Page 17 - Business Coaching #11 - JUN 2021

The difference between a good coach and a
great one isn’t the ability to help teams iden-

tify limiting beliefs, but all the other skills
that you don’t learn in a coaching class. The
same is true of your clients and teams. A

great developer isn’t someone who can write
a kernel module in LISP, but someone who
can communicate with their colleagues and

customers. A great marketer isn’t defined by
their creativity, but their ability to write Excel
macros. So on and so forth.

Those who strive to be truly great cannot

afford to neglect their professional develop-
ment in non-core areas. These are general-
ly called complementary skills. Skills that,

while unrelated to each other, amplify each
other when combined. Another way of think-

ing about this is “bringing your whole self to
work”.

Complementary skills are, by definition, very • Negotiation skills (important anywhere
broad. We can no longer simply plot them on where there are competing points of view;
a skills matrix, but need to see them as a dy- whether negotiating for an extension to a

namic (and ever-moving) network of capabil- work deadline or a discount on a car)
ities. They cover what are colloquially called • Cultural communication differences and
soft skills and hard skills. The importance of non-verbal communication skills.

both is something that has become more ob- • Complexity theory and systems thinking
vious as I’ve progressed in my own career. (sadly under-recognized in many organiza-

tions)
As an example, the soft skills I would incul- Example hard skills are as diverse as the
cate in myself and my teams include; above soft skills and might include;

• Writing effectively and speaking clearly (in • Scripting skills (anything from Excel Mac-
other words, getting to the point), ros to shell scripting). Personally, I have

• Mentorship skills (I believe everyone should saved thousands of hours just by knowing
mentor someone) what (and how) to automate repetitive tasks.

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