Promote Learning Agility

When you coach, you often focus on developing a skill, filling a gap, or achieving a goal. But great coaches do something else: They support people in developing learning agility. 

Learning agility doesn’t mean being the smartest person in the room or doing everything right. It’s being able to:

• Stay Flexible
• Grow from mistakes
• Successfully respond to Challenges 

As a coach, you may find yourself working with people who avoid challenges for fear of making mistakes or who take feedback as a personal attack. These individuals likely have a fixed mindset. Many of us do.

The good news:You can help team members shift to a growth mindset the belief that with effort and support, they can stretch and grow.

Fixed Mindset  

People with a fixed mindset believe that skills and intelligence are predetermined. They think success hinges on how smart you are—and serious personal growth and development aren’t possible. 

Growth Mindset

People with a growth mindset believe that with practice and support, they can develop and grow their abilities. They see failure as a temporary setback and give themselves permission to try again.

How do you know if someone has a fixed or growth mindset? Listen for hints. For example, people with a fixed mindset:

“We like to think of our champions and idols as superheroes who were born different from us. We don’t like to think of them as relatively ordinary people who made themselves extraordinary.”

Carol Dweck

As a coach, you’ll often face similar situations. It’s your responsibility to help your employees think differently.

Here are examples of ways to challenge a team member’s assumptions and promote creative problem-solving:

“I wasn’t going to win that account anyway.”

You could say: “Losing that account was hard, but what did you learn from the experience that can help you next time?”

“Our product development processes don’t allow for creativity.”

You could say: “Our product development processes are complex, but let’s think about ways we can improve them.”

“We can’t be competitive because marketing sets prices too high.”

You could say: “Use the high prices to your advantage. Point out all the product features and mention the high level of customer support our clients will receive.”

“I’m just not a people person.”

You could say: “I wonder what your close friends would say are your strengths.”

Trust is a game changer in any relationship, especially one where you’ll be encouraging team members to acknowledge shortcomings and open themselves to learning. They need to know they are safe to explore their perceived limitations and missteps.

If your employee is pessimistic or defensive, they may not see things exactly the same way you do. Try to think about what their defensiveness indicates perhaps they feel threatened or insecure.

To build trust:

• Follow through on what you say you’re going to do.
• Show appreciation for each team member and their contributions.
• Take shared responsibility for successes and failures.
• Admit when you are wrong and correct your mistakes.

Building trust is hard enough, how do I do it if someone is located in another part of the world?

It is tricky! But you can start by being patient and understanding.

These steps can help reduce uncertainty and foster trust when you’re not co-located with the person you are coaching:

• Acknowledge how they contribute to the team’s success.
• Communicate frequently using different methods calls, instant messaging, and video conferences.
• Make time to share thoughts, ideas, and advice.
• Ask about their local holidays, customs, and site events.