Probably the most important reason why clients should consider coaching is a lack of feedback about their own behavior, which can lead to an unrealistic self-image, orientation difficulties and a number of follow-up problems (leadership problems, conflicts, career breakdown, motivation deficit, burnout, loss of performance, etc.).

Many clients are unaware of these interconnections. Accordingly, they cite relationship and conflict issues and other „surface issues“ as reasons for coaching. Subjectively speaking, this corresponds to their feelings and is therefore correct. However, it is important for the coach to decode this information and to process the underlying processes without unnecessarily letting the coaching turn into a therapy.

A typical example of the impact of lacking feedback is the cranky boss, whose tantrums are familiar to all employees but are never addressed by them.

Such an attempt would pose a risk since feedback must be accepted if it is to be effective.

• Lack of feedback arises on the one hand, because executives are often surrounded by employees who are dependent and often too involved, by competing colleagues, and supervisors who simply expect excellency. On the other hand, there are spouses and friends – if contact with them has not yet been entirely sacrificed to the career. However, they are usually unable to cope because they lack professional (and business) expertise to be able to give competent advice.
• Even if there are competent interlocutors within this group of people, their opinion is rarely taken constructively: Criticism is rather misunderstood as a personal attack, and praise is understood as flattery. Additionally, fear of losing one’s reputation among colleagues, friends and acquaintances adds as a further inhibiting factor for a respective conversations, since one appears to be unable to solve problems on their own.
• Conventional seminars and discussions do not provide a real alternative in these cases as they take place in groups, which rarely allows for individual counseling. In addition, the „shelter“ of a private, discrete conversation is missing. Another complicating factor is that in-house events often take place merely as rituals during which the main aim is to present themselves to other participants as perfect and superior. In external seminars, which are popular with top-level staff, issues are also just treated from a factual-technical and not a personal standpoint.