Are You Coachable?

Being coachable is probably the single most important trait that determines the ultimate success of a young professional. Companies across the United States are filled with senior staff who once held great promise, but their unwillingness to listen to the feedback of others limited their success. All of this begs two questions. First, why is being coachable important? And secondly, am I coachable?

To provide some context, let’s start with the widely recognized Dunning-Krueger effect shown below in Figure 1 that plots confidence versus knowledge. The Dunning–Kruger effect is defined as the tendency of people with low ability in a specific area to give overly positive assessments of their ability in that specific area. I’ve witnessed this phenomenon in Junior High boys, as well as 60-year old men trying to run a company. The cycle illustrates how overly confident professionals can reach a Peak of Enthusiasm but eventually realize they’re not as good as they thought and enter a period of despair and discouragement, known as the Valley of Humility. The realization typically occurs through performance failure or feedback from others. The wise person sees the “errors of their ways” and through enlightenment enters a period of success known as the Plateau of Sustainability.

The Dunning-Krueger can occur and is an idealized realization of successful professionals and organizational leaders. However, what happens when young professionals and leaders do not realize their inability through periods of denial and self-delusion? Unfortunately, this reality exists and more of us have blind spots than we would like to admit. The ability to make mid-course corrections in the life of a young professional is critically important and determines their eventual success. This truth can also be said of senior leaders seeking to build and grow healthy organizations. Self-awareness is a powerful asset.

So, what can be done to ensure that we all achieve the success we want for ourselves and the organization with whom we are associated? Ultimately, success in the life of a young professional is rooted in their ability to be coachable. In the book of Proverbs King Solomon shares the following:

Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding.

?At its core being coachable requires three elements:

• A willingness to receive input without being defensive,
• A willingness to objectively evaluate performance based on a set of defined metrics, and
• A willingness to seek wisdom from others having greater knowledge and experience than we do.

Being coachable is a choice. Those who are willing to listen to others choose the path for a successful career. This can challenging for highly intelligent young professionals, including doctors, lawyers, engineers, and accountants. Prior to entering the workforce their lives have been marked by great successful, especially when it comes to academic performance.

My observation in working in a professional environment for more than three decades is that people normally fall into one of three categories. Sometimes we go through all three at different time periods. The three categories are reflected in Figure 2 plotting Success versus Time.

• The Coachable: these people maintain a spirit of humility and teachability throughout their careers. Early in their careers they listen to their supervisors and make needed corrections. They are open to suggestions and seek out mentors who can provide constructive feedback. Often these people become leaders and are open to the feedback of peers and subordinates. In Figure 2 you’ll note an uptick at the end of their career in the success of The Coachable. The reason for this uptick is that these people understand the greatest level of success occurs when they help others become successful . They’ve leveraged their success to help others achieve success in going from being coached to being the coach.
• The Un-coachable: these people struggle with humility and tend to get defensive when corrected. They do not receive criticism well. They are often highly intelligent with high IQs, but struggle in working with others as they have a low EQ (emotional quotient). Eventually, those around them who could help stop providing advice, which reduces their success, career progression, and ultimately their earning potential. What these people fail to realize is that in a professional working environment, success is not limited to technical competency, but is more often based on the ability to get along with others.
• The Reluctantly Coachable: these people have enough self-awareness to understand their over-confidence is limiting their career progression. Most successful people likely fall into this category and they’re the ones who best represent the Dunning-Kruger effect. At some point in their career, likely in their early to mid-30s, they come to the realization that even though they’re technical competent, they need to polish their personal interaction skills and realize that people “don’t care what you know until they know they you care.” Because The Reluctantly Coachable understands how to make a mid-course correction, they often serve as great mentors and coaches as they empathize with the plight of The Un-Coachable.

So, what does this all mean? As stated previously, we have a choice in terms of our willingness to be coached. Listed below are three practical suggestions you can put to work today.

• Be a lifelong learner and demonstrate a desire to be coached. This requires you seek mentors who can speak into your life and help guide you through life and the choices you’ll be required to make. Also, become a voracious reader who reads at least five to ten books a year. Reading biographies and autobiographies are especially helpful as you can learn from the successes and failures of others.
• Realize you don’t know everything and that you can learn something from anyone. Be open to receiving feedback and learn not to be defensive (I know it’s tough!). People will invest in you if they sense who are willing to listen and can receive criticism without being defensive. As a leader I am passionate about helping others, but struggle helping those who are unwilling to take advice. My mother used to tell me, “Pride goes before the fall.”
• Seek out mentors. Even at 55 years of age and as a former President and Founder of a company, I have several men who regularly speak into my life concerning career choices and life decisions. Give mentors permission to speak into your life and ask for their feedback on specific matters. When I meet with my mentors, I typically prepare a few thoughts around which I pose a few questions. Sometimes I even type up my thoughts to make sure we cover the topics I want to discuss.

One of the greatest gifts we have in a free society is the opportunity to create and tell our own story. Your career is a critical part of your story. The best way to create the future you want is by being coachable and having a teachable spirit. The choice is up to you. Be coachable.