How to Empower Your Inner Teacher, Coach, and Mentor
Friedrich Nietzsche said: “The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.”
Your responsibility
I’m a father, my biggest reward and hardest responsibility.
As a professional coach I’m more aware of what is lacking and constantly in process; strategizing and implementing essentials to equip my kids to have everything they need for tomorrow.
I need to raise confident, creative, self-sufficient, caring and balanced individuals to be great future partners, parents, business builders and community members.
My luck (with mistakes) saves me.
What about you?
Facts
Every individual needs to be noticed.
Thus that required focusing from your side to them.
Statistics show that parents are not focusing on their kids’ ways of doings and workings due to time pressures today.
What are your kids losing out on because of i.e. your poor time management?
What are you doing about this?
Teacher vs Coach vs Mentor
Your role as parent changes as your kids grow, develop and change.
Differentiate between your role as their teacher, coach and mentor because different skills and actions are needed to master these roles and times in their lives.
How?
If you want your kids to come to you for advice one day, teach them to listen well and learn to be their coach after and they will seek you out as their mentor in the future.
Through coaching facilitate their thinking.
Listen to their needs.
Let them achieve their own goals.
Be available.
Be what they need you to be.
Don’t try to fix their problems, they are not asking you too.
Tips
Teaching
Decide what you want to teach them before they leave home (i.e. manners, confidence etc).
Coaching
Ask simple and powerful questions, i.e. ‘If you were telling me what to do, what advice would you give me?’
Be focused and listen actively and genuinely to what is ‘unsaid’. The art of listening is powerful and builds great trusting relationships.
Don’t tell them what to do; they have to find the answers themselves.
Be there when the time comes to mentor.
Be an example. Be honest. Share your wins/losses with them. It makes you more human.
The challenge
Commit today, put the time in your diary for them.
Then be the teacher, coach and mentor you need to be.
Let them be who they need to become.
Your kids look forward to something great.
As published in leading business journal ASA.