The Practices of Anytime Coaching

In the chapters ahead, we will talk about the key practices of Anytime Coaching. The word “practices” is significant here. A practice is something you do regularly, with the goal of continual, broad improvement. For example, a pianist practices scales and finger exercises to build greater facility in playing sonatas and concertos. A basketball player practices dribbling and hook shots to develop particular skills essential to playing the game well. We know from neuroscience that creating habits through practice is fundamental to forging powerful new neural connections. You too must practice individual skills to be successful in the game of Anytime Coaching.

What do you practice? The key practices are observing, inquiring, listening, and responding. What happens when you employ all these skills effectively? Day-to-day performance improvement.

Let’s begin with the practice of observing.