How to Recognize & Maximize a Coachable Moment
Being coached is a tangible way to unlock, uplift, and catapult a person into their fullest potential.
-CHARLENA ORTIZ
Download my free EBook, Coaching for Change: A Guide to Facilitating Change for Leaders, Coaches, & Personal Growth Enthusiasts
Recognizing a Coachable Moment
How would you respond in each situation?
Scenario 1: One of your direct reports is stuck trying to make momentum with a huge, high stakes project. What approach would you take?
Give your best advice on how to move forward
Send an encouraging message and offer an extension on the deadline
Ask questions to learn more about what the barriers are
Scenario 2: You’ve called an advising session with a student who continues to miss important deadlines. What approach would you take?
Explain the expectations and the consequences if expectations are not met
Ask questions to learn why the student is struggling
Recommend the student meet with the academic success center or find a mentor
Scenario 3: A friend confides in you about their ongoing communication challenges with several colleagues at work. What approach would you take?
Offer to help them polish their resume and find new job opportunities
Explain how you’ve handled similar situations in the past
Ask questions to clarify the cause of the communication frustrations
A coachable moment is an informal, usually unplanned or unexpected opportunity for a manager to have a conversation with an employee aimed at facilitating the employee to problem solve or learn from a work experience.
-Dr. Christina Turner & Dr. Grace McCarthy
Every day we experience many possible coaching opportunities in our workplaces, homes, and schools. And now more than ever, employees want to work for managers who can skillfully coach them (see Google’s research on this).
As researchers Turner & McCarthy illustrate, coachable moments are typically brief, informal, and often unplanned. These quick interactions are also often referred to as “coaching in the moment,” “corridor coaching,” “anytime coaching,” or “coaching on the fly.” Although the moments may be unstructured and unexpected, pausing to leverage the potential learning and growth may have a critical impact on employee satisfaction, wellbeing, and engagement.
Taking a coach approach in any given situation is an intentional choice to apply active listening and thoughtful question-asking to strategically support someone’s growth and development. Instead of telling someone what to do, a coach approach provides space for them to think more deeply and creatively, and to find solutions that they believe in.
So, when we notice someone stuck, struggling, or circling, choosing to apply a coach approach looks like helping the other person in the situation:
clarify their beliefs, values, or barriers
think creatively about possible solutions or next steps
evaluate their opportunities for growth
Responding to a Coachable Moment
Unless you are a professional coach who coaches full time, then it’s likely not possible to always choose a coach approach as your default response. Whether you are a manager, an educator, or a friend or colleague who is invested in someone else’s growth, you need to weigh the pros and cons of choosing when to capitalize on a coachable moment.
In a workplace setting, research by Turner & McCarthy demonstrates that many factors influence a manager’s decision when presented with opportunities to coach in the moment.
You’re probably more likely to pass on the coachable moment when:
___ You’re short on time. It is often simply more efficient to give advice, teach, or share experience.
___ You’re not sure the other person wants to be coached. They may have different expectations.
___ You have a new employee who needs to learn skills or information. Training is the default approach.
___ You are being directly asked for your expertise, advice, or guidance, and you want to provide what’s being asked.
___ You are comfortable in an advice-giving role. You haven’t seen a coach approach modeled by any of your own managers.
___ You are not convinced of the value or benefits of coaching versus other forms of support.
Choosing to coach in the moment, however brief, is usually driven by a longer-term strategic goal such as:
___ You want to clarify the challenges that are being experienced. You’re not sure of what’s happening and need questions to help you learn.
___ You want to develop employees who can think critically and creatively without constant guidance.
___ You want your team members to be more motivated in their work and invested in their choices.
___ You want to build a coaching culture, in which coaching is the preferred approach to collaboration and problem-solving.
Maximizing a Coachable Moment
When the conditions seem optimal, and you choose to take a coach approach, consider these four tips to leverage the potential learning and growth.
Tip 1: Clarify Your Goal
Lean into the moment with a clear goal in mind for what you hope to achieve through a coach approach.
Tip 2: Develop Deeper Listening
Activate your active listening skills - eliminate distractions, listen with your full attention, and tune into the nonverbal communication happening.
Pause and reflect back what you are hearing. Clarify anything that is unclear.
Tip 3: Ask Open-Ended Questions
Ask simple, direct questions that begin with what or how.
“Tell me more” is a great open-ended prompt to hear from someone else’s perspective.
Recognize any assumptions embedded in your questions. Leading questions are often advice disguised with a question mark.
Download my free GROW Coaching Guide for a simple, straightforward model to use in your coachable moments.
Tip 4: Encourage Awareness & Action
Focus on helping others gain new insights — about themselves, the situation, their skills, etc.
Develop your ability to share your observations in a neutral, nonjudgmental tone — without sharing your opinions.
Support action-planning by asking questions such as “What’s a good next step?” or “How can I support you?”
Get my Free EBook, Coaching for Change
Maybe you have many exciting ambitions, aspirations, and plans for growth. You want to see change. But you’re not quite making the progress that you want to.
Or maybe you’re a coach or a leader who helps to encourage change in others. And you’re tired of seeing your clients and colleagues stuck, not quite reaching their full potential.
Drawing from my expertise in coaching and the science of personal change, I have created a free EBook to help you see your own personal change realized — or help others make progress in their growth process. Coaching for Change: A Guide to Facilitating Change for Leaders, Coaches, & Personal Growth Enthusiasts is designed for:
individuals seeking a fresh approach to personal change
coaches looking for resources to support a change process
leaders who need ready-to-go tips & questions to support growth in their direct reports and colleagues
