You never forget your first real coach. Because if they did their job right, they helped you remember something about yourself you didn’t know you’d forgotten.

Most owners I talk to didn’t grow up with a coach. Not in business, anyway.

They built their companies by doing, trying, failing, and trying again.

Coaches were for sports. For the sidelines. Not for the seat at the head of the table.

But somewhere along the way, they realize… It’s hard to keep growing a business when you’re the only one growing people.

So they do something new: They hire a coach — for themselves, or someone on the team.

And whether they know it or not, that person — the first coach — will define what coaching is supposed to feel like.

Coaching is Trust, Not Tactics

If the coach shows up with a checklist, the person will assume coaching is just micromanagement with better manners.

If the coach shows up distracted, disinterested, or self-important, they’ll assume coaching is a waste of time.

But if the coach is present…

If they listen without rushing in to fix… If they ask questions that make you tilt your head and say, “Huh. I’ve never thought about it that way before…” Then something opens.

A new kind of growth becomes possible.

Not just for the person.

But for the culture around them.

I’m Coaching Someone Who’s Now Coaching Coaches

He was a sales coach. Now he coaches the coaches.

He asked me, “How do I teach them to coach like I do?”
I asked him, “Well, how do you do it?”

He paused. Then he said:

“I try to get to know them. I get in their head. I figure out what makes them tick.”

Exactly.

That’s coaching. That’s what someone never forgets. Not the sales script. Not the quarterly goals. But the sense that someone gave a damn — and helped them give a damn about themselves.

You May Be Someone’s First Coach

Maybe it’s a technician you’re turning into a team lead.
Maybe it’s your operations manager who’s suddenly managing people.

Or maybe it’s you — finally slowing down long enough to look inward instead of only outward.

Whoever it is, just remember: The first coach sets the tone for all the ones who come after.

They’ll either help someone grow…

…or reinforce the belief that coaching is just a fancy word for pressure.

So choose carefully. And if you’re stepping into that role for the first time—do it like it matters.

Because it does.

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