Is Someone Coachable? Here’s How to Tell

Hiring the right talent is crucial for any organisation, and one trait that stands out in potential hires is coachability. If someone is coachable, you can train them to do almost anything. In fact, coachability can be more important than experience. But how do you spot this trait during the interview process?

According to a study by Leadership IQ, 46% of new hires fail within the first 18 months, and a staggering 89% of those failures are due to a lack of soft skills, primarily coachability. This emphasises the need to prioritise this trait during the hiring process.

One of the key traits that fuels coachability is self-awareness. While this might seem like a nebulous concept and difficult to identify in a candidate, it is possible to test for it effectively.

This involves checking in on their feedback about themselves. Ask questions like:

“How do you think this interview has gone?”

“What would you do differently?”

“How would you actually do it differently?”

“What would that have changed?”

If their feedback demonstrates self-awareness and the ability to analyse their own performance and articulate what they’d change, that’s a good start. For instance, if a candidate can pinpoint specific areas they could improve and explain how they would approach these changes, it shows a strong degree of self-awareness and willingness to improve.

If they have it wildly wrong, that is always a red flag. For example, if a candidate believes their performance was flawless when it clearly wasn’t, it indicates a lack of self-awareness and an inability to accept constructive feedback.

Next, let’s see how they can execute on their own feedback or your feedback. Ask them to re-do the part of the interview they said they’d do differently. This might be the way they answered a question, a question they didn’t ask, or any of the feedback they mentioned when answering those coachability questions.

This will let you see how they analyse their own performance, how they come up with strategies to improve, and how they execute on the improvements. For instance, if they initially struggled with a situational question, see if they can provide a more structured and thoughtful answer after reflecting on it.

Imagine a candidate mentions they’d provide more detailed answers to questions about their past experiences. Ask them to rephrase or expand on a previous response. This exercise not only shows how they handle feedback but also their ability to quickly adapt and improve.

Research from the Corporate Executive Board indicates that 90% of top performers are highly coachable. This underscores the importance of identifying this trait during the interview process. Spotting coachability is about assessing self-awareness and the ability to adapt and grow. It’s a trait that, when present, can be more valuable than experience.

So, next time you’re interviewing, keep an eye out for these signs. Coachability might just be the key to finding your next star performer. Investing in coachable employees can lead to a more adaptable, resilient, and ultimately successful team.