Is your team Coachable?

What is it that makes some team members more coachable than others? How come some people are always resistant to the idea of coaching while others jump at the idea of learning something new? What makes individuals hesitant to look upon areas that need improvement?

There is no way where you can predict beforehand if the employee you are hiring is coachable or not. People often relate coachability with the capability of the person. But isn’t coachability more about desire & willingness to learn?

Coaching has to be healthy mix of guidance and flexibility. As much as it depends on the person whom you are coaching, the coach also has a significant role to play. Many people who coach, stop short at guidance. For instance, your team members come to you for help and you, in order to stimulate their thinking, ask them questions back. Now according to you, you are “coaching” them, giving their imagination wings and helping them improve their critical thinking skills. But what if they see it as bullying? After all, it’s possible that they came to you after fleshing out every remote possibility.

So, does that mean you should give away the solution immediately?

NO.

They best way out to coach people effectively is to be flexible in your approach and adapt for different team members. Some people are curious to explore new things. Some are not. So you have to understand and feel okay about revealing the damn answer directly.

As a leader you should be able to see Curiosity and Commitment in the employee you want to coach. But the puzzle here is- how do you ascertain that the people in your team have these qualities?

Here is a checklist of questions you might want to answer. See how many tick off-

Ready to take challenges

If your team member takes initiatives and new challenges, then you can consider it as a good sign. A person who wants to expand his/her horizon of knowledge will always look for ways of improvement. They will find time amidst their hectic schedule to learn a new technology or a new skill. All they need is a little guidance and support from their leaders.

Makes no excuses

Heard enough cat-got-sick excuses? That’s your clue, Holmes!

She might have been eager and committed in the starting. But now if every time you check with her, she is making excuses, then she is never going to complete it. Probably, she has lost interest. Probably, she never had any interest. Probably, she is still interested but she is struggling with her schedule.

Either ways, check on her and look for ways where you can help her. Provide guidance on how to effectively manage time. Share from personal experiences how to shuffle between work and personal development.

Honest and open to discussions

A coachable employee will always be willing to discuss their development schedule and what has been blocking their plans. They do not feel uncomfortable discussing about their failures. If they have taken up something which they feel is no more relevant to their growth, they come upfront and tell their leaders.

Pay heed to criticism

If you are learning new skills, chances are you won’t improve right away. You will fail numerous times before finally learning the correct way of doing things. A coachable employee doesn’t want success straightaway. She looks for ways to succeed. She will take all criticism in her stride and look upon it as constructive feedback. She will happily celebrate one small success despite ten big failures.

Coachable employees are aware of the impact they can have on people around them. They recognize that if they faced certain problems in achieving their goal then things need to change. So, they voice their opinions and provide feedback.

These qualities appear to be very normal. All you need is right intentions to improve and reflect upon your performance. Still, we do not see many people who apply them in their work. It varies from person-to-person. However a good leader can ensure that by taking proper feedback, his/her team is more productive and coachable.

In your organization, how do you ascertain if your employee is coachable or not?