What this means
Generic encouragement rarely changes performance. Nor does reviewing a dashboard and calling it coaching. Improvement happens when a manager examines the work itself: the quality of a customer conversation, the logic behind qualification, the value case, the stakeholder strategy or the judgement used in a negotiation.
How I apply it
Coaching depends on a relationship in which challenge can be honest and useful. It begins with an observable situation and a decision the individual is trying to make. I use questions to expose assumptions, test the evidence and help the person identify a stronger next action. The objective is to strengthen their judgement and confidence, not demonstrate the manager’s expertise. Managers separate coaching from inspection: one supports development and empowerment; the other confirms whether agreed standards are being followed. Both matter, but they serve different purposes.
What I look for
The clearest warning signs are one-size-fits-all training, deal reviews that become interrogations, managers supplying answers too quickly and the same mistake appearing across successive opportunities. If coaching produces more notes but no change in behaviour, it is not yet close enough to the real work.
Evidence in practice
In a sales team needing greater consistency, coaching was moved towards live deals and accounts rather than abstract methodology. Expectations for discovery, value and next-step quality became clearer. Managers gained a more useful language for intervention, while sellers retained responsibility for the decision and the customer relationship.
The outcome
Capability becomes visible in day-to-day execution. People understand not only what good looks like but how to diagnose their own work. Managers spend less time rescuing late-stage deals, and improvement is connected to customer outcomes rather than attendance at training.