What makes a great coach? Curiosity

Ted Lasso’s brilliant scene on curiosity

During Coaching Café this week we continue the momentum of focussing on the top 10 practices of the world’s best coaches from What Makes a Great Coach?

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This week we turn our attention a the brilliant clip. It’s from the hit Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso (played by Jason Sudeikis). Ted is shooting darts in a high-stakes match against Ruppert. He is mocked by Ruppert. And just before he hits the winning bull-eye he talks about how people have always under-estimated others. Specifically underestimating him and belittling him.

‘They thought they had it all figured out.’ Ted tells the story. ‘So they judged everything. And everyone. Not one of them were curious.’

But instead of feeling down, he focusses on a quote from the American poet Walt Whitman: ‘be curious, not judgemental.’

‘If they were curious’, Ted continues with his story. ‘They would ask questions like: “have you played a lot of darts Ted?”. To which I would have answered. “Yes Sir. Every Sunday afternoon at a sports bar with my Father. From the age 10 to the age 16, until he passed away.”’

It’s a classic scene. Beautifully written. We think will be referenced for years to come.

Curiosity doesn’t come easy for some managers

As coaches, we know that curiosity is built into everything we do.

Furthermore, many of us are coaching managers in the workplace to be curious. Especially, to ask questions when a team member presents a problem. Rather than jumping in and solving the problem straight away.

But as we discovered, for many people curiosity doesn’t come easily. Indeed, it is something that we have to practice.

It requires us to suspend judgement. To let go of being the instant subject matter expert. And to ‘hold the space’ or pause. So that the person we are talking to engages their own thinking. Becomes curious themselves. To really exercise the skills of leader as coach. Rather than just managing the situation. And directing and telling a person what to do, because it’s efficient.

The benefits of curiosity in the workplace

Emma says that all her life she marvelled at the tennis great. Wondering ‘how did they do that?’ What a wonderful coaching question. One that has great application to the workplace.

Importantly, there are so many benefits to encouraging curiosity in the workplace.

It is through our curiosity that we can solve problems. And make the incremental improvements that are needed to maximise our potential. Not only that, but we can also instil that curiosity in our team members. To assist them to solve problems, in practice and in the critical moments, for example when they’re making decisions.

If a manager is always directing, telling, and instructing their team members. They miss the opportunity to breed an environment of curiosity. And it is this environment
that leads to the breakthrough improvements that build high performance in a team.

Practicing curiosity

What Makes a Great Coach? gives us the opportunity to reflect on our own coaching practices. In the Coaching Café where we share the research and stories around curiosity from the book. And most importantly key questions that we can all use to reflect on how we bring curiosity to our coaching practice. Perhaps you might like to reflect on your own questions.

What questions create a culture of curiosity in the workplace?
How do we spark curiosity in others?
How can we refine our own practice of curiosity?

Finally we leave you with this thought. Emma interviewed Ric Charlesworth, former coach of the Australian men’s field hockey team, the Hockeyroos. On the topic of curiosity, Ric said, ‘As a coach, curiosity means that we need to be continuously searching and looking for the edge. It is our job to spark that in our players.’

Ric Charlesworth

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