One co-author reflects on his career and admits he wasn’t always coachable. He thought he knew enough and resisted feedback, and he even wonders what his career might have been like if he had been more open to feedback.
If one were coachable, genuinely listened to feedback, and took steps to improve, one would be more adaptable, practical and promotable. The co-author reflects that very early in his entrepreneurial journey, he discovered his default style was assertive and driven, often pushing back on feedback.
Only when working with others whose styles differed from his (a calm, reflective approach was also very effective) did he realize that leadership doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful.
One significant challenge that leaders face is the gap between learning and doing. Many attend workshops or hire coaches only to struggle to apply what they’ve learnt. It becomes knowledge-gathering rather than application.
Chris Argyris calls this challenge “double-loop learning.” Unlike single-loop learning, which involves adjusting behaviours without questioning assumptions, double-loop learning digs deeper, examining the beliefs and mental models behind actions.
Imagine a thermostat. In single-loop learning, it adjusts the temperature, but in double-loop learning, it would ask, “Why am I set to this temperature?”
Leaders who adopt double-loop learning don’t just make surface adjustments. They challenge core beliefs that guide decisions and behaviours, which leads to more meaningful and lasting growth.
By questioning underlying assumptions, leaders close the learning-doing gap, allowing them to integrate new insights and behaviours into their leadership style fully. Like for the co-author, it helped rethink his assertive style, allowing for more adaptive styles that suited both his clients and his team.
Neuroscience provides insights into how leaders can develop coachability. Neuroplasticity—our brain’s ability to form new connections—supports growth through feedback and practice.
The co-author recalls a marathon a few years ago. When running and struggling up a hill, a fellow runner told him to “stop fighting the hill.”
This advice taught him not to battle challenges but to adapt to them, a lesson that later became integral to his leadership journey. Building coachability requires the same persistence, turning feedback into second nature through consistent and deliberate practice.
Metaphorically speaking, coachability is like an organ transplant. Just as a body needs to accept a new organ, leaders must accept and integrate new feedback. Coachability requires openness, practice and reflection to embed new approaches in their leadership style.
Early in his career, the co-author reflected that he resisted external inputs, but entrepreneurship taught him the value of coachability. He learnt that success isn’t always about pushing hard. Sometimes, it’s about stepping back and realigning.
Reflection and vulnerability are essential in leadership. During a leadership programme, one of us resisted words like “care” and “empathy,” which felt
unfamiliar. Yet, these softer qualities strengthened his leadership, helping him connect more deeply with his team.
If you want to enhance your coachability, ask yourself: Are you open to feedback, even when it challenges your beliefs? Have you successfully adapted based on past feedback?
Improving coachability is a journey of self-reflection, adaptation and daily practice. Embrace this process, and you’ll find leadership growth to be a continuous and rewarding path.
Being coachable is often about ‘stopping doing’ rather than ‘starting to do’ a few more things.
Marshall Goldsmith argues that the habits and behaviours that catapulted leaders to success might hold them back from even greater achievements. Goldsmith identifies 21 habits often detrimental to leaders’ continued success and growth in the book.
These habits include the tendency to win at all costs, adding unnecessary inputs, passing judgements, making destructive comments, and beginning statements with negative words like “no” or “but.”
Additional habits include the need to showcase intelligence, expressing anger, being negative, withholding information, failing to recognise others, and claiming undeserved credit.
Other detrimental behaviours include making excuses, clinging to the past, playing favourites, refusing to apologise, not listening, neglecting gratitude, punishing the bearer of bad news, avoiding responsibility, and having an excessive attachment to personal traits.
Finally, goal obsession can distract from essential aspects like relationship-building and empathy. Goldsmith suggests that addressing these behaviours through feedback and mindfulness can help leaders grow beyond their limitations.
Our combined chief experience officer (CXO) experiences show that coachability—staying open to feedback and challenging our assumptions—is vital for leadership growth.
Early in our careers, we often relied on instinct. Yet, we learned that true growth comes from embracing discomfort and listening deeply to others.
Becoming genuinely coachable transforms leadership, fostering adaptability, resilience and stronger relationships. It’s about refining expertise, being open to feedback, and leading with clarity as well as a mindset ready for continuous growth.
Steve Correa & Ajay Kelkar are, respectively, an executive coach and author of ‘The Indian Boss at Work: Thinking Global, Acting Indian’; and a leadership coach and former chief marketing officer of HDFC Bank.