Faculty Coaching Skills - Part 4 Internalizing Lessons & Accountability

This post is part of the Faculty Coaching Skills Series , which explores how faculty can apply coaching approaches in medical education. We arrive at the pivotal task of assisting in internalizing learning and accountability. This final step is crucial in the coaching process, as it ensures that the knowledge and responsibility gained are fully integrated.

Skill Outline Review:

• Create a Safe Space
• Deep Listening
• Develop Awareness
• Partner to Define/Design Progress
• Assist Internalization of Learning
• Assist Accountability Plan

Assist Internalization of Learning. Once you have walked the resident toward co-creating their plan for progress, it’s time to help them capture the learning from the session for themselves.

New insights, perspectives, questions, or considerations often barely rise to the level of consciousness in a coaching conversation. Just by creating a nonjudgmental space for them to explore, they have various new threads in their thinking. Importantly, those very faint ideas are easily lost as we go right back into the busyness of the day without pausing to capture them. Occasionally, there may be powerful 'aha' moments. Pausing for them to capture those in the conversation is important. 

Saving a few minutes at the end of the meeting to inquire about their takeaways is essential for internalization and retention. Normalize writing them down for review at a later time.

Here are some of my questions:

• What are your taking away from our discussion?
• What new insights or thoughts did you have?
• What did you remember during our meeting?
• What has shifted?
• What do you want to remember going forward?
• What remains to be considered?

Not only is it helpful for retention, but you will also find that it is often helpful to you – because what you thought was most important to them may not be, and they may have pulled something important out that you didn’t notice.

This reflective pause works in both developmental and performance conversations—it’s the same act of listening for meaning, whether they’re unpacking a patient encounter or a pattern in feedback.

Assist Accountability Plan.

It’s not uncommon for the word accountability to have a very limited meaning and process in our minds. And yet, we all need different methods and intensities of accountability in various tasks.

In some situations, say a meeting about a resident’s ILP, it is assumed that the next quarterly meeting will be needed for accountability. And that may work well. Or it may not. Explicitly asking and encouraging trials of various processes can be very useful in developing Master Adaptive Learners. The strategies they learn in training can serve them well for their careers.

This can involve a both a reminder and how they plan to ensure their commitment. Some individuals have highly developed internal accountability for certain tasks, so all they need is a reminder. Others may want to have a faculty advisor, colleague, or spouse check in, an accountability partner, some want an automated task reminder with a check box, and others like to post it somewhere publicly.

Here are some ways to inquire about their accountability plan:

• Historically, what helps you stay accountable to your plans?
• What other forms have you considered trying?
• For this specific goal, what seems to make the most sense?
• What role, if any, would you like me to play?
• If you think of the accountability plan as part of the experiment of reaching your goal instead of a harsh directive with a pass-or-fail outcome, what changes for you?

If they get stuck on ideas, you can offer what you've seen work for others and what works well for you.

And, when the next ILP rolls around, you can capture the learning. What went well? How much did your accountability plan contribute to that? What got in the way? What tweaks to your accountability plan are you considering, if anything?

I am closing out this series by reminding you that, as faculty, you do not need to spend $$$ to become certified in coaching. You just need to be willing to stretch yourself and practice to empower the learner to self-assess, reflect, and direct while holding nonjudgmental space and then gently negotiate with your expertise. See them as whole, capable, and resourceful. Temper your advice-monster to allow them space to grow in self-efficacy while supporting them with your experience and perspective. I've made an easy-to-use Quick Reference Guide to help you along. 

This is especially crucial when it comes to developmental topics, well-being, and professional identity formation, but even in skills-based performance coaching with practice, you will learn to trust your intuition when to lean into coaching vs. directing. Over time, you’ll start to recognize your own patterns—when to stay curious a bit longer, when to offer guidance, and when to let the resident wrestle with their next step. That intuition develops through practice and reflection, not formulas. Each learner, each day, will invite something slightly different from you. Trust that the more you experiment, the more fluent you’ll become in choosing the approach that fits the moment.

Next week, we will tackle Direct Observations and the Coaching Approach to Feedback Conversations.  

Until then, have a joy-filled week!  Tonya

Residency programs can benefit from our Flagship hybrid coaching course for resident or faculty groups. Learn more here https://www.joyinfamilymedicine.com/residency-programs