The Two C's Model of Coaching

I have been thinking deeply about my approach to coaching over the last year or so. Out of that has come my own personal coaching approach. I happened to mention this approach in a LinkedIn conversation with my good friend, Dan Prager, and this generated some interest. So, it’s time for a blog post on my approach to coaching. To be clear here, this isn't a collection of techniques. It’s not a way of structuring conversations. It’s not a set of categories for coaching interactions. It isn't any of the things you usually see in coaching approaches. It’s more my philosophical underpinnings of what makes for good coaching.

I call my approach the two C's model. Those two C's are Curiosity and Compassion. Those two things underpin my approach to coaching. To me, a great coach approaches the coaching with a spirit of open curiosity about the subject. They should also approach from a position of compassion for all those involved. For me, those two things are what distinguishes great coaching from good coaching. You can be a good coach without those things, but to be a great coach they must be at the heart of your practice. Let's look a bit deeper into why.