem true about you, the more likely you are to experience success with coaching.

1.  This is the right time for me to be coached; I have the motivation and there’s no reason to delay.

Time coaching to coincide with a real need so you have both the motivation and the opportunity to apply what you’re learning.

2.  I have a genuine desire and capacity to stretch and improve.

Motivation for progress and potential change has to come from within you, not to please others.  You are the only one you can really change.

3.  I am willing to try new concepts, and experiment with different ways of doing things.

Unless you shift perspectives and try new behaviors, little is likely to change.  Experimenting with new views and behaviors can be enlightening and fun, while also being an essential aspect of change.

4.  I value collaboration, and am willing to ask for help when I need it.

The stoic, go-it-alone leader who thinks asking for help is an admission of weakness is less likely to succeed.

5.  I am disciplined about following through on commitments.

Clients will be given assignments.  Doing “homework” between sessions – reading, self-observations, practices, and action steps – is important to produce genuine, sustainable shifts over time.

6.  My coach can count on me to always tell the truth, even when it’s difficult to the coach or to me.

Coaching is a partnership that requires honesty and confidentiality. It is also essential for the client to be able to speak up when something is not working.

7.  I am open to candid feedback from my coach and others.

Listening to your coach and others will challenge established paradigms and require reconsideration of behavior in which you may be highly invested. Considering honest feedback opens new choices and possibilities.

8.  I am willing to discuss my journey with others.

If you need to keep your learning process a secret, are you really committed to change?  The support and feedback of others can often help.

9.  I am willing to invest the necessary time and money in coaching.

Coaching is a powerful tool, but it requires willingness to make the proper investment (time, money, support, etc.).  This investment only makes sense if you are serious about the process.

10.  I will make this effort a priority.

If you’re expecting a quick fix, coaching is not right for you.  Real and lasting progress results from learning, practice, and feedback over time.  Hence, you have to commit to keeping your regularly scheduled coaching appointments.