Coaching Competency Rubric — Skill Levels for Manager Coaches

Often interrupts, focuses on quick solution, misses emotional cues. Listens for facts rather than meaning.

Evidence: Moves straight to giving advice; repeats few details from the employee’s story.

Mostly attentive, asks clarifying questions, sometimes summarises. May still jump to problem-solving prematurely.

Evidence: Uses short summaries and asks occasional clarifying questions; shows appropriate eye contact and silence.

Listens deeply, notices emotions and subtext, uses reflective summaries to confirm understanding, and holds space without rushing to solutions.

Evidence: Paraphrases concerns accurately, names emotions, and allows pauses for reflection.

Demonstrates selective listening: hears what matters, tracks patterns across conversations, and uses listening to build psychological safety and insight.

Evidence: Identifies recurring themes across team members, surfaces systemic issues sensitively, and elicits deeper self-discovery.

Relies on closed or leading questions that steer to solutions; misses opportunities to deepen thinking.

Evidence: Asks yes/no or rapid-solution questions like "Shouldn't you just do X?"

Uses some open questions, checks for understanding, but questions may be surface-level rather than challenging assumptions.

Evidence: Asks "What happened?" and occasionally "What else might be true?"

Consistently uses open, layered questions that prompt reflection and ownership. Balances challenge with support.

Evidence: Uses questions like "What do you notice about that pattern?" or "What would you try if constraints were removed?"

Designs questions that shift perspectives, unlock capability, and lead to concrete learning experiments. Coaches others to ask better questions.

Evidence: Coachee independently reframes problems; team adopts coaching questions in standups and retrospectives.

Feedback is vague, infrequent, or focused on personality rather than behavior. Avoids difficult conversations.

Evidence: Comments like "Do better" without examples or follow-up.

Gives concrete feedback occasionally, mixes praise and correction, but may struggle with timing or follow-through.

Evidence: Delivers feedback in one-off moments but lacks coaching plan or checkpoints.

Delivers balanced, behavior-focused feedback promptly, links it to outcomes, and co-creates improvement steps.

Evidence: Uses examples, clarifies impact, and agrees next steps with dates/checkpoints.

Builds a feedback-rich culture: models candid feedback, equips others, and integrates feedback into development plans and metrics.

Evidence: Team members solicit feedback frequently and demonstrate measurable performance growth.

Sets manager-driven tasks or vague goals without co-ownership or clear measures.

Evidence: Goals are generic ("improve communication") with no success criteria.

Creates clearer goals with some input, but alignment to role outcomes or timeline may be weak.

Evidence: Goals have milestones but unclear linkage to business outcomes.

Co-creates specific, measurable development goals tied to work outcomes and learning experiments. Agrees checkpoints and success evidence.

Evidence: Development goals include concrete experiments, metrics, and review dates.

Creates stretch development plans that accelerate capability and impact. Connects individual growth to team strategy and succession planning.

Evidence: Coachees meet milestones, show applied learning, and take on expanded responsibilities.

Avoids setting clear expectations or fails to follow up on agreed actions; conflates accountability with punishment.

Evidence: Deadlines are missed without discussion; no agreed consequences or support.

Sets expectations but follow-up or consistent consequences are inconsistent. Begins to provide support but may default to micromanagement.

Evidence: Checks in irregularly and sometimes solves tasks for the employee rather than enabling them.

Clarifies expectations, co-agrees checkpoints, tracks progress, and provides resources or coaching to help the person succeed.

Evidence: Uses agreed milestones and coaching conversations to remove blockers and celebrate progress.

Holds people accountable while preserving autonomy and growth. Uses accountability conversations to foster learning, ownership, and system improvements.

Evidence: Team consistently meets commitments; missed commitments become learning experiments rather than blame cycles.