Coaching: Why Does Competence Take So Long?

Most people, when they first think about the coaching or facilitation skills, consider them easy and simple. And why not? After all, every. single day of our lives we listen to people, support those we love and care about, ask questions, receive feedback, and tell them what we think about them. So, how difficult could any of that be? No wonder everybody and his brother assumes that they could become a professional coach by taking a weekend course!

But, of course, things are not as simple as they look. So while the actual skills seem so common, so everyday, and also so mundane, the very idea that you could learn to perform them at an expert level seems silly. “Expert listening, are you kidding me?” It also seems unbelievable that competence or expertise with these skills would take very long. After all, people think, “Well to listen, just listen; that’s all there is to it. How difficult could it be?”