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Think back to a time when you were the learner in a coaching partnership. What was your coach like? How did you respond to their support? Was the partnership successful or were there things you wish had been different? Successful coaching partnerships require both the coach and the learner to contribute and take on certain characteristics. Review the listed characteristics for coaches and learners below, and reflect on these lists with a trusted colleague. In your discussion, brainstorm whether there are other characteristics you would add to either list. 

Characteristics of Successful Coaches

• Able to work with diverse individuals with varying needs
• Aware of own biases and if they have benefited from privilege
• Assumes a strengths-based perspective for learners
• Has a growth mindset for learners and values small strides toward progress
• Able to build learners’ capacity for learning and problem-solving
• Able to see things from others’ perspectives
• Willing to “roll-up their sleeves” and model discussed practices
• Dependable, follows through with commitments and timelines
• Understands when the help needed is beyond their scope of knowledge and practice
• Able to ask for and give objective feedback
• Able to engage in honest self-reflection about their coaching skills and helpfulness to others 

Characteristics of Successful Learners

• Can identify own strength and needs
• Open to the perspectives of others
• Aware of strategies that help them learn (e.g., handwritten notes)
• Speaks up when they don’t understand something or feel a request is unrealistic
• Willing to engage in collaborative problem-solving
• Willing to engage in honest self-reflection about their beliefs, knowledge, and practices
• Desire to learn new information and skills at all stages of career
• Commitment to quality care for children and overall program quality
• Willing to try new practices, even if they are outside of their comfort zone
• Able to ask for and give objective feedback
• Respects the coach, even if they have less years of experience or are younger