Who's Who
Leader refers to the person being coached, throughout this guide and every tool in the sequence. Sponsor refers to whoever is backing that leader's development — a manager, an executive sponsor, a mentor. Not every engagement has one. Where a sponsor is part of the picture, this guide shows what changes; where one isn't, the leader-only path applies and the sponsor-specific steps are simply skipped.
The Sequence
The leader always has a part to play early on. The sponsor does too, if one is involved. After that, it's the coaching itself.
The leader shares who they are, what they're stepping into, and what would make this coaching relationship worthwhile — the full picture before day one.
The leader sorts a set of leadership competencies by priority and rates their own current ability on the ones that matter most right now. Where a sponsor is involved, these results will be compared against the sponsor's own assessment of the same competencies.
The sponsor shares the business outcomes this work should produce, relevant organizational context, and their own independent sort and rating of the same competencies — for the leader, not themselves.
Before meeting with the leader, the coach reviews the comparison with the sponsor — what aligns with the leader's own view, what diverges, and what it might mean. Where there's no sponsor, or the sponsor isn't actively engaged, this step doesn't happen and the coach moves directly to the leader.
Where a sponsor is involved, this is a three-way conversation — leader, sponsor, and coach — walking through the comparison together and aligning on direction. Where there isn't, it's the leader and coach covering the same ground.
With the conversation still fresh, the leader turns it into 2 to 3 goals, each with a way to measure whether it's actually happening.
Regular sessions working the agreed goals, with the assessments and kickoff meeting as the shared reference point.
Check-ins at whatever cadence and milestones are contracted for this engagement — 60/90 days, quarterly, a midpoint, or otherwise — to see whether the work is landing and adjust if it isn't.
After the coaching relationship formally ends, a final check — at whatever timing is contracted — on what stuck without the coach in the room.
Why It's Built This Way
Where a sponsor is involved, the leader and the sponsor complete their assessments independently, before either one sees the other's. That's deliberate — it's the only way to find out where they actually agree and where they don't, instead of one view quietly shaping the other.
The sponsor debrief happens before the kickoff meeting so the coach walks into that three-way conversation already understanding both sides, not discovering the gaps in real time in front of the leader.
Goals get set after the kickoff meeting, not before it. A goal written on day one, before any of this evidence exists, is a guess. A goal written after the leader's (and, where applicable, the sponsor's) views have been compared and talked through is grounded in something real.
It's a few more steps up front than a single intake form. The payoff is a coaching plan that fits the actual situation, not an assumed one.
Getting the Most From This, As the Leader
Coaching works in proportion to what you bring to it. A few things that make the difference.
Before your first session, get specific: your goals, where you're strongest and weakest right now, the challenges you're actually facing, and the impact you want to have on your team.
This works when you're honest, not polished. Be ready to talk about what's genuinely hard, what hasn't worked, and where your own assumptions might be part of the problem.
Coaching isn't something that happens to you in the room. Protect time for sessions and reflection, complete pre-work fully, and follow through on what you agree to between sessions.
Change takes time. Discomfort is often a sign it's working, not a sign it's wrong. Small shifts compound, and setbacks are part of the process, not evidence it's failing.
Show up to each session with something specific to work on, give your coach real context about what's happening in your world, and ask when something isn't clear.
Tell your coach honestly what's landing and what isn't. Say what kind of feedback actually helps you. Stay open to approaches you wouldn't have tried on your own.
Confidentiality
Getting Started
Use the link that matches your role. If a sponsor is part of this engagement, each of you completes your own.
Start with your Leader Profile, then move on to your Competency Assessment.
Start Leader ProfileStart with your Initial Input, then complete your Competency Assessment for the leader you're sponsoring.
Start Sponsor Input