The Leader As Coach

The ‘leader as coach’ questionnaire enables you to assess your own skills against 10 dimensions of coaching. Work through the 50 statements and rate your own effectiveness using the 6-point rating scale.Use the full 6-point range and avoid over-using scores in the middle-range.Allow 15 minutes to complete the questionnaire. Be honest with your self-ratings.

  • 1. Listening

  • 1. I clarify colleagues’ concerns, by allowing them to talk without interruptions.
  • 2. I am approachable and make it easy for others to come and talk to me.
  • 3. I clarify and check what is being said to avoid jumping to conclusions.
  • 4. I give 100% attention to a colleague and listen attentively.
  • 5. I listen ‘between the lines’ and pick up on subtle points.

  • 2. Problem solving

  • 6. I ask challenging yet constructive questions and avoid taking things at face value.
  • 7. I probe and get beneath the surface issues, asking why a situation arose.
  • 8. I get to the ‘root cause’ of a problem, by drilling into the facts and generally being inquisitive.
  • 9. I ask team members to summarise discussions, to evaluate how well they have understood a problem.
  • 10. I help colleagues to reach decisions that will ensure a similar problem is less likely to happen in the future.

  • 3. Non-Judgemental

  • 11. I am able to suspend my beliefs and views about an individual, so I take each situation on its merits.
  • 12. I remain impartial and objective in reviewing problems.
  • 13. I am consistent in the way I work with team members.
  • 14. I treat individuals fairly.
  • 15. I help individuals to arrive at their own solutions.

  • 4. Planning

  • 16. I have a clear structure for one-to-one coaching meetings.
  • 17. I have a logical process for understanding the ‘real’ issues, before discussing solutions.
  • 18. I spend quality time on the issues that really matter and ask team members to come to coaching sessions with their thoughts/ideas.
  • 19. I regularly summarise to ensure we have shared understanding.
  • 20. I check how committed and motivated individuals are to implement the actions they come-up with.

  • 5. Rapport

  • 21. I work hard to establish trust with team members by getting to know them as individuals.
  • 22. I respect confidentiality and keep my commitments.
  • 23. I work to understand others’ values and respect them.
  • 24. I offer support and a ‘shoulder to lean on’ when needed.
  • 25. I make it easy for others to provide me with feedback and try to learn how I can get the best from each individual.

  • 6. Follow-up

  • 26. I agree clear goals and realistic action plans at the end of each coaching meeting and ensure these are written down.
  • 27. I agree additional issues to discuss at the next meeting and ensure these are written down.
  • 28. I agree how to keep each other up-dated on progress both formally and informally
  • 29. I discuss what needs to be achieved and how by the next meeting, to ensure there is a meeting of minds.
  • 30. I regularly monitor progress and have systems/processes to ensure things are on-track.

  • 7. Personal Experiences

  • 31. I focus coaching discussions on anticipating problems not just dealing with them, once they’ve happened.
  • 32. I anticipate what actions need to be taken today to succeed in the future.
  • 33. I review with colleagues the new skills and behaviour they will need in readiness for change.
  • 34. I encourage team members to learn from their mistakes and focus on how they will do things differently in the future.
  • 35. I regularly refer to the bigger picture, so the team understand how today’s challenges fit into a wider context.

  • 8. Feedback

  • 36. I provide regular feedback on performance, focusing on the behaviour and actions – not personality
  • 37. I provide positive feedback when colleagues do a good job.
  • 38. I encourage individuals to be aware of how their style or approach helps/hinders them.
  • 39. I create ‘safe conditions’ where individuals are receptive to receiving feedback and discussing issues openly
  • 40. I offer feedback in the spirit of supporting a colleague, not ‘putting them down’.

  • 9. Ownership

  • 41. I encourage individuals to take accountability for their actions.
  • 42. I instil confidence so that individuals feel capable of taking on more responsibility
  • 43. I delegate real responsibility as a way of developing individuals.
  • 44. I allow team members to make their own decisions, even if I disagree with them, so long as they understand the risks and manage them.
  • 45. I provide team members with the ‘space to get on with it’, once individuals are clear on what is expected of them.

Congratulations for successfully completing the questionnaire.

You can now view your summary profile below. The outer blue highlights your strengths. The grey indicates ‘doing OK’ and the pale inner blue shows areas for improvement.

The behaviours to the right of the centre line focus on the ‘relationship-side’ of coaching and the behaviours on the left of the centre line address the ‘process-side’ of coaching. Both matter.

Make some notes now on what your profile highlights: your top 3 strengths and top 3 areas for improvement. And overall, are you stronger on the relationship-side or process-side of coaching?

By clicking on the download pdf button you will be able to:

  • View your scores for each section of the questionnaire
  • Print and save your profile page
  • Access the development guide for each of the 10 behaviours on your profile page

Strengths

Doing Ok

Area Of Improvement

focus on coaching process

Total Score:

focus on coaching relationship

Total Score:

  • 1. Listening
  • 2. Problem solving
  • 3. Non-Judgemental
  • 4. Planning
  • 5. Rapport
  • 6. Follow-up
  • 7. Personal Experiences
  • 8. Feedback
  • 9. Ownership