From Feedback to Impact

Coaching is important for helping employees grow, improve performance, and achieve their goals. As coaching programs become more common, there’s a bigger need for evidence-based practices that deliver measurable outcomes.

While expert opinions shape coaching, feedback from coachees—the people being coached—provides real insights into what works and what doesn't. Korn Ferry's new study shows just how valuable this feedback is in making coaching more effective.

By analyzing over 20,000 comments from 11,000 clients, we explored how different coaching styles align with personality traits and learning preferences. And what we found is that coachee feedback can sharpen coaching strategies, improve results, support personal growth, and drive meaningful change within organizations.

Key Themes From Coachee Feedback

After a Korn Ferry coaching session, coachees complete a feedback survey with numeric ratings and comments. In general, coachees gave high ratings, averaging 4.9 out of 5, and nearly two-thirds provided written feedback.

Using expert evaluation and AI, our analysis identified nine feedback themes:

1. Compliments: Overall appreciation of the coaching.
2. Coaching Style: General approach to coaching.
3. Ground Setting: Building relationships and foundations.
4. Assessment Feedback: Learning about oneself through feedback.
5. Situation Exploration: Analyzing situations and challenges.
6. Reflective Practices: Activities for reflection and learning.
7. Between Sessions: Actions taken between sessions.
8. Solution Formation: Generating actionable ideas.
9. Goal Clarification: Prioritizing efforts and setting clear goals.

About a third of the feedback focused on Coaching Style, with coachees noting two main approaches:

• Non-Directive Coaching: Coaches ask probing questions to encourage self-directed learning and self-discovery. Coachees find their own solutions and next steps without explicit instructions.
• Directive Coaching: Coaches offer expertise, insights, and strategies to challenge or reshape the coachee’s thinking. This approach provides structured support and immediate solutions.

Coaches who blend both styles tend to be rated as more effective. They adapt to their clients’ needs, which enriches the coaching experience, accelerates learning, and achieves better results.

How Personality Affects Coaching

The main goal of workplace coaching is self-discovery. Personality assessments and feedback help individuals understand their natural tendencies and adapt to different situations.

Our research highlights the benefits of using personality assessments in coaching. Diverse personalities shape the coaching experience, influencing how coachees perceive coaching styles and engage with activities. Tailoring coaching to individual needs leads to better outcomes.

We identified patterns between personality traits and feedback themes. For example:

• Coachees with high Agreeableness and Positivity often comment on Assessment Feedback, showing enthusiasm for self-insights.
• Those with lower Striving frequently comment on Goal Clarification, needing help to define and prioritize objectives.
• Coachees with high Focus and Openness to Differences value actionable tasks between sessions.

Personality also affects preferences for coaching styles:

• Coachees with high Sociability and Openness to Differences prefer non-directive coaching, which emphasizes self-discovery.
• Those with strong Striving and Focus lean towards directive coaching, which provides structured guidance.

These findings show the critical role personality plays in coaching. Integrating personality assessments into coaching strategies helps create a more customized and impactful learning journey.

4 Ways to Use Feedback for More Effective Coaching

Coachee feedback is a powerful tool for improving coaching. Here are four ways it can be used:

1. Designing the coaching process: Use feedback to map out the coaching journey, focusing on key milestones for growth.
2. Managing coaching pace: Coaching shouldn’t be rushed. Taking the time to reflect and act at the right moments helps coachees progress at their own pace.
3. Building adaptive coaching skills: Combining both coaching styles and adjusting to each coachee’s personality and needs makes coaching more effective.
4. Incorporating feedback loops: Continuously collecting and using feedback helps coaches adapt and improve their methods.

Building Evidence-Based Coaching Programs

Coaching is an important part of employee development, and more companies recognize its value. With coaching’s rise in popularity, the demand for evidence-based practices has also grown.

Examining coaching from the coachee's perspective offers a valuable opportunity to address this demand. Our latest research shows how using coachee feedback can improve coaching methods, making sure coaching provides real value for both individuals and organizations.

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