You Can’t Scale Leadership with Guesswork

Half of your managers are “coaching” without a playbook. That’s not lean. That’s reckless.

Ask most executives if coaching is essential to employee development, and you’ll get a chorus of agreement. Ask how many of their leaders are equipped with a defined model, a shared language, or even clear expectations for what coaching looks like in practice—and suddenly the room gets quiet.

This isn’t theoretical. I posed that very question to a room of CX and operations leaders recently. How many of you wish your coaching sessions delivered greater impact? Nearly every hand shot up. Then I asked, How many of your organizations have a standardized coaching model? One hand remained.

That response mirrors the results of a LinkedIn poll I recently ran:

• 50 percent said their organization’s coaching approach is completely ad hoc
• 25 percent said it varies by team
• Only 20 percent had a standard, organization-wide model

This is a systemic failure. Coaching can’t drive performance when it’s based on good intentions instead of good infrastructure.

Coaching without a model is just talk

Let’s be clear: this isn’t a knock on frontline leaders. It’s a callout of executive oversight.

Many organizations expect managers to coach—but don’t define what good coaching looks like, don’t train managers how to do it, and don’t build it into the operating system of the business. No wonder it ends up as a last-minute meeting, a checkbox in QA, or a demoralizing recap of mistakes.

As one commenter put it, “When coaching happens, it often demoralizes agents—focusing only on where they failed, never reinforcing what they did well.”

Another nailed the deeper problem: “There’s a difference between coaching as a concept, coaching as a capability, and coaching as a competitive advantage.”

Exactly. Real coaching isn’t a once-a-week formality—it’s a skill that deserves structure, support, and ongoing investment.

Want better results? Start with a framework

The specific model you choose is less important than committing to one. The goal is consistency. Predictability. A shared understanding of what a coaching conversation looks like. When both the coach and the employee know the structure, they come to the table better prepared—and outcomes improve.

Here are three widely used coaching models that can form the backbone of a consistent coaching approach.

1. GROW: Goal, Reality, Options, Will

Best for development-focused conversations

Scenario: An agent struggles with escalated calls and frequently passes them to supervisors.

• Goal:
  What outcome do you want when dealing with these calls?
  → “To resolve them myself without escalation.”
• Reality:
  What’s happening now?
  → “I panic and hand them off.”
• Options:
  What could help you feel more confident?
  → “Maybe role-play some scenarios or have a quick-reference guide.”
• Will:
  What’s your first step?
  → “I’ll pair up with a peer to practice one scenario before Friday.”

This gives the agent ownership, turns a vague development area into a plan, and gives the coach a roadmap for follow-up.

2. COIN: Context, Observation, Impact, Next Steps

Best for reinforcing strengths while redirecting behavior

Scenario: An agent resolved a customer’s issue quickly but didn’t document the case properly.

• Context:
  “During your interaction with Ms. Thompson yesterday . . .”
• Observation:
  “You resolved the issue well but didn’t log the ticket.”
• Impact:
  “That creates risk if the case resurfaces and undercuts your performance record.”
• Next Steps:
  “Let’s walk through the process together now. How will you ensure documentation next time?”

COIN gives specific, emotionally neutral feedback, reinforcing what worked and clarifying what to improve—without demoralizing the agent.

3. SBI: Situation, Behavior, Impact

Best for tough conversations and behavior correction

Scenario: A supervisor regularly interrupts agents’ live calls to take over without warning.

• Situation:
  “In yesterday’s conversation with a frustrated customer . . .”
• Behavior:
  “You stepped in and took over the call without alerting the agent.”
• Impact:
  “That left the agent confused and disempowered. It also undermines trust and learning opportunities.”

SBI helps the coach deliver clear, objective feedback in high-stakes situations without making it personal or ambiguous.

Coaching is a system, not a heroic act

These models aren’t magic. They’re scaffolding. They give your leaders a foundation to build coaching conversations that actually stick. The moment you choose one and train your teams to use it, you’ve taken the first real step toward making coaching repeatable, trackable, and effective.

Coaching done right leads to:

• Higher engagement: Employees feel supported and understood
• Better retention: Development becomes part of the employee experience
• Stronger performance: Priorities are reinforced and momentum builds

Executives: this is your responsibility

If you’re in the C-suite, don’t ask why your frontline leaders aren’t better coaches. Ask whether you’ve given them a system that allows them to be.

Ask yourself:

• Are we clear on what coaching means in our company?
• Do our leaders know how to do it—and are they given time to do it well?
• Are we reinforcing and measuring coaching as a leadership skill?
• Is our performance infrastructure built to support coaching—or just evaluation?

If coaching is how we grow people, and your people aren’t growing, this is your signal to act.

Because no matter how ambitious your goals are, you can’t scale leadership on guesswork.