Understanding Human Psychology

This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Being open to feedback and coaching isn’t just about listening—it’s about embracing vulnerability and being willing to grow. A truly coachable person doesn’t just nod along when engaging in conversations, but openly shares their real self, even while receiving feedback, they actively seek it, question it, and appy it.   Many people think they are open to feedback until they hear something they don’t agree with. That’s where the real challenge begins. Can you sit with it instead of rejecting it outright? Can you take a step back and ask, Why does this feedback not sit well with me? Sometimes, what we resist the most is what we need to hear the most.   Coachable individuals don’t just accept everything blindly—they ask questions. They clarify, they reflect, and they find value even in feedback they don’t fully agree with. If you immediately dismiss feedba...

  Have you ever stood in front of a locked door, unsure if you have the right key? That’s exactly how trust works in conversations, especially those of coaching. People don’t just open up because you ask them to. They need to feel safe, heard, and respected. In coaching, I’ve seen this play out many times. A client walks in, guarded and hesitant, unsure if they can truly share what’s on their mind. But the moment they realize I’m not here to judge—just to listen—something shifts. Like a door slightly ajar, they let me in, little by little. The key? Open-ended questions. Instead of asking, “Are you struggling at work?” I ask, “What’s been the biggest challenge for you lately?” It gives them the space to explore their own thoughts, rather than shutting the conversation down with a yes or no. Trust is not demanded; it’s earned. And the right words—like the right key—can make all the difference.

In coaching conversations, I often see clients caught in the same struggles for months, sometimes even years. When I ask, “Why didn’t you reach out earlier?” the answers vary—fear, uncertainty, or simply the hope that things would get better on their own. But the reality is, by choosing not to act, they were still making a choice. I’ve seen this happen when coachees hesitate to seek help from their coach or manager. They had opportunities to address their challenges, yet they stayed silent. Now, when their performance is questioned, they feel stuck—helpless, even. But the truth is, their inaction was a decision too. Often, people assume that avoiding a decision will keep them safe from discomfort or failure. But in reality, inaction has its own consequences. Delaying action only makes problems bigger, opportunities slip away, and confidence erode. The fear of making the wrong choice sometimes leads to no choice at all—but that in itself is a decision with lasting impact. Recog...