Don’t Coach the Dead
Everyone has potential. But you don’t run a rescue mission. Forget about coaching the incompetent. Train them.
The more capable the person, the more valuable development.
Elite performers in every sector have coaches.
Coaching won’t compensate for lack of aspiration or talent.
Don’t Coach When
Feedback feels like an attack. Resistance isn’t stubbornness. It’s self-protection.
Aspiration is recapturing the past. Development isn’t about doing things the way they’ve always been. When past wins prove you’ve arrived, you need a funeral, not development.
Defending image means you can’t change. The objective of intervention isn’t having it all together. Defensiveness isn’t stubbornness. It’s self-protection.
Insight without action is celebrated. People who love being told something new don’t seek development. They need a guru to protect them from gritty reality.
Self-development doesn’t help when you want to fix others. Successful growth moves from blaming others to ownership.
The Shift
Coach people who are capable, responsible, and committed to growth.
Intervention works when the need to be right goes quiet. When the desire for growth exceeds the need to self-protect. And when curiosity replaces control.
12 Questions Self-Development Questions
- What’s working that I should pour energy into?
- What’s one thing I could do differently?
- When do I create friction without realizing it?
- What’s it like to interact with me?
- What new behavior might serve others well?
- What am I missing?
- What am I avoiding?
- What worked in the past, but not today?
- What am I learning and how is it changing me?
- How do I want to show up today?
- Who does this well? What do they do differently?
- What new behavior can I test this week?
Who is ready for development opportunities?
Resources:
The Simple Path to Your Best Self
Coachability: The Leadership Superpower
