How to Coach the Uncoachable

No matter how good a coach is, there are always people in a team that are uncoachable. Uncoachable people are very difficult to deal with. These people can be easily identified because they have any of the following characteristics:

• The person does not think that he has a problem. His behavior is working just fine for him so he has no interest in changing.
• He is practicing the wrong strategy for the company.
• He believes that his skills is not put to good use and feel that he is in the wrong job and a wrong company.
• He thinks that everyone else is the problem. People like this are impossible to fix.

There are previously uncoachable people that have made a turn. They are those who initially resist coaching because they have their own criteria for a coach that they believe can help them grow and succeed. They want to know about three things:

• Does the coach really care about them?
• Can the coach be trusted?
• Does the coach have something of value for them?

Coaching requires that a person expose his dreams and aspirations, his unfulfilled expectations, his hidden talents; make brave promises to himself; and following new ways of action that are risky. He will only do this if he trusts the coach. If the uncoachable person can see these criteria in the coach then, he will allow him to guide him. Effective coaching is a trait of a leader. For a coach to be effective, he must respect people and treat them accordingly so he can earn their trust. Coaching needs a lot of effort but the outcome is worth it. The keys to successful coaching requires the leader to be direct to show assertiveness; to be honest in order to inspire trust; and timely in conducting review. The coach must develop a real rapport with employees like understanding their strengths and weaknesses in order for him to be successful. The coach-leader can show respect to his team inside the organization by involving them in the problem-solving process rather than giving them his decision and telling people what to do. By asking their opinions, listening to their ideas, and using their inputs whenever possible, employees will feel that they are valued in the organization. But then, there are still people that remain unreceptive to coaching. If the employee refuses to be coached, the challenge of turning them around may not be worth the effort. The best way will be to transfer them to other jobs that are less critical if they have been with the organization for a long time. Keeping uncoachable people around can affect the credibility of the coach-leader and will make other employees think less of him and his ability to manage people. If that person is not willing to change his belief and see how he hinders the achievement of the organization’s goals, then the coach needs to give him up for good.