You’ll often hear many sports observers say some of the best athletes in the world are also the most coachable. In many ways, the same principle applies to the office. You could have an outstanding skillset or tremendous work ethic, but you will always need someone who can teach you to be better.
Being coachable is a soft skill that often flies under the radar, but it can be very important for your personal and professional growth. If this sounds like something you’re struggling with, below are a few techniques to turn over a new leaf and become more coachable.
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Adopt the Right Mentality
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Some people care too much about rank and tenure that they will refuse to listen to feedback from anyone they believe is below them. This kind of mindset is the exact opposite of how coachable people think. You need to be willing to accept valid feedback from everyone. If you can’t learn to accept criticism, you will never grow. Train yourself to crave feedback and you’ll find yourself growing and getting better with time.
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Learn to Accept Different Perspectives
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Whether we notice it or not, we all have a habit of surrounding ourselves with people we like, and more importantly, agree with. The downside to this is that it makes us susceptible to being trapped in an echo chamber, where all we hear are opinions we agree with.
But exposing yourself to other people’s ideas allows you to appreciate different perspectives, some of which you can use to improve yourself.
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Work with People Who Challenge You
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Whether you’re a manager or junior employee, it’s important to be willing to work with people who challenge you, who are ready to call you out when you make a mistake, and won’t be afraid to offer constructive criticism. Again, don’t limit yourself to people who only say ‘yes’ to you. They might mean well, but they’ll only hurt your growth and development.
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Listen and Listen Good
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Listening isn’t just hearing what other people say, and neither is it just paying lip service to what people tell you. Listening is a full process of taking in the information you hear, weighing its value, and acting on it.
With criticism, the knee-jerk reaction most people make is to reach negatively—to retaliate and come up with a retort. True listening means absorbing and processing this criticism, understanding where it came from, and finding ways to fix whatever problem warranted the feedback.
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