Tips for Coaching in Modern Workplaces

“𝐇𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐈 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤… …and changed absolutely nothing. 😐”** Ever felt that? You invest time in a coaching conversation. You keep it calm. Clear. You even ask questions like: ✨ “How do you think that call went?” ✨ “What could you do differently next time?” ✨ “What’s the goal for your next prospecting block?” They nod 🤔 They smile 🙂 They thank you 🙏 ↳ But when the next opportunity rolls around... nothing changes. Welcome to the world of the feedback-resistant salesperson. 😩 Now here’s the kicker: 📌 It’s not always about ego. 📌 It’s not always about laziness. 📌 And no — it’s not about being uncoachable. Sometimes, it’s simply this: ➡️ They don’t know how to take in feedback. ➡️ Or worse — they don’t know why they should. So what do you do when feedback is falling on deaf ears? ✘ You don’t talk louder. ✘ You don’t talk longer. ✘ You don’t shame them with data. ✅ You personalize the coaching approach. Here’s how 👇 🔹 1. Discover their “why not.” Ask directly: “What’s your process for applying feedback?” They may not have one. Or they’ve had bad coaching before and built a wall. 🧱 ↳ X-Ray the resistance before you prescribe the fix. 🔹 2. Coach through curiosity. Instead of giving answers, try: ⇢ “What are you hoping will happen if you keep doing it this way?” ⇢ “What would success look like if you did it differently?” You’re helping them sell themselves on the change. 💡 🔹 3. Speak in their style. Is your rep an analytical processor? 🎯 Bring them numbers. Is your rep emotionally driven? 🎯 Bring them stories. Is your rep competitive? 🎯 Show them what top performers are doing. ↳ Mirror their decision language to spark motion. 🔹 4. Shift the scoreboard. If you’re only tracking output (calls made, deals closed), You’re missing the coachable moments. Instead: ⇢ Track how often they try something new. ⇢ Celebrate progress, not perfection. This builds psychological safety + momentum. 🧠💥 💬 Final thought: Not every salesperson needs to be “taught.” Many just need to be understood first. Once they feel seen, They’ll start to hear you. Once they start to hear you, They’ll be ready to grow with you. 👀 Got someone on your team who resists feedback? Try switching the approach, not just the advice. 💬 Drop a comment if you’ve cracked the code with a resistant rep. Let’s build better teams — together.

Last week, I had the privilege of facilitating a three-day leadership training for all the managers and directors of a local government agency. The day our training began, I received heartbreaking news: a family friend had died by suicide as a result of a workplace issue. The tragedy was a gut-wrenching reminder that what happens inside our organizations—and inside our people—matters deeply. It reinforced why I begin almost every leadership training with the foundation of the Step into Your Moxie® Vocal Empowerment System: developing a strong Inner Voice. When leaders don’t understand or tend to their own inner dialogue—or the voices that dominate their team members’ internal narratives—employee engagement, performance, and well-being suffer. Sometimes, the consequences are far worse. So, in this training, we lingered longer than usual on self-talk. We explored: What voices hold the mic in your head, especially during uncomfortable moments? How does that internal chatter show up in communication and leadership with team members? What do you think the people you lead say to themselves, especially when they make a mistake, receive feedback, or feel overwhelmed? And then we got practical. When we transitioned into a module on coaching direct reports through a performance improvement plan, we began with empathy mapping. Because we had spent time building intrapersonal awareness, participants were able to go deeper, to look past surface-level behaviors and identify fears, assumptions, and narratives driving their employees’ actions. We talked about how to do this in the real world, especially during 1-on-1s and more formal coaching moments. We talked about how to take these insights into everyday leadership. Participants identified the importance of: -Beginning 1-on-1s with a genuine check-in—asking how people are really doing, and gently probing when someone’s initial answer feels surface-level. -Shifting from “How do I fix this?” to “Where does this person need support?”—and staying open to the idea that what people most need may not be more training or resources, but to feel seen and heard. -Removing isolation and building trust—by creating consistent space for honest dialogue, leaders reduce stigma and strengthen the foundation for positive mental health at work. When leaders prioritize presence over perfection—and connection over correction—they help rewrite the internal narratives that so often go unchecked. This is how we create cultures where people not only perform better, but also feel safer, stronger, and more human at work. Because sometimes, the most powerful leadership skill we have is helping someone shift the voice that says they’re not enough or that they’re alone as they navigate tough times.

Why Your Brilliant Ideas Get Ignored: The Hidden Psychology of Workplace Credibility Research consistently shows that workplace credibility is established within the first 30 seconds of interaction, yet many professionals struggle with being taken seriously due to presentation rather than competence. Here's what I observe coaching professionals: we focus on being right while ignoring the psychology of being heard. The credibility killers sabotaging your career:  → Apologizing before sharing ideas ("This might be wrong, but...")  → Over-explaining to prove competence instead of demonstrating confidence → Speaking in questions instead of statements ("Maybe we should consider...?") After coaching individuals for over 20 years, I’ve noticed that people often make competency judgments very quickly, and these judgments are usually based on confidence markers rather than expertise, such as strong, steady eye contact, a clear and measured speaking voice, and assured physical presence It’s a perceived authority that comes from specific behavioral signals that can be learned. Here’s a credibility framework that I use with clients and that works: 🔹 Master Decisive Communication  ➤ Replace "I think maybe we could..." with "I recommend we..." Replace questions with statements.  ↳ Tentative language signals uncertainty about your expertise. 🔹 Own Your Contributions  ➤ Start with "Based on my analysis..." Never start with apologies or disclaimers.  ↳ People respect professionals who own their expertise rather than downplay it. 🔹 Use Strategic Silence  ➤ After making a point, pause for 3 seconds instead of immediately explaining further.  ↳ Over-explaining signals insecurity. Confident professionals make their point and trust it. 🔹 Document Your Impact  ➤ Keep a weekly record of contributions and outcomes. Reference these in discussions.  ↳ Concrete examples establish credibility more quickly than generic claims about hard work. Being taken seriously isn't about fairness—it's about psychology. The most respected person understands how credibility actually works. Stop hoping your work will speak for itself. Start speaking for your work with the authority it deserves. Coaching can help; let's chat. Enjoy this? ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Joshua Miller for more tips on coaching, leadership, career + mindset. #CareerAdvice #Leadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #Workplace #ExecutiveCoaching #Communication

Want to build a stronger, more self-suffient team with better critical thinking skills, change the way you respond to them when they ask you questions. I get it, early on as a leader it felt great to have employees come into my office, ask me questions and I felt the helper's high of solving the ask. They left relieved, too, with the answer. I started to realize that I was creating co-depedency because they were reliant on me for answers. So, I had to change my approach. When folks would come in with questions, instead of giving answers I changed my response to a single question: --> What's been your current approach? This is still my favorite first question to ask in my coaching sessions. This teaches people to recognize that they will ask you what you think, or what you've tried and so it's good to try and test something out before asking for help. This one question can help your team stop relying so much on you and start discovering answers for themselves. Do you have an immediate question you like to ask when folks ask for help, advice or answers?

“This is my sixth manager in two years.” Sound familiar? That’s why the worst thing a new manager can do is take over the helm of the ship too quickly before they know what direction their team wants to go. Then, wonder why they’re experiencing disengagement, coaching resistance, missed quotas, team conflict and trust issues.   Making changes before understanding the current team landscape and dynamics will set you and your team up for failure.   Instead of assuming what would help, start by having a level-setting conversation so you can learn about each person’s goals, work-style, strengths, opportunities for coaching,  and how they want to be managed, motivated even held accountable. Here are several questions to open up the conversation. Remember, the questions flow both ways.   1-Let's start by sharing a little about ourselves, our background, current role.   2-How have you been managed before? 3-What worked? What didn't work? 4-How often did you meet with your manager for one-to-one coaching sessions that focused solely on your agenda? What was your experience? 5-What did you find most valuable in terms of how your manager supported you around achieving your goals? Least valuable? 6-What can I do that would make me your ideal manager?   7-How can I be your accountability partner so I’m supporting you around your goals and commitments in a way that sounds supportive and not like I’m micromanaging you? 8-Can you please share your expectations around how you want to (be managed, coached, work together, collaborate, communicate, handle problems, create mutual accountability, build a trusted relationship, etc.)? #leadership #salesmanagement #coaching

Most people suck at coaching conversations when emotions run high Yesterday I coached a brand new GM through a tough situation. A server disagreed about sidework expectations, then sent an angry text after their shift. The GM was anxious about addressing it. Sound familiar? Here's what we designed together: 1️⃣ Prep the conversation framework - Know your desired outcome before you start talking 2️⃣ Set communication boundaries - Angry texts after work aren't acceptable, period 3️⃣ Lead with empathy - The sidework complaint probably isn't the real issue 4️⃣ Ask better questions - "Help me understand what's really going on here" 5️⃣ Stay curious, not defensive - Their anger is data, not a personal attack The truth? What employees present first is never the actual problem. It's usually about feeling unheard, unsupported, or unclear about expectations. New leaders who master coaching conversations early become unstoppable. Those who avoid them burn out fast. Teaching managers to overcome conversation anxiety isn't just leadership development... it's career survival. What's the most challenging coaching conversation you've had to navigate as a leader? #RestaurantLeadership #CoachingConversations #LeadershipDevelopment