How to Get the Most Out of Coaching

While every coaching engagement is tailored to a leader's unique needs, there are some common factors that underlie those that are most successful. For the leader and coach, success has much to do with mindset, trust, and intention. For the leader's organization (when it is party to the coaching engagement) it’s about setting a tone and establishing policies that encourage growth and development:

Leader: Cultivates a mindset that is open to a degree of self-reflection, exploration, and experimentation that may feel uncomfortable, in service of making improvements to how they work, how they feel about work, and how they show up to their co-workers.

• Perceives coaching in a positive light – as an investment in their future, not a rebuke for under-performance

• Comes into the engagement and each session with the intention to be fully engaged, open, and honest

• Recognizes and accepts that the coaching process may challenge beliefs or require behavior change, which can be uncomfortable

• Approaches coaching with a sense of curiosity (learning) rather than judgment (defensiveness)

• Takes the work between sessions seriously (makes the time, exerts the effort, tolerates the discomfort that comes with change)

• Comes to each session prepared with a clearly-defined, impactful topic for exploration that day (don’t wait to think about it until the session has started)

• Keeps a journal or other method of recording thoughts, observations, and learnings throughout the coaching process

• Shares what they are learning and exploring with others in the organization, potentially including supervisor, peers, and subordinates

Coach: Establishes an honest, open, and trusting relationship with the leader to encourage the type of deep reflection, creativity, and motivation needed to generate real and lasting behavior change.

• Listens to deeply understand what drives the leader

• Learns language of the organization and organizational context in which the leader works

• Encourages leader to come to their own insights by asking impactful questions and gently sharing impartial observations (i.e., not lecturing or opining)

• Believes in the resourcefulness and capacity of the leader to transform their leadership, career, and life

• Creates a supportive environment where a leader feels comfortable exploring new or challenging concepts or competencies

• Establishes trust with leader and organization by being honest, dependable, and genuine in all interactions

• Establishes an agreement about confidentiality and a process for sharing information at the outset of the engagement

Organization: Creates a supportive environment and foundation needed for the leader to explore new ways of thinking and acting.

• Selects coach with care – the coach should be trained in coaching by an accredited institution, have strong business experience, and possess a demeanor and values that fit well with the leader and organization

• Establishes clear agreement with leader and coach regarding implications and goals of the coaching (i.e., whether/how this impacts employment status, career progression, etc.)

• Publicly positions coaching as a positive initiative and a sign of the organization’s commitment to leadership development, not as an attempt to correct deficiencies

• Regularly checks in with leader and coach regarding the coaching and fine-tuning goals

• Allows leader time to participate in coaching sessions and development between sessions

• Demonstrates support for the leader’s developmental journey, which may include some missteps and rough patches as they learn and try new things (i.e., permission to “fail”)