An effective coaching relationship is like any other strong relationship in your life; when there is strong synergy and trust, great things can happen. When you embark on your journey to build a strong coaching relationship, you will be engaging in many candid and confidential conversations that demand a high level of candor and introspection to achieve the strongest results. You need someone with whom you are completely at ease.

Although strong synergy and rapport are essential, those characteristics alone won’t get the job done. There are people with whom you may have strong synergy and rapport, but they may lack the skills required to be a good coach or mentor. You need a coach that not only understands the subtleties of human and organizational behavior but knows how to “hold your feet to the fire” when you need accountability to stay on track.

A strong coach must be a skillful listener, artful in their use of insightful and provocative questioning and willing to challenge you to reach higher and strive harder in each coaching session. While it is crucial that you have a strong rapport with your coach, you don’t want a coach that always makes you comfortable. Coaching is about growth and most growth takes place outside of your “comfort zone.”