Being Coachable Is Vital to Success

Feedback is an essential tool for growth in professional settings. Knowing how to give and receive feedback effectively can significantly impact your success and your team’s success. At the heart of this dynamic lies the concept of being coachable: an attitude that allows individuals to learn, adapt, and improve based on constructive input.

Giving Feedback

Effective feedback is clear, specific, and focused. It is linked to behaviors or outcomes. For example, feedback like “the team did not like your communication style” describes an end result rather than the behaviors or perceptions of behaviors that led to this conclusion. The goal is to help the recipient improve, not to criticize or judge. That being said, receiving feedback is also dependent on the recipient’s ability to receive the information without deflection or justification. You may be highly skilled at delivering feedback, but that does not mean it will be received well. Going into a feedback situation requires this realization.

A good approach to feedback is to use the Situation-Behavior-Impact Model. First describe the situation, then explain the specific behavior observed, and finally articulate the impact it had. For example, instead of saying “You are always late,” a more constructive version would be, “Yesterday, during rounds (situation), you arrived 10 minutes late (behavior), which caused us to start rounds without all the necessary input on 2 patients (impact).”

It is important to deliver feedback in a respectful tone and at an appropriate time. Public criticism or shaming is not a successful feedback tool and can create further divisions in a team or in a relationship. Delivering feedback can feel very uncomfortable. I fall squarely in the Feeling quadrant on the Myers-Briggs personality type. This means that I prioritize values and emotions over logic and objective analysis. With regard to giving feedback, this means that I worry about hurting someone’s feelings. Over the years, I have realized that I protect others due to my own feelings and, in order to put the other individual’s professional growth needs first, I need to flex and lean into that which is uncomfortable, which is putting their need for feedback over my anxiety about giving it.

Receiving Feedback

Receiving feedback is just as important as delivering it. It requires openness, humility, and the ability to manage one’s emotions. The initial response to feedback, especially if it is critical, might be defensive. However, resisting the urge to justify or argue back is essential to learning. Perception is reality. This means that even if your intentions were well-meaning, the way the intentions are perceived or the way your intentions are delivered can undermine the acceptance of such actions. Instead of defensiveness, listen actively, ask clarifying questions, and express appreciation of the feedback.

One effective technique is to mentally separate the message from the messenger. Focus on the content of the feedback and how it can be useful, rather than who is delivering it or how it was said. Not all feedback will be perfectly framed, but that doesn’t mean it lacks value.

What Is Being Coachable?

Being coachable means having the willingness to listen, to learn, and to improve. It’s a mindset that reflects emotional intelligence and self-awareness. Coachable people don’t just tolerate feedback, they seek it out. They view criticism not as a personal attack but as an opportunity for growth. Being coachable is not about blind obedience. It is about thoughtful consideration of input, even when it challenges one’s ego or habits.

Giving and receiving feedback from all stakeholders is an important growth opportunity and is critical for professional success. When done with openness and care, feedback becomes a powerful engine for personal and professional growth. Being coachable amplifies the process by creating a mindset that embraces learning. In the long run, those who are both skilled in feedback and who are open to it position themselves for success.