The 2 BEST interview questions to determine coachability & growth mindset

• Tell me about a time you learned a new skill from a colleague. …
• Describe a time when you made a mistake at work and had to tell someone about it. …
• Think about the last time you required assistance at work.

Coming from a sports background between being a student-athlete and coaching, it’s obvious that sometimes it is not about the initial skill set a player can bring to the table, but how coachable they are to acquire new skillsets and learn from mistakes. A player can score goals each game, but if they don’t have the right attitude to change bad habits or motivate their peers, are they really a good team member?

You’re probably wondering how this relates to business and employees… Sports are just like business. Athletes (employees) and coaches (managers) must aim for an end goal, go up against competition, work as a team, receive and give feedback, manage their time, and hit deadlines.

There are even articles that state employers should look to hire employees that were former athletes. That doesn’t necessarily have to be the case, but finding candidates that are coachable is certainly important to any organization. In order to find the most coachable candidates, there are certain areas that can be observed and interview questions that can be asked.

Collaborating and working as a team: It’s important to judge how well a candidate will work with others, collaborate, and maximize team strengths. An interview question to ask is, “Tell me about a time where you had to work towards an end goal as a group. What were the challenges you came across and was the team successful?”

Giving and receiving feedback: A person will never know if they are doing something wrong unless it is brought to their attention. Feedback in sports and in business is crucial. An employee will never improve unless feedback is an open and receptive conversation, as an athlete will never be able to improve on the field without constructive criticism at practice. Interview questions to ask are, “Tell me about a time you received feedback from your manager. How did you respond to that feedback and did you apply the feedback?” “Tell me a time where you had to give difficult feedback to a peer or manager.”

Overcoming adversity or challenges: Being coachable doesn’t just mean you can take feedback well, it also means you can face adversity and overcome obstacles in the way of success. Many businesses will run up against competition in their market or industry, or hit internal obstacles that cause stress. Those that adjust to the challenges and take adversity in stride are typically the most successful in the end. A good interview question to determine if a candidate innately has those traits is, “Tell me about a time of adversity or challenge and how did you over come it. What did you learn from the situation?”

Communication: Lastly, communication is key in every part of life, whether in sports, relationships, or at work. And I don’t just mean being able to concisely convey a message; it also involves being comfortable having difficult conversations, listening to what others are saying, being open to taking accountably, and motivating others. An employer is going to be coachable if they listen instead of just hearing, and possess overall good communication skills. A few ways to spot a candidate with good communication skills are, “Tell me about a time you had to communicate with someone who was angry or frustrated. How did you handle this situation? What was the result?” and “Tell me about a time you were able to successfully persuade someone at work. What was the situation and how were you able to persuade them?”

In short, it is crucial for employers or managers to consider coachability as an important aspect in hiring. If a candidate does not seem as though they are coachable, then it is more than likely they will not be open to improvement, working with others, or might cause conflict within the workplace. For all employers, take your time interviewing to make sure you are bringing on the most coachable employees to your organization.

Are you coachable?

Let’s look at some actual responses to this question, starting with one that most companies consider a good answer:

We know from the Hiring for Attitude research that 46% of new employees will fail within 18 months of hire. Most of the time (89% to be exact), candidates fail for attitudinal reasons, and in the original study, a lack of coachability was the number one cause.

Notice how this candidate speaks exclusively in second-person pronouns (e.g., you). Not once does this candidate say, “Here’s what I did,” preferring instead to identify what you should do. If the question had asked for a theoretical outline of problem-solving techniques, perhaps this answer would be okay. But the question asked them to describe a time when they made a mistake. This answer simply doesn’t answer the question.

In a nutshell, coachability is the ability to take feedback and use it to drive positive change. If you critique someone’s work and they respond with denial or blame, that’s the opposite of being coachable.

Coachability may sound like an incredibly difficult characteristic to assess, but with a good interview question and knowledge of the differences between good and bad answers, you can often spot a lack of coachability pretty quickly.

You could follow up with “Is this what you wanted me to think about you?” If their answer is Yes, that’s great. If it was No, then the follow up question could be “Assuming what you think, I’m thinking is correct, what can you now do or say to alter that perception?”

At IOCI, we’ve found that coaching works best when conducted over a period of time and allows for incremental learning, self-discovery and experimentation. This allows the client to collaborate with the coach on new, more effective approaches to engaging and delivering results in a variety of contexts.

But before setting on a path to selecting and working with a coach, it’s worth the effort to find out if you’re really ready.

Coaching should be based on confidentiality and trust to enable an open and honest examination of what might be limiting the client’s ability to reach their goals. Coaching usually begins with a selection of assessments to help the client self-reflect and obtain feedback from others on things like their interpersonal style, a limiting mindset, or perhaps where they are most and least effective.

If you responded in the affirmative to at least five of these questions, you have a high “coachability quotient” and should consider connecting with a coach who’s a good match for your professional and personal development.

As Whitmore hints, coaching is grounded in the belief that the client already has the ability to achieve their potential. The coach’s role is to help the client pinpoint desired development areas and surface strategies to enhance his or her effectiveness.

How to Hire Coachable Employees

First, let me say that you can’t necessarily rely on skill, experience, or knowledge.

Candidates who have hit certain levels in these areas might win once or even a couple of times in their efforts to contribute by bringing what they already have to the team. But they won’t keep winning—achieving new and bigger career goals and producing the right results for your company—unless they keep improving.

The one behavior and primary characteristic that defines serial winners, the people who are most likely continue to contribute in a constantly changing business environment, is coachability.

So what do you look for in an interview? Here are three ways to spot coachability in your candidates.

FAQ

How do you determine if a candidate is coachable?

1. They’re Growth-Oriented. …
2. They’re Willing to Be Vulnerable. …
3. They Are Willing to Try New Things. …
4. They’re Open to Change. …
5. They’re Eager to Learn. …
6. They’re Open-Minded in the Face of Feedback. …
7. They Are Action-Oriented.

How do you test Coachability in an interview?

How do you assess Coachability?

1. Is she willing to reflect or look inward? The leader has some self-awareness and the ability and willingness to be vulnerable. …
2. Is he willing to challenge his own thinking? …
3. Is he open to feedback?

How do you test your learning ability in an interview?

1. How do you adjust to changes in a situation that you have no control over?
2. Have you done something different at work, and what did you learn from that experience?
3. Can you describe a time you dealt with a disagreement with a teammate?