Define the change in observable terms

Choose one or two priorities that you can influence. “Be more strategic” might become “hold a monthly planning review and keep two weekly blocks for agreed strategic work”. “Delegate better” might become “let the operations manager decide within written limits”.

Write down what good progress would look like and what it would not prove. Fewer interruptions may mean clearer authority, but they may also mean staff have stopped raising risks. Pair speed or independence measures with a quality check.

Record a baseline before changing the routine

For a short period, record what happens today using the same method you intend to use later. A diary of owner approvals, postponed decisions or calendar commitments is often enough. Choose a period that reflects normal work and note unusual events.

Do not invent a baseline if coaching has already started. Begin measuring now and explain the limitation. A reliable current picture is better than an impressive before-and-after comparison built from guesses.

Track actions, behaviour and business context separately

Keep a small review sheet with three parts. Actions show whether you tried the agreed work. Behaviour shows whether your way of working changed. Context helps you understand what else might explain the results.

For example, a hypothetical delegation goal could track whether decision limits were agreed, how many routine decisions returned to the owner, and whether errors or escalations increased. None of those numbers alone establishes that coaching caused a business result.

  • Action: was the agreed experiment completed?
  • Behaviour: what did you do differently in actual situations?
  • Quality: were the decisions timely and appropriate?
  • Context: did volume, staffing or other conditions change?

Use feedback carefully

You can ask a manager whether responsibilities are clearer or whether you still reverse decisions unexpectedly. Ask specific questions and make it safe to give a mixed answer. Avoid asking staff to endorse the coaching programme.

Agree what feedback is shared with the coach and with any sponsor. Keep private session content separate from agreed progress reporting. Do not add sensitive comments to a shared scorecard without permission.

Make a decision at the review point

At a date agreed in advance, compare the evidence with your starting goals. Continue if the work is useful, adjust if the focus or method is wrong, and stop if it no longer fits. There is no universal number of sessions that guarantees a change.

If actions are repeatedly not completed, investigate workload, unclear priorities or a mismatch in the relationship. If you need someone to design processes or analyse records, the next step may be consulting rather than more coaching.

Your next step

Measure what you are changing, use consistent definitions and review the evidence together. Treat commercial results as context, not proof of a coach’s impact.