What Is Coachability And Why Is It Important?

What does the term ‘coachability’ mean? And for what purpose would we want to understand what it means in the profession of coaching?

‘Coachability’ is a term Clare Norman, a Master Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and author of ‘Cultivating Coachability’ refers to as a thinker's readiness and willingness to engage deeply in the coaching process.  (The ‘thinker’ is another term for the reflector or client in the coaching process).

Clare shares that for coaching to be truly effective, thinkers must take ownership of their development, actively participating and embracing the introspective journey.

At Empower World, we believe this approach not only empowers thinkers to derive maximum value from their coaching sessions: it also ensures coaches are not doing the work or generating insights on behalf of their clients. This approach ensures the thinker is doing their own work by tapping into their wisdom, resourcefulness, knowledge and creativity for which they take full responsibility.

Shifting the Paradigm

Often, coaches - especially new coaches - feel compelled to work harder than their clients, striving to create value and drive outcomes by offering solutions, insights, and structured guidance.

This approach, while well-intentioned, can inadvertently shift the responsibility of growth from the client to the coach. In fact, it can ‘rob’ the client of doing their own work and becoming independent and self-determined.

However, we believe in challenging this paradigm, by advocating for a coaching process where the thinker or the client is fully at the helm of their own growth journey, it is a far more effective and powerful experience for all parties involved in the coaching process, especially the thinker.

By fostering an environment rooted in the belief that every individual is naturally resourceful, creative, and whole, coaches can empower their clients to connect into their inner wisdom, strengths, and potential. Instead of offering advice, the role of the coach is to cultivate a space that encourages deep self-reflection, curiosity, and ownership over their personal and professional development.

When clients are encouraged to take 100 percent responsibility for their experiences, they develop the resilience, confidence, and clarity needed to navigate challenges and opportunities and create the meaningful change they want to embody in their lives.

This shift in perspective transforms the coaching relationship into a powerful partnership where the client leads their own transformation, guided by thought-provoking questions, active listening, and a commitment to personal accountability.

In this way, coaches facilitate deeper, more authentic and lasting breakthroughs, ensuring change is not just externally driven but internally motivated, and owned and this offers a high opportunity of being sustained.

The Role of Stakeholders, HR and Custodians of Coaching to Support a Coachability Culture

While the client plays a crucial role in coaching success, organisations must also take responsibility for creating a coaching culture.

Stakeholders, HR professionals and the ‘custodians’ of coaching within an organisation have a significant part to play in ensuring that the thinkers are adequately prepared for coaching engagements by:

 Creating Awareness:

 o   Organizations educate employees on the purpose and benefits of coaching, assisting them to understand how to maximize the opportunity.

 Assessing Readiness:

 o   HR and coaching custodians ensure thinkers are genuinely ready for coaching. This includes evaluating their openness to feedback, willingness to change, and level of self-awareness before initiating the coaching process.

 Setting Expectations:

 o   By clearly defining what coaching entails emphasising the thinker's role in the process, organisations can assist create a foundation for more effective engagements.

 Providing a Supportive Environment:

 o   Cultivating a culture that values growth, continuous learning, and accountability, enables employees to fully engage in their coaching journey.

By taking these steps, organisations can enhance the impact of coaching engagements and empower thinkers to gain the most value from their development experiences.

Practical Strategies for Coaches to Consider Setup for Coaching and Coachability

Some practical strategies to cultivate coachability in thinkers include:

 Assessing Readiness:

 o   Before commencing the coaching journey, it's crucial to evaluate a thinker's readiness. This involves open dialogues about their expectations, commitment levels, and willingness to engage in self-exploration to gauge an employee’s willingness to be coached.

 Setting Clear Agreements:

 o   Establishing clear agreements regarding roles and responsibilities to ensure both parties understand their contributions to the coaching process. This clarity fosters a collaborative partnership.

 Encouraging Self-Reflection:

 o   Promoting practices that encourage thinkers to reflect on their experiences, beliefs, and behaviours can lead to profound insights and personal growth.

By shifting the responsibility for value creation to the thinker, and ensuring organisations support this process, coaches can facilitate a much more empowered and effective coaching engagement which will support both the individual thinkers, teams, organisations and beyond.

Be Empowered

Tune In to the Podcast

We invite you to listen to our latest podcast episode where Clare Norman speaks more about the ways we as coaches, our clients and the custodians in organizations can prepare for coaching readiness in our latest podcast episode here.

Share this episode with your coaching network, clients, or anyone who could benefit from this transformative practice.

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Upcoming Empower World Programmes

Get Credentialed Sprint: designed to support coaches rebuild their coaching confidence and get back on track with their calling to become a professional coach who creates transformative impact, starting 12 April 2025 here.

The Empower World's world-class ICF Approved Professional Coach Training and Leadership Programme's next intake starts on 18 April 2025 in Doha, Qatar. You can find out more here.

Find out about our upcoming Coach Mentoring Programme starting on 19 September 2025 here.

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