When Coaching Feels Like a Red Flag — and Why It Isn’t

I’ll never forget a conversation with a leader who told me, “When my boss said, ‘I’d like to help you with your development,’ my stomach dropped. I thought I was failing. That they were already deciding whether I belonged here.”

If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re not alone. Too often, the word coaching lands like a warning light — a sign that something is broken or that you’re being quietly measured for the exit. It’s human nature to hear “you need coaching” and translate it into “you’re not good enough.”

But here’s the truth: coaching isn’t a punishment. It’s a privilege. It’s an investment in you.

When you lean into the process — with trust, even a little curiosity — coaching becomes less about what’s “wrong” and more about what’s possible. Leaders who openly lean into being coached discover new ways of showing up with their peers, of handling conflict without burning bridges, and of making decisions that land with clarity instead of confusion. They evolve not because they were “broken,” but because they were willing to stretch.

And that shift changes everything. Teams begin to feel it in how they’re led. Peers notice it in how collaboration becomes smoother. Organizations see it in how leaders show up with more resilience, balance, and impact.

As a coach, I’ve witnessed this unlock again and again. This empowerment is the real gift — and it can happen at any stage of your career. It’s the unique thing about being human: growth and evolution fuel so many aspects of who we are at the core. So why not lean in and chart your course?