Coachable Leaders

“Good leaders maintain steady teams, achieve reasonable growth, and are comfortable in their authority.  But great leaders recognize that unparalleled success comes from always seeking to improve.” ~ Osman, Lane & Goldsmith, in Becoming Coachable

If you’ve ever tried to coach someone who insisted they were fine as-is—or if you’ve ever caught yourself resisting feedback—you already know how challenging coachability can be. Many leaders don’t push back because they don’t care, but because defensiveness, ego, and fixed mindsets get in the way. Some fear that asking for support signals weakness. Others cling to the belief that a leader’s job is to be the smartest person in the room. These assumptions quietly limit growth.

Today’s rapidly changing, unpredictable environment demands something different:

adaptability. The leaders who thrive are the ones willing to stay open, curious, and humble. As Osman, Lane & Goldsmith write in Becoming Coachable, leaders must be open to change, feedback, action, and accountability. This openness helps them suspend doubt long enough to consider new perspectives and embrace the coaching process. It also fosters genuine self-awareness. As the authors remind us, we can’t see our own behavior without the reflections others offer.

When leaders accept those reflections, they expand their capacity to learn, lead with greater empathy, and build more impactful teams. Coachability becomes a daily practice—asking for input, taking time to reflect, and experimenting with new behaviors even when it feels uncomfortable. Small, consistent efforts accumulate quickly and can change how a leader shows up within just a few weeks.

At its core, coachability is rooted in a growth mindset: the belief that our skills and understanding can always expand. Coachable leaders recognize they will always have blind spots and approach learning with humility rather than defensiveness. And as they do, they naturally become better coaches themselves. By modeling openness, vulnerability, and psychological safety, they create cultures where others feel comfortable learning and growing as well.

Ultimately, being coachable is a commitment to continuous evolution. It’s the choice to embrace feedback, stretch beyond old habits, and lead in a way that lifts everyone around us.

The Growth Mindset AdvantageCoachable Leaders

Coachable leaders embrace a simple truth: There is always more to learn. Always.

They understand that blind spots don’t make them weak—they make them human. They check their ego at the door, stay curious, and commit to the ongoing work of becoming better.

And here’s the beautiful twist:  When leaders learn how to be coached, they also learn how to coach others.