7 Things that Coachee should be aware
January 30, 2025
Seven Things to Know Before You Start Executive Coaching
Most of what I write focuses on coaching from the coach’s side of the table. This time, I want to flip the lens. What does it actually take to be a great coachee?
If you are considering coaching, whether through your organization or on your own, the first step is understanding what coaching actually is. It is not mentoring, training or facilitation. It is a partnership built specifically to help you find and act on your own answers, not to hand you someone else’s. Getting clear on that distinction before you start will save you from choosing the wrong kind of support.
Once you know coaching is the right fit, finding the right coach matters more than most people expect. Coaching is rarely a quick fix. It usually plays out over months, not a single session, so the working relationship needs to hold up over time.
What tends to separate people who get real value from coaching
Commit to a consistent schedule. Set a regular day and time, and protect it. Momentum comes from consistency, not from squeezing in a session whenever there is a gap in your calendar.
• Choose a format that actually works for you. Some people do better in person, others online, and many land on a hybrid as they go. Pick what suits how you think and adjust as you learn.
• Do not expect direct answers. A good coach will not hand you a solution. Their job is to ask the questions that help you find your own, even when that feels slower than you want it to.
• Keep a journal. A short note after each session, on what came up and what you committed to, turns a series of good conversations into visible, trackable progress.
• Show up mentally present. Walking into a session distracted or mid-crisis limits what you will get out of it. A few minutes to settle before each conversation makes a real difference.
• Expect the process to take time. Coaching is not designed for instant results. The leaders who get the most out of it are the ones who stay patient through the parts that feel slow.
• Review what you committed to. A quick look back at your notes before the next session keeps you accountable to yourself, not just to your coach.
This is not an exhaustive list, and your own experience of coaching will shift as you go deeper into it. Every session tends to surface something you did not expect, and that is usually the point. If you are considering coaching and want to talk through whether it is the right fit for where you are, I am always glad to have that conversation.