It’s no shock that some high-powered execs bristle at criticism or roll their eyes at the thought of coaching. But what happens when that same attitude shows up lower on the organizational chart? Imagine an assistant who follows instructions to the letter, yet resists coaching and treats suggestions for improvement like background noise. Suddenly, “compliance” looks a lot less like coachability.
It may sound counter-intuitive, but our research shows it’s true: the most compliant employees aren’t always the most coachable.
Here’s what we found in our CTAA (Coaching & Trainability Attitude Assessment). Scores range from 0 to 100—higher is better (except for Know-it-all-ism, where lower is ideal). We compared three groups: those comfortable leading, those more comfortable following, and those who are at ease in either role.
Overall Level of Coachability
- Average score for Leaders: 72
- Average score for Followers: 70
- Average score for Leaders + Followers: 77
Ability to Handle Criticism
- Average score for Leaders: 71
- Average score for Followers: 68
- Average score for Leaders + Followers: 76
Openness to Learning and Improvement
- Average score for Leaders: 82
- Average score for Followers: 78
- Average score for Leaders + Followers: 85
Willingness to Take Direction
- Average score for Leaders: 65
- Average score for Followers: 75
- Average score for Leaders + Followers: 74
Willingness to Ask for Help
- Average score for Leaders: 69
- Average score for Followers: 65
- Average score for Leaders + Followers: 74
Comfort with Vulnerability and Admitting Weakness
- Average score for Leaders: 66
- Average score for Followers: 61
- Average score for Leaders + Followers: 71
Know-it-all-ism
- Average score for Leaders: 33
- Average score for Followers: 27
- Average score for Leaders + Followers: 24
Most direct reports won’t slam their fists on the desk and say, “I refuse your feedback!” Instead, they’ll politely nod, take the course, and then treat your carefully crafted coaching like spam emails: opened, skimmed, and instantly trashed.
The real ROI happens when you’ve got employees who are genuinely curious and willing to learn. They don’t just sit through coaching; they actually use it. And research shows that’s when training pays off big time.
The moral of the story: Don’t just hire people who can follow directions—hire the ones who can lead and follow. They’ve got the range, they’re open to feedback, and they won’t make your coaching budget feel like money tossed into a shredder.
Our CTAA (Coaching & Trainability Attitude Assessment) helps you hire people who don’t just nod through feedback but actually grow from it. And our CTA 360 shows you if your current team is truly coachable—or just pretending to be.
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