This is a summary of the book titled “Coachability – the Leadership Superpower” by Kevin Wilde written in 2022. He is an executive leadership fellow at the University of Minnesota and has worked as senior talent development executive at General Mills and General Electric for seventeen years each.

In this book, Kevin convinces us that accepting feedback as a leader is far more valuable than learning how to deliver it and he calls this trait “coachability”. No matter the background, age, sex or any other forms of discrimination, it applies across the board, and anyone can do it.

Age, however, can be called out as one of the leading contributors to the decline of receptivity to coaching. Firms want leaders to coach so they promote coaching skills, but they overlook the importance of coachability. This causes leaders to lose their effectiveness and their ability to continually develop, which is critical.

Instead of indirect skills, coachability is a direct skill because clear feedback can accelerate us in the right direction. Even keeping a coachability notebook and starting to record can be a helpful practice

Some resistance to coachability is both genuine and natural. When leaders are put through a game to meet with each other and explain their weaknesses, they might resist behaving so vulnerably but they end up participating with gusto. An aversion to vulnerability, desire to maintain control or fear of the unknown can get in the way. Coachability requires openness and a commitment to learn continuously.

Other factors that hinder coachability include arrogance as demonstrated by those who feel they have reached the finish line, façade of strength which appears to hide ignorance or fear, susceptibility to flattery when leaders want yes men, isolation when promoted leaders can find themselves removed from their peer, and deprioritizing feedback because leaders can choose to procrastinate.

Highly coachable leaders, on the other hand, stand apart and people recognize their trait. They inspire higher levels of motivation and engagement and lead to greater productivity, sales, and satisfaction.

Coachability depends on practice and mindset more than innate traits. These leaders don’t just remain open to feedback but they seek it out, and listen carefully. They reflect on what they have heard, assessing its value and relevance to make their own determination about what to embrace or discard.

Seven strategies that can help us to be more coachable include being specific by asking clear questions, asking two questions on what went well and what could be done better, holding after-action reviews on why it happened and how to improve next time, making a plan for our own learning and development, asking a truth-teller, looking for signs that can be direct and indirect and seeking clarification whenever doubtful.

The truth is that our experience of receiving the so-called gift of feedback is not all that pleasant. Like a good actor, rather than get defensive, we can tell ourselves to take a note.

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