| name | Executive Coaching & Leadership Development Engine |
| description | Complete executive coaching system — leadership assessment, 360° feedback, coaching engagements, leadership development plans, team effectiveness, executive presence, and succession planning. Use for leadership coaching, executive development programs, team building, performance breakthroughs, and career transitions. |
| metadata | {"category":"role","skills":["coaching","leadership","executive-development","360-feedback","team-effectiveness","succession-planning","executive-presence","performance","career-transition"]} |
Executive Coaching & Leadership Development Engine
Complete methodology for coaching leaders at every level — from first-time managers to C-suite executives. Covers assessment, development planning, coaching conversations, team effectiveness, executive presence, and succession.
Phase 1: Leadership Assessment & Baseline
Quick Leadership Health Check (/8)
Score each dimension 0-2 (0=weak, 1=developing, 2=strong):
| Dimension | Score | Evidence |
|---|
| Strategic clarity | | Can articulate 3-year vision in 30 seconds? |
| Decision velocity | | Makes decisions within appropriate timeframes? |
| Team development | | Direct reports growing and being promoted? |
| Communication impact | | Messages understood and acted on first time? |
| Self-awareness | | Knows blind spots and actively manages them? |
| Results delivery | | Consistently hits or exceeds targets? |
| Stakeholder trust | | Has advocates across the organization? |
| Energy management | | Sustainable pace, not burning out? |
Score interpretation:
- 14-16: High-performing leader — focus on mastery and legacy
- 10-13: Solid foundation — targeted development on 2-3 areas
- 6-9: Development needed — structured coaching engagement
- 0-5: Critical — intensive support required
Leadership Assessment Brief
leader_profile:
name: ""
role: ""
level: ""
tenure_in_role: ""
direct_reports: 0
org_size: 0
context:
company_stage: ""
industry: ""
current_challenges: []
recent_changes: []
assessment:
strengths:
- strength: ""
evidence: ""
development_areas:
- area: ""
impact: ""
root_cause: ""
derailers:
- behavior: ""
trigger: ""
risk_level: ""
Level-Appropriate Focus Areas
| Level | Primary Focus | Secondary Focus | Trap to Avoid |
|---|
| New Manager | Delegation, feedback, 1:1s | Team norms, hiring | Doing IC work instead of managing |
| Senior Manager | Strategy, cross-team influence | Talent development, metrics | Micromanaging experienced reports |
| Director | Org design, executive communication | Political navigation, budget | Getting pulled into execution |
| VP | Vision, culture, board interaction | M&A, P&L ownership | Trying to manage every team |
| C-Suite | Enterprise strategy, external presence | Board management, succession | Isolation, echo chamber |
Phase 2: 360° Feedback System
360° Feedback Survey Design
Rater selection rules:
- Manager: 1 (mandatory)
- Peers: 3-5 (cross-functional preferred)
- Direct reports: All if <8, random sample of 5-8 if larger
- Skip-levels: 2-3 (optional but revealing)
- External stakeholders: 1-2 (clients, board members, partners)
- Self-assessment: Always include
Core competency questions (rate 1-5 + open comment):
strategic_thinking:
- "Sets clear direction that aligns with business strategy"
- "Anticipates market/competitive changes and adapts"
- "Makes sound decisions with incomplete information"
- "Balances short-term execution with long-term vision"
people_leadership:
- "Creates an environment where people do their best work"
- "Develops talent — direct reports grow under their leadership"
- "Gives honest, actionable feedback regularly"
- "Builds diverse, high-performing teams"
- "Handles conflict directly and constructively"
execution:
- "Delivers results consistently"
- "Sets clear priorities and says no to distractions"
- "Removes obstacles for their team"
- "Holds people accountable without micromanaging"
communication:
- "Communicates clearly — messages are understood first time"
- "Listens genuinely — people feel heard"
- "Adapts communication style to the audience"
- "Handles difficult conversations with courage and empathy"
influence:
- "Builds strong relationships across the organization"
- "Persuades through logic and empathy, not authority"
-
Open-ended questions (mandatory):
- "What should this leader START doing?"
- "What should this leader STOP doing?"
- "What should this leader CONTINUE doing?"
- "What is their greatest strength as a leader?"
- "What one thing, if changed, would make the biggest difference?"
360° Feedback Debrief Framework
debrief_structure:
duration: "90 minutes"
steps:
1_self_assessment_first:
- "Before showing results, ask: How do you think people perceive you?"
- "Note gaps between self-perception and data"
2_strengths_anchor:
- "Start with highest-rated competencies"
- "Connect strengths to business impact"
- "Ask: How do you leverage these intentionally?"
3_blind_spots:
- "Areas where self-rating >> others' ratings"
- "Present data without judgment"
- "Ask: What might explain this gap?"
4_hidden_strengths:
- "Areas where others' ratings >> self-rating"
- "Often the most powerful discovery"
- "Ask: Why do you undervalue this?"
5_development_themes:
- "Cluster lowest ratings into 2-3 themes"
- "Connect to business impact, not just behavior"
- "Ask: Which of these, if improved, would have the biggest impact?"
6_commitment:
- "Select 1-2 focus areas maximum"
- "Define specific behavioral changes"
- "Identify accountability structure"
Phase 3: Coaching Engagement Design
Engagement Structure
coaching_engagement:
type: ""
duration: ""
frequency: ""
session_length: "60 minutes"
goals:
- goal: ""
success_metric: ""
business_impact: ""
timeline: ""
stakeholders:
sponsor: ""
hr_partner: ""
check_in_cadence: ""
boundaries:
confidential: "Content of sessions is confidential"
exceptions: "Safety concerns, ethics violations, or legal issues"
sponsor_updates: "Themes and progress only, not specifics"
success_criteria:
leading_indicators: []
lagging_indicators: []
360_remeasure:
Engagement Type Decision Matrix
| Type | Duration | Trigger | Focus | Intensity |
|---|
| Developmental | 6-12 mo | High-potential investment | Grow to next level | Biweekly |
| Performance | 3-6 mo | Performance gap | Close specific gaps | Weekly→Biweekly |
| Transition | 3-6 mo | New role/company | Accelerate ramp | Weekly first 90 days |
| Onboarding | 3 mo | Executive hire | Cultural integration | Weekly |
| Derailment | 3-6 mo | Career-threatening behavior | Behavioral change | Weekly + stakeholder |
Phase 4: Coaching Conversation Mastery
Session Structure (60 minutes)
session_flow:
check_in:
- "How are you arriving today? (energy/mindset)"
- "What happened with your commitments from last session?"
- "Score: Did you do what you said? (1-10)"
agenda_setting:
- "What's most important for us to focus on today?"
- "What would make this hour valuable?"
- "If we could only solve one thing, what would it be?"
exploration:
- "Deep dive into the topic"
- "Use coaching models (GROW, CLEAR, etc.)"
- "Challenge assumptions, reframe, explore options"
action_planning:
- "What will you do differently?"
- "What's the first step? By when?"
- "What might get in the way?"
- "Who else needs to be involved?"
- "How will you know it's working?"
reflection:
- "What was most useful about today's conversation?"
- "What are you taking away?"
- "Anything we need to revisit next time?"
The GROW Model (Core Coaching Framework)
G — Goal: "What do you want to achieve?"
- "What does success look like specifically?"
- "How will you know when you've reached it?"
- "What's the timeline?"
- "Is this within your control?"
R — Reality: "What's happening now?"
- "What have you already tried?"
- "What's working? What isn't?"
- "On a scale of 1-10, where are you now?"
- "What are you not seeing?"
- "What would your team say about this?"
O — Options: "What could you do?"
- "What are all the possible approaches?"
- "What would you do if resources were unlimited?"
- "What would [someone you admire] do?"
- "What's the opposite of what you'd normally do?"
- "What have you seen work in similar situations?"
- "What if you did nothing?"
W — Will: "What will you do?"
- "Which option resonates most?"
- "On a scale of 1-10, how committed are you?"
- "If less than 8, what would make it an 8?"
- "What's the very first action?"
- "When will you do it?"
- "What support do you need?"
50 Powerful Coaching Questions by Category
Self-awareness:
- "What do people experience when they interact with you?"
- "What story are you telling yourself about this?"
- "What would your harshest critic say? What truth is in that?"
- "When are you at your absolute best? What's present?"
- "What are you pretending not to know?"
- "What pattern do you keep repeating?"
- "What would the version of you that's already solved this say?"
Decision-making:
8. "What would you advise someone else in this situation?"
9. "What's the cost of not deciding?"
10. "What's the worst case? Can you live with that?"
11. "What decision are you avoiding?"
12. "If you had to decide in 5 minutes, what would you choose?"
13. "What does your gut say? Why aren't you trusting it?"
Courage & action:
14. "What are you afraid will happen?"
15. "What conversation are you avoiding?"
16. "What would you do if you weren't afraid?"
17. "What's the smallest experiment you could run?"
18. "What's the 80% solution you could ship today?"
19. "What will you regret NOT doing?"
Team & relationships:
20. "What does your team need from you that they're not getting?"
21. "Who on your team is struggling and you're avoiding the conversation?"
22. "What would your direct reports say behind your back?"
23. "Where are you rescuing instead of developing?"
24. "What relationship, if repaired, would unlock the most progress?"
25. "Who do you need in your corner that isn't there yet?"
Strategic thinking:
26. "What's the one thing that, if you got right, would make everything else easier?"
27. "What should you stop doing that you're holding onto?"
28. "Where are you optimizing for the wrong metric?"
29. "What's your theory of the case?"
30. "What are you assuming that might not be true?"
Energy & sustainability:
31. "What's draining your energy that you could eliminate?"
32. "Where are you saying yes when you mean no?"
33. "What would it take to operate at 80% effort sustainably?"
34. "When did you last do nothing? How did that feel?"
35. "What fills you up that you've deprioritized?"
Growth & learning:
36. "What failure taught you the most?"
37. "What feedback are you dismissing that might be true?"
38. "What skill, if developed, would change your trajectory?"
39. "Where is your ego getting in the way?"
40. "What do you know now that you wish you knew a year ago?"
Vision & purpose:
41. "Why does this role matter to you beyond the paycheck?"
42. "What legacy do you want to leave in this organization?"
43. "What would make you proud when you look back in 5 years?"
44. "What's the work only you can do?"
45. "What impact are you uniquely positioned to have?"
Reframing:
46. "What if this problem is actually an opportunity?"
47. "What would this look like if it were easy?"
48. "What are you making this mean that it doesn't have to mean?"
49. "Who else has navigated this successfully? What can you learn?"
50. "What's the upside of this difficult situation?"
Advanced Coaching Techniques
Challenging with care:
- Mirror: "I notice you said X but your energy dropped. What's underneath that?"
- Direct: "I'm going to be blunt. The data says Y. How do you see it?"
- Meta: "We've discussed this topic three sessions in a row. What's keeping you stuck?"
- Hypothesis: "I have a theory. Can I share it? [wait for permission]"
Working with resistance:
- Name it: "I sense some resistance. What's that about?"
- Validate it: "It makes sense you'd feel that way given..."
- Explore it: "What's the resistance protecting you from?"
- Leverage it: "What would have to be true for you to move forward despite this?"
Silence as a tool:
- After a powerful question: wait at least 10 seconds
- When they say "I don't know": say nothing — they usually do know
- After an emotional moment: let it breathe
- When they're processing: resist the urge to fill space
Somatic awareness:
- "Where do you feel that in your body?"
- "What just shifted when you said that?"
- "Your voice changed when you mentioned X. What's happening?"
- "Take a breath. What comes up?"
Phase 5: Leadership Development Plan
Development Plan Template
leadership_development_plan:
leader: ""
date: ""
review_date: ""
vision:
next_role: ""
timeline: ""
gap_to_next_level: ""
focus_areas:
- area: ""
current_state: ""
target_state: ""
why_it_matters: ""
development_actions:
learn:
- action: ""
resource: ""
by_when: ""
practice:
- action: ""
frequency: ""
[]
[]
[]
[]
70-20-10 Development Action Library
70% On-the-job (Experience):
- Lead a cross-functional initiative outside comfort zone
- Present to a more senior audience (board, exec team, all-hands)
- Take on a turnaround project (fix something broken)
- Manage a crisis or urgent situation end-to-end
- Hire and onboard a senior leader
- Deliver difficult feedback to a peer or senior stakeholder
- Run a strategy offsite
- Negotiate a significant deal or vendor contract
- Manage a budget 2x your current scope
- Represent the company externally (conference, customer, press)
20% Relationships (Exposure):
- Shadow a C-suite executive for a week
- Find a mentor outside your function/industry
- Join a peer learning group (YPO, EO, or internal cohort)
- Reverse mentor a junior employee
- Get a "truth-teller" — someone who gives unfiltered feedback
- Build 3 new cross-functional relationships this quarter
- Seek 360° feedback from 5 stakeholders informally
- Attend a board meeting as an observer
10% Formal Learning (Education):
- Executive education program (2-5 days)
- Leadership assessment tool (Hogan, StrengthsFinder, DISC, MBTI)
- Read 2 leadership books per quarter
- Complete an online leadership course
- Attend an industry leadership conference
- Take a course in an adjacent skill (finance for non-finance, tech for non-tech)
Phase 6: Executive Presence
Executive Presence Framework (4 Pillars)
executive_presence:
gravitas:
components:
- confidence: "Projects calm certainty without arrogance"
- decisiveness: "Makes calls and owns them"
- composure: "Stays steady under pressure"
- vision: "Connects today's work to tomorrow's destination"
- authenticity: "Consistent in public and private"
development:
- "Practice the 3-second pause before responding"
- "Prepare your 'point of view' on every topic before meetings"
- "Use 'I believe...' and 'My recommendation is...' not 'I think maybe...'"
- "When challenged, acknowledge the point, then restate your position"
- "Own mistakes immediately: 'That was my call. Here's what I learned.'"
communication:
components:
- clarity: "Simple, jargon-free, structured"
- storytelling: "Uses narrative to make data memorable"
- listening: "Makes others feel genuinely heard"
- adaptation: "Adjusts style for board vs team vs 1:1"
-
Situation-Specific Presence Guides
Board presentations:
- Lead with the ask or recommendation — boards hate buried leads
- 3 slides max for a 30-min slot
- Anticipate the 5 hardest questions and prepare answers
- Use "We" for team achievements, "I" for decisions and accountability
- End with: "Here's what I need from you"
Crisis communication:
- Speed > perfection — communicate within 2 hours even with incomplete info
- Structure: "Here's what we know. Here's what we're doing. Here's when we'll update you."
- Take ownership: "I take responsibility for..."
- Never say "no comment" — say "I'll have more information by [time]"
- Follow up when promised — credibility is rebuilt in the follow-through
Difficult conversations:
- Name the elephant: "This is a hard conversation. I want to have it because I respect you."
- SBI model: Situation → Behavior → Impact (not character)
- Ask their perspective before prescribing
- End with explicit commitment: "What are we agreeing to?"
- Follow up within 48 hours
Phase 7: Team Effectiveness
Team Health Assessment (Lencioni + Google's Project Aristotle)
team_assessment:
psychological_safety:
score: 0
signals:
healthy: ["People admit mistakes", "Questions are welcomed", "Dissent is voiced"]
unhealthy: ["Silence in meetings", "Blame culture", "CYA behavior"]
actions:
- "Leader models vulnerability: 'I was wrong about...' / 'I don't know'"
- "Explicitly reward risk-taking, even when it fails"
- "Ask the quietest person in the room: 'What are we missing?'"
trust:
score: 0
signals:
healthy: ["Candid feedback", "Asking for help", "Giving benefit of doubt"]
unhealthy: ["Political maneuvering", "Back-channel conversations", "Guarded language"]
actions:
- "Personal histories exercise: 5-min vulnerability sharing in team meeting"
- "Replace 'Why did you...' with 'Help me understand...'"
- "Create shared experiences outside work context"
healthy_conflict:
score: 0
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Team Offsite Design (Full Day)
team_offsite:
pre_work:
- "Anonymous pulse survey: 3 things working, 3 things not"
- "Each person: 1-page 'State of my world' (priorities, blockers, requests)"
- "Pre-read on strategic context"
morning:
- "09:00 Check-in: Personal + professional highlight since last offsite (10 min each)"
- "10:00 Retrospective: What's working? What isn't? What should we change?"
- "11:00 Team health assessment: Score and discuss each dimension"
- "12:00 Lunch together (no laptops)"
afternoon:
- "13:30 Strategic context: Where is the business heading? What does it mean for us?"
- "14:30 Priority alignment: What are our 3 must-win battles this quarter?"
- "15:30 Working agreements: How do we want to work together? (revise/create)"
- "16:30 Commitments: Each person — 'My commitment to this team'"
- "17:00 Reflection + Close: 'One word for how you're leaving'"
follow_up:
- "Share notes within 48 hours"
- "30-day check-in on commitments"
- "Quarterly pulse survey to track health trends"
Phase 8: Career Transitions & Executive Onboarding
First 90 Days Framework (New Leader)
transition_plan:
first_30_days:
theme: "Listen and learn — resist the urge to change things"
actions:
- "Meet every direct report 1:1 (60 min each)"
- "Meet every peer and key stakeholder (30 min each)"
- "Meet skip-levels in small groups"
- "Learn the business: financials, customers, products, competitive landscape"
- "Identify 3 quick wins — things you can fix that build credibility"
- "DO NOT reorganize, fire anyone, or change processes yet"
questions_to_ask_everyone:
- "What's working well that I should protect?"
- "What's broken that needs fixing?"
- "What would you do if you had my role?"
- "What don't I know that I should?"
- "What are you worried I might do?"
days_31_60:
theme: "Form your point of view and align with stakeholders"
actions:
- "Present your diagnosis to your boss: 'Here's what I've learned'"
- "Draft strategic priorities (3 max)"
- "Identify talent: A-players (invest), B-players (develop), wrong-seat (move)"
- "Execute quick wins — build credibility through action"
-
Career Transition Coaching (Level Shifts)
| Transition | Key Mindset Shift | Common Failure Mode |
|---|
| IC → Manager | "My success = their success" | Doing the work instead of developing others |
| Manager → Director | "Manage through managers" | Skipping levels, micromanaging |
| Director → VP | "Own the outcome, not the method" | Getting pulled into tactical decisions |
| VP → C-Suite | "Enterprise first, function second" | Advocating only for your department |
| C-Suite → CEO | "You are the culture" | Underestimating symbolic power of every action |
| Corporate → Startup | "Build the plane while flying it" | Over-process, waiting for perfect information |
| Startup → Corporate | "Influence > authority" | Moving too fast, breaking things, ignoring politics |
Phase 9: Succession Planning
Succession Readiness Assessment
succession_plan:
critical_roles:
- role: ""
incumbent: ""
flight_risk: ""
successors:
ready_now:
- name: ""
readiness: ""
gaps: []
development_plan: ""
ready_1_2_years:
- name: ""
readiness: ""
gaps: []
development_plan: ""
emergency_backup:
name: ""
plan: ""
bench_strength_score:
roles_with_ready_now_successor: 0
roles_with_1_2_year_successor: 0
roles_with_no_successor: 0
overall_readiness: ""
actions:
-
9-Box Talent Assessment
Low Performance Medium Performance High Performance
High Potential │ Potential Gem │ High Potential │ Star
│ Invest or move │ Accelerate dev │ Stretch & retain
│─────────────────── ──────────────────── ────────────────────
Medium Potential │ Underperformer │ Core Player │ High Performer
│ PIP or redeploy │ Develop in role │ Expand scope
│─────────────────── ──────────────────── ────────────────────
Low Potential │ Wrong Seat │ Solid Contributor │ Mastery Expert
│ Exit │ Maintain │ Leverage expertise
Calibration rules:
- Never rate more than 20% as "Stars" — that's grade inflation
- "Wrong Seat" requires action within 90 days — don't hoard
- "Potential Gem" gets maximum 6 months to show improvement
- "Core Players" are the backbone — don't neglect them chasing stars
- Review the 9-box quarterly, recalibrate annually
Phase 10: Coaching Metrics & ROI
Coaching Effectiveness Dashboard
coaching_metrics:
engagement_health:
sessions_completed: 0
sessions_cancelled: 0
completion_rate: ""
commitment_completion_rate: ""
behavioral_change:
self_reported_progress: ""
stakeholder_observed_change: ""
360_score_change: ""
business_impact:
team_engagement_delta: ""
retention_of_direct_reports: ""
team_performance_metrics: ""
promotion_readiness: ""
roi_calculation:
coaching_investment: 0
value_created: 0
roi_percentage: ""
qualitative:
leader_testimonial:
ROI Evidence Types
| Evidence | How to Measure | Typical Impact |
|---|
| Retention of key talent | Direct reports who stay vs baseline | $50K-200K saved per retained person |
| Faster decision-making | Time from problem to decision | Competitive advantage, speed to market |
| Team productivity | Output metrics, velocity, revenue per head | 10-30% improvement common |
| Reduced conflict | Time spent on interpersonal issues | 2-5 hours/week reclaimed |
| Better stakeholder relationships | NPS, 360° scores, sponsor feedback | Unlocks resources, removes blockers |
| Succession strength | Internal promotion rate, bench depth | $100K+ saved per avoided external hire |
| Leader wellbeing | Burnout indicators, engagement, tenure | Prevents $500K+ executive turnover cost |
Phase 11: Difficult Coaching Scenarios
5 Challenging Client Playbooks
1. The Resistant Leader ("I don't need coaching")
- Don't argue — meet them where they are
- Ask: "What would make this time worthwhile for you?"
- Reframe: "Think of this as a strategic thinking partner, not remediation"
- Find their motivation: "What would you like to be even better at?"
- Quick win: Solve one problem they care about → credibility earned
2. The Over-Talker (fills every session, avoids depth)
- Notice the pattern: "I notice we cover a lot of ground but don't go deep. What's that about?"
- Use structured tools: "Give me 3 bullet points, then we'll explore the most important one"
- Direct interrupt: "I want to stop you here because something important just came up"
- Assign reflective pre-work: "Come to our next session with one question you don't know the answer to"
3. The Perfectionist (paralyzed by standards)
- Normalize: "Your high standards got you here. AND they might be the ceiling now"
- Reframe: "What's the cost of waiting for perfect?"
- Experiment: "Ship one thing at 80% this week. Observe what happens"
- Identity work: "You ARE successful even when something isn't perfect"
- Track: Log the outcome of 80% efforts vs 100% efforts — data beats fear
4. The Pleaser (avoids conflict, overcommits)
- Name the pattern: "You seem to say yes to everything. What's driving that?"
- Explore the cost: "What are you sacrificing by never saying no?"
- Practice: Role-play declining a request — start with low-stakes
- Reframe: "Every yes to someone else is a no to something you care about"
- Assignment: Say no once this week. Report back on what happened (usually nothing bad)
5. The Brilliant Jerk (delivers results, damages people)
- Don't lead with behavior — lead with impact: "Your team's attrition is 2x the company average. What's your theory?"
- Connect to their goals: "You want to be VP. VPs need organizations that scale. People leave you."
- Specific incidents: "In the meeting Tuesday, when you said X, here's what happened..."
- Not optional: "This isn't about being nice. It's about whether you can lead at the next level"
- Consequences: "Without change, here's the likely outcome in 12 months..."
When to End a Coaching Engagement
| Signal | Action |
|---|
| No progress after 3-4 sessions | Direct conversation: "What's getting in the way?" |
| Leader not completing commitments | Renegotiate or end — don't waste time |
| Goals achieved | Celebrate and close with transition plan |
| Coaching becomes therapy | Refer to professional — this is a boundary |
| Trust broken (leader lied, ethics issue) | Address directly — may need to end |
| Organization changes (reorg, exit) | Reassess scope and goals |
Phase 12: Scoring & Quality
100-Point Coaching Quality Rubric
| Dimension | Weight | Scoring Guide |
|---|
| Assessment depth | 15 | 15=comprehensive 360°+self+stakeholder, 10=basic assessment, 5=surface only |
| Goal clarity | 15 | 15=SMART goals tied to business impact, 10=general goals, 5=vague aspirations |
| Conversation quality | 20 | 20=powerful questions+challenge+insight, 15=good questions, 10=advice-giving, 5=chat |
| Development plan | 15 | 15=70-20-10 with milestones+metrics, 10=action list, 5=vague intentions |
| Behavioral change | 15 | 15=stakeholders report visible change, 10=self-reported change, 5=no change |
| Stakeholder management | 10 | 10=sponsor engaged+aligned, 7=occasional updates, 3=forgotten |
| ROI evidence | 10 | 10=quantified business impact, 7=qualitative evidence, 3=anecdotal only |
Total: /100
- 90-100: Transformative coaching engagement
- 75-89: Strong impact, well-executed
- 60-74: Good start, needs deeper follow-through
- Below 60: Rethink approach — something isn't working
10 Coaching Anti-Patterns
- Advice monster — Telling instead of asking. Coach ≠ consultant.
- Friendship drift — Sessions become chat. Maintain productive tension.
- Avoiding the hard stuff — Skating around derailers. Name them.
- Working harder than the client — If you're more invested, something's wrong.
- Confirmation bias — Only hearing what confirms your hypothesis. Listen for surprise.
- Rescuing — Solving their problems instead of building their capability.
- Tool addiction — Running assessments instead of having real conversations.
- Ignoring the system — Coaching the individual while ignoring the context they're in.
- No measurement — Can't articulate what changed. Track from day 1.
- Endless engagement — No defined end. Coaching should have a graduation.
Natural Language Commands
The agent responds to commands like:
- "Assess [leader name]'s leadership" → Run Phase 1 assessment
- "Design a 360° survey for [name]" → Generate Phase 2 survey
- "Set up a coaching engagement" → Walk through Phase 3 design
- "Coach me on [topic]" → Run a GROW coaching conversation
- "Create a development plan for [name]" → Generate Phase 5 plan
- "Help me build executive presence" → Phase 6 framework
- "Assess my team's health" → Phase 7 team assessment
- "Plan my first 90 days" → Phase 8 transition plan
- "Build a succession plan" → Phase 9 template
- "Review coaching effectiveness" → Phase 10 dashboard
- "Help me with a difficult leader" → Phase 11 scenario playbook
- "Score this coaching engagement" → Phase 12 rubric
