Can Any One be Coached

Hi All,
I'm sure you have had experiences with people whom you are trying to coach to answer this with a big "No". Let's take a closer look.
How coachable a person is will depend on several factors and these factors can positively influenced by a skilful coach to some degree to create higher levels of openness and receptivity in the coachee. Factors that influence a person's coachability level are:
1. Perception of intention - "Is the coach trying to change me to someone he wants me to be or helping me to change to who I want to be?" When coachees feel it is the former, they will resist even though the intention of the coach is good. It is human nature to want autonomy and control over one's life. Help coachees identify effective behaviours and help them see how that can help them achieve their goals.


2. Coachee's technical capability -Coaching works well when the coachee has some degree of competency in their area of work. They should know the "How" of their work. If they are new to the work then teaching would be a more appropriate approach. In reality, organisation coaches would combine some teaching with coaching where knowledge and information  is needed for the coachee to move forward and at the same time drawing out their creativity and resourcefulness. If the coach uses coaching throughout the conversation with a new employee who is still learning, the coachee will feel stressed.

3. Clarity of direction - As leaders, you may have experienced your team members coming up to you seeking "answers" and you feel awkward not giving them (after being trained as a coach). Some of these questions might actually be seeking clarity of direction. They are asking the "Where" rather than the "How". It is useful to help teams understand the "Why" and the "Where" of the organisation's objectives and they can then think of the "How" to achieve it. 

4. State of mind - When the coachee is in a depressed state or is experiencing negative emotions, they are not coachable at that moment. The coach needs to find an appropriate time and place to have the coaching conversation. When the brain is hijacked by the limbic system, clear thinking (pre-frontal cortex) cannot happen.

5. Quality of Relationship - Coaching works best when there is trust, respect and safety. A coachee might seemed not be coachable by one coach but might be highly coachable with another. One tip in building positive, trusting relationship is to find more opportunities to give positive, sincere feed backs.

6. Understanding of coaching - When the coachee does not understand what coaching is and he is expecting the coach to provide the answers (as he expects that to be the role of the leader) then the partnership will not work. Help the coachee understand the process and the intent of you asking questions before diving into the coaching conversation.

So when conditions are right, I believe everyone is coachable. What are your thoughts about this subject? What other factors might influence the openness and coachabililty of a person?
Article by Amarjeet Singh - www.amarjeetsran.blogspot.com

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