Coaching Stance
A coaching stance in change management means acting as a guide rather than an expert, helping people discover insights and take ownership of change rather than simply following instructions.
Coaching Stance vs traditional thinking
Two different assumptions about how change should work.
Lean Change
A coaching stance recognizes that change is co-created, not imposed. Instead of telling people what to do, change agents ask questions, encourage self-reflection, and create space for teams to find their own solutions. This approach fosters engagement, learning, and sustainable change.
Traditional Change Management
Change agents are seen as experts who provide answers and solutions. They analyze the situation, define the plan, and tell people what needs to happen. The focus is on driving compliance with the change initiative, often assuming that resistance comes from a lack of understanding.
The term "Coach" is often mis-interpreted and has become watered down over the years as more disciplines adopted the term.
Many change agents feel pressure to [b]have all the answers[/b]. However, real change isn’t something that can be [b]imposed or dictated[/b]—it must be [b]co-created[/b]. A [b]coaching stance[/b] shifts the role of a change agent from an [b]expert providing solutions[/b] to a [b]facilitator who helps individuals and teams uncover their own best way forward[/b].
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Child Developments
Related child elements that expand this building block.
Coaches detach from the outcome and believe the best way to help people is to help them understand and solve their problems through powerful questions.
Facilitators create experiences that help people learn. That might be noodling in the problem space, or getting to solutions.
Connections to the broader Lean Change ecosystem.
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