Let’s start out 2025 with a BANG—and let’s do it by changing our mindset as team members! Whether you're an athlete striving for excellence on the field or a professional navigating workplace dynamics, one truth remains universal: your growth depends on your ability to be coachable.
Have you ever left a performance review upset—or even angry? Maybe you felt attacked, misunderstood, or completely defeated. Some of those emotions may stem from how the feedback was delivered (and let’s face it, not all managers are master communicators). But here’s the thing: while you can’t control how others present feedback, you can control how you process and act on it.
And that’s where being coachable comes in. In fact, I believe being deemed a coachable team member is one of the most flattering—and empowering—compliments you can receive. Why? Because it means you’re open to growth, willing to learn, and prepared to transform challenges into opportunities.
In this blog, we’ll take a deep dive into what it really means to be coachable. Drawing on lessons from my son’s first year of tackle football and my own professional performance reviews, we’ll explore how embracing feedback with the right mindset could be the key to unlocking your next level of success—both personally and professionally.
Ready to step into the New Year with an unbeatable growth mindset? Let’s take the field!
Being coachable is about more than simply following directions—it's a mindset rooted in growth. It means having the willingness to learn, embracing feedback, and applying those lessons to achieve both personal and team goals. A coachable person understands that feedback isn’t a critique of their abilities but an opportunity to grow and improve. This mindset requires humility and open-mindedness, as well as the recognition that there’s always room to get better. A coachable individual consistently demonstrates qualities that enable them to grow, adapt, and succeed. These traits include:
The impact of coachability is profound: it enhances teamwork, sharpens self-awareness, and increases the value you bring to any organization. More than just a skill, coachability is a superpower for unlocking personal and professional success.
Sports offer some of the best training grounds for learning how to be coachable, and this fall, my 8-year-old son gave me a front-row seat to that lesson. When he first expressed interest in playing tackle football, my reaction was an immediate, “Heck no!” My mind raced with concerns: You’re too young! You’re too small! The risk of injury is too high! Football was not something I grew up around—other than cheering on teams from the comfort of the couch. My husband, however, grew up playing football and felt strongly that we should let him try. Begrudgingly, I agreed.
In Texas, football is a BIG DEAL. Coaches held a draft (yes, a draft for 8-year-olds!), my son was picked, and just like that, I became a football mom. His team’s head coach? A former NFL, AFL, and collegiate athlete who now runs a fitness training and mentorship company for elite athletes. Talk about starting at the top. While intimidated by the experience, I couldn’t deny how lucky we were for Timothy to learn from someone so skilled.
At the first few practices, something surprised me—no one even touched a football. The focus was on running, drills, and talking. The coach instilled a set of keywords for the team to remember, and one stuck out to me above all others: Coachable. “You must be coachable to succeed,” the coach emphasized. As I sat there listening, I couldn’t help but get fired up—and I wasn’t even playing!
Timothy was learning football, yes, but he was also learning something far bigger: life lessons about perseverance, listening, and growth. The coach had a unique way of reinforcing these lessons. If a kid missed a block once and then again a second time, he never berated them for messing up. Instead, he’d say, “Hey, be coachable. Remember, I’ve already shown you how to do this. You’ve got to be willing to take instructions to get it right.” That approach didn’t just teach football fundamentals—it instilled self-awareness, showing each player that their actions directly impacted the team’s successes and failures.
As the season progressed, Timothy NEVER came off the field. My husband and I were blown away. He played on both sides of the ball, kicked, recovered fumbles, caught passes as a wide receiver, and made tackles as a linebacker. His coach clearly saw something in him. Was it raw talent? Maybe a little. But we believe his playing time boiled down to one thing: Timothy was a coachable kid.
This was all brand new for him. He had never hit anyone before (having two older sisters didn’t prepare him for tackles!) There were definitely moments of frustration—tears before practices, questions about whether this was too much for an 8-year-old—but we never questioned the lessons he was learning. Being coachable earned him a spot on the team. And not just on the field—his team went undefeated, 10-0, because they came together in a way only coachable players can. Proving you’re coachable doesn’t just make you better at what you do—it makes you more valuable to any team or organization you’re a part of. And when you embrace that mindset, the results can be incredible.
Sports isn’t the only area where coachability can take you places or get you recognized—it's a power skill in the workplace as well. During my most recent 2:1, Vista’s version of a performance review, I received some feedback about myself that wasn’t exactly glowing. It would have been easy to let my feelings get hurt or to pout about the critique, but I chose a different perspective. Because of my self-awareness and trust in my team leaders, I recognized the feedback for what it was: an opportunity to grow.
The feedback? I’m passionate—sometimes too passionate. I get so excited about ideas that I can’t always contain myself and end up interrupting or interjecting when a team member is sharing their thoughts. Hearing that wasn’t easy. No one wants to be known as “the interrupter,” and that was never my intention. But instead of taking it personally, I told myself, I can work on this. I saw it as simply an observation from my team shared with me with the intention of making me better.
I took the advice to heart. Instead of letting my passion override my focus, I practiced taking a deep breath and really listening when others were talking. I became much more intentional about how I was responding in conversations. And you know what? It worked. Recently, a friend texted me after a difficult conversation to say how much they appreciated my listening—they really felt heard. That simple text made my day because it affirmed the effort I had been putting into this exact skill.
This experience reminded me of a critical truth: constructive feedback is a sign of your leader’s investment in your potential. If they didn’t care about you or your performance, why would they bother sharing areas to improve? Showing that you can receive coaching well doesn’t just make you better—it sets the tone for the rest of your team, especially if you’re in a leadership role. It encourages your manager to continue offering guidance because they know you’ll take it in stride and use it to improve—not just for yourself but for the betterment of the entire organization.
Being a coachable team member is a lifelong journey of learning and personal growth. It’s not a skill you develop overnight but one that requires consistent effort, openness, and a willingness to improve. Coachability means being receptive to feedback, ready to adapt, and committed to bettering yourself for the benefit of both your personal development and the team. As you work toward embracing coachability, keep these tips in mind to help you strengthen this essential skill and foster a collaborative mindset.
Remember, feedback is an investment in your future. Being coachable gets you off the bench and into the game, making you a standout team member. And here’s the best part—anyone can develop this skill. There are no prerequisites, just a willingness to try.
Becoming coachable is about actively seeking growth and improvement in every aspect of your personal and professional life. By adopting the strategies discussed, you’ll enhance your own potential and build stronger relationships with those around you. The most successful people I know never stop learning and evolving. The time is now. Kickoff 2025 with the goal of becoming more coachable, and you might be surprised how quickly you see results—both for yourself and your team.
