Executive coaching provides a way to fast-track development of a leader. Since it is an investment in time and money, companies target coaching for leaders worth the investment.
Before committing to the expense of coaching, companies should determine whether or not the potential client is coachable.
What does an uncoachable employee look like?
Some companies waste significant amounts of money and time by hiring coaches for people who are not coachable.
This most often occurs when the company wants a coach to fix someone who is have serious performance or interpersonal issues. The company wants a “quick fix” of the employee and the employee sees it as punishment.
This scenario is doomed to fail before it starts.
Description of a coachable employee
A coachable executive is one who is open to development and learning, has curiosity, wants to grow their career, trusts the coach and the related expertise.
Coachable executives will come to sessions with a willingness to participate, work on planned activities in between sessions, reflect on the sessions and continuously try to build the learning into the everyday work.
Coachability looks different for different people
Every executive expresses their coachability differently and will vary on these characteristics. Some experienced executives seem gruff and closed off, but really open up in the confidential coaching sessions with an external, objective coach. They needed a safe person to be a sounding board.
Sometimes resistance can show up in a passive way such as a client who talks a lot in the session and then takes no action.
How to judge coachability
Before investing in coaching, think about those coachable characteristics. Does the executive seem to fit the description?
If you are not sure, ask HR folks who work with the executive. They have heard feedback and witnessed interactions – they will have valuable input.
If you’re still not certain, ask the executive if she is willing to embrace the coaching experience.
If the time is right and the client is ready, coaching can be transformational!
Adapted from ‘What is executive coaching and how does it work?’ published on Science of Working on September 5, 2019
