I recently read Becoming Coachable, by Scott Osman, Jacquelyn Lane, and Marshall Goldsmith and, quite honestly, I feel every participant that's enrolled in a leadership development program should read it.
In the book they present a striking truth that growth begins with openness, emphasizing that the foundation of any meaningful development, whether personal or professional, is rooted in the willingness to embrace new ideas, perspectives, and experiences. This openness is not merely a passive state but an active choice to engage with the unknown, to challenge existing beliefs, and to be receptive to change. It is the essential first step that paves the way for strategic planning, goal setting, and skill enhancement, as it creates an environment where learning and adaptation can flourish. Without this fundamental openness, efforts to grow and improve are likely to falter, as the necessary mindset for transformation is absent.
This is captured in the book’s powerful model: The Openness Framework, which identifies four sequential forms of openness leaders must cultivate to benefit from coaching and professional development. Each form builds on the last. Miss one, and the growth process stalls.
Here’s an overview of each stage—and how to embrace this framework to become coachable, resilient, and high-impact leaders.
Openness to Change
"Openness to change is the gateway to growth." — Becoming Coachable
Openness to change is the foundation of the entire framework, serving as the critical starting point for any leader's journey toward growth and development. It requires a leader to make a profound and conscious declaration: “I am willing to be different than I was yesterday.” This statement is not just a simple acknowledgment but a commitment to transformation. It involves a readiness to step out of comfort zones, to let go of entrenched habits and mindsets, and to embrace the uncertainty that comes with change.
This isn’t a small decision. Change carries risk. It invites uncertainty. It threatens the identity a leader may have spent years constructing. But without a willingness to evolve, no coaching or leadership development effort can truly take root.
This stage includes:
Emotional readiness: Acknowledging that the current state is no longer sufficient.
Intellectual humility: Recognizing that even the best leaders have blind spots.
Value realignment: Prioritizing growth over comfort, learning over control.
At this point, coaching success hinges not on skill-building, but on mindset-shifting.
Coaches often ask: What makes you want to grow right now? or What are you afraid will happen if you don’t change?
Until openness to change is present, no external feedback, however insightful, will be received. Change must be invited before it can be guided.
Openness to Feedback
"Feedback is not criticism—it’s perspective." — Becoming Coachable
Once a leader is open to change, the next essential step is inviting feedback—and being prepared to receive it with curiosity instead of defensiveness. This stage is crucial because it marks the transition from internal reflection to external engagement, where leaders actively seek out the perspectives of others to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their own behaviors and impact. This is often the most uncomfortable phase, as feedback can feel intensely personal and may challenge a leader's self-perception or long-held beliefs about their effectiveness. It requires a level of vulnerability and openness to hear potentially critical insights without immediately resorting to defensiveness or dismissiveness.
Feedback sometimes clashes with self-perception, as it may highlight areas for improvement that a leader has not previously considered or may have been reluctant to acknowledge. However, it’s also the mirror leaders need most, reflecting back the reality of their actions and decisions in a way that self-assessment alone cannot achieve.
Coaches will often gather 360 feedback, which includes input from a diverse range of sources such as peers, down-line and up-line reports, managers, or board members, and the subject of the assessment themselves. This comprehensive approach ensures that the feedback is well-rounded and considers multiple viewpoints, offering a more balanced and accurate picture of a leader's strengths and areas for development. By embracing this feedback with an open mind, leaders can identify patterns and themes that may not be apparent from a single perspective, allowing them to make informed decisions about their growth journey.
Key challenges in this stage include:
Filtering truth from noise: Not all feedback is equally useful. Leaders must learn to listen for patterns rather than react to individual comments.
Managing emotional reactions: Shame, embarrassment, or anger may arise—but emotional regulation is essential for moving forward.
Distinguishing intent: When feedback is offered constructively, it reflects care, not condemnation.
The most growth-oriented leaders don’t just accept feedback—they seek it out, ask clarifying questions, and reflect on it deeply.
As the book emphasizes, feedback is not the end goal—it’s the fuel for informed change.
Openness to Action
"Insight without action is wasted potential." — Becoming Coachable
If feedback is the diagnosis, then action is the treatment, serving as a crucial step that transforms insights into real-world applications. This phase is about taking the valuable reflections and observations gained from feedback and converting them into deliberate, purposeful actions that drive progress. It involves creating a structured plan that outlines specific, measurable steps to be taken, ensuring that the insights are not just acknowledged but actively implemented.
By doing so, leaders can build tangible, trackable momentum, which not only propels them forward but also provides a clear framework for assessing progress and making necessary adjustments along the way. This stage is where the theoretical understanding of one's strengths and areas for improvement is put into practice, allowing for continuous growth and development.
Openness to action means:
Translating abstract ideas into concrete behaviors: What, specifically, will I do differently based on what I’ve learned?
Setting realistic but meaningful goals: Stretching beyond the comfort zone without overwhelming progress.
Sustaining motivation: Building daily practices that create forward movement, even when results aren’t immediate.
A common pitfall here is over planning without follow-through. Leaders may spend too much time designing the "perfect" plan and not enough time executing it. This is where intentional simplicity can help. Small wins build trust—in oneself and the process.
At this stage, accountability partners (like coaches, peers, or mentors) can play a vital role in reinforcing progress, celebrating effort, and helping leaders regroup when things stall.
Openness to Accountability
"Accountability is the bridge between intention and impact." — Becoming Coachable
This is the most advanced—and often the most uncomfortable—form of openness, as it demands a deep level of self-awareness and a willingness to be vulnerable. It’s about creating systems that not only ensure consistency and integrity over time but also foster a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
This form of openness requires leaders to establish clear benchmarks and metrics for success, allowing them to track their progress and make necessary adjustments along the way. It involves setting up regular check-ins and feedback loops with peers, mentors, or coaches to maintain momentum and address any challenges that arise.
By embracing this level of openness, leaders commit to a transparent process where their intentions are aligned with their actions, and they are held accountable for their growth journey. This commitment to accountability not only enhances personal development but also builds trust and credibility within their teams and organizations, ultimately leading to more effective and impactful leadership.
Openness to accountability means:
Welcoming measurement: Being okay with tracking progress and facing when goals aren't met.
Inviting support and challenge: Allowing others to check in, give feedback, and hold you to your word.
Embracing discomfort: Knowing that growth will sometimes feel like failure before it feels like progress.
This stage requires leaders to shift from private intent to public commitment. It's one thing to say, “I'm working on being a better listener.” It's another to say it out loud, ask for feedback, and accept course correction.
As the authors note, “Being coachable is not about being perfect. It’s about being in process—open, aware, and accountable.”
From Mindset to Movement: Applying the Openness Framework
Once a leader reaches the stages of feedback, action, and accountability, they need tools and systems that help them stay the course.
This is where the Cantoo leadership platform becomes an essential toolset for coaches and leaders by providing structured support for the last three stages of the Openness Framework:
Openness to Feedback: Cantoo delivers targeted, multi-rater insights aligned to leadership competencies—making feedback meaningful and measurable.
Openness to Action: With development planning tools, leaders can set clear goals, outline action steps, and stay focused on culture-aligned growth.
Openness to Accountability: Cantoo enables real-time progress tracking, peer and coach input, and direct feedback on defined objectives.
Explore how Cantoo supports real leadership transformation at cantoo.us
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