Are You Coachable?

What is one of the top attributes any leader looks for in a team member?

Whether it’s a business leader, an athletic coach, a doctor leading interns and residents, or a university professor selecting research assistants, all of these leaders want team members who are coachable.

Coachable team members are courageous, willing and intentional.

How can you demonstrate that you are coachable?

• Be courageous to seek feedback from others.

  • After a project or specific assignment, ask for feedback from your leader, your peers and those who receive your work.

• Be willing to actively listen to feedback.

  • As Stephen Covey writes, “seek first to understand.”

  • Be sure your body language demonstrates you are listening by physically leaning in, nodding and keeping eye contact.

  • Ask clarifying questions.

  • Avoid being defensive to feedback.

    • If the leader feels uncomfortable because you are defensive, they will be less likely to provide valuable feedback to you in the future.

    • If you feel defensive, wait until the meeting is over to blow off the steam privately. Instead, ask enough questions to understand the feedback. Don’t make excuses or overly explain. Accept responsibility when needed.

• Be intentional to create an action plan for improvement.

  • Some feedback you receive will be about coaching to improve a weak performance, but you can also benefit from feedback that strengthens an already strong performance.

  • Your goal is to always improve no matter how good you are.

    • Track your progress again your improvement goals. Measure your performance and watch your goals become reality.

Being courageous, willing and intentional and following these steps not only projects coachability, but you will also improve your performance or strengthen what you already do well.

Think about the people who are the very best at what they do. All of them will point to someone who was willing to tell them and truth when they weren’t at their best. They encouraged them to get better and better regardless of how well they performed.

If you want to crush your career, then I encourage you to develop now the skill of being coachable.

Learn more ways to crush your career in my book, Crush Your Career: Ace the Interview, Land the Job and Launch Your Future. Available at on-line retailers and always at deeannturner.com