All Aboard The Coaching Train

How My Train Analogy Can Enhance Your Leadership Coaching

Coaching. It's an approach that fosters self-awareness, clarity of purpose, and personal accountability. Yet, coaching can be a nebulous concept, and managers or leaders may wonder how best to understand it, or contextually frame it in a way that truly resonates.

Thinking of it through my train analogy - a simple yet powerful way of viewing the coaching journey as one would plan, embark upon, and experience a railway excursion.

By examining coaching through the lens of a train journey, leaders can more clearly appreciate the importance of setting the right direction, choosing an appropriate pace, crafting a positive environment, and ensuring their team members ‘arrive’ at their goals feeling enriched and empowered.

Before Departure

Choosing the Right Train

Just as a passenger must decide which train will take them to their intended destination, so a coach must identify the most suitable coaching approach for the individual they’re supporting.

Much like train schedules, which outline routes, stops, and timings, a sound coaching plan emerges only after understanding one’s coachee and their aspirations. Is this the right train (coaching method)? Where does it go (the ultimate goal)? How fast does it travel (the pace of development)? Is it too crowded (too many competing agendas or distractions)? Before the coaching journey commences, these factors need careful consideration.

Consider the destination first. Every journey should lead somewhere meaningful, a new skill, a promotion, improved confidence, or enhanced emotional intelligence. Without a clear understanding of the end point, the coaching process risks going nowhere. As a leader, start by having an open, honest conversation to determine what the team member truly wants.

Sometimes, this may be a tangible outcome, such as mastering a particular competency. Other times, it might be more intangible, such as feeling more at ease in stakeholder meetings or shifting to a more strategic mindset. By clarifying the goal, you ensure that the metaphorical train you board has the correct final stop on its route map.

Next, consider the pacing of the journey. Some coaching relationships progress best at a gentle, steady clip, akin to taking a slow, scenic train journey through rolling hills, allowing ample time for reflection, assimilation of ideas, and incremental steps forward. Others thrive on speed and intensity, resembling a high-speed service between major cities, where coachees feel energised and motivated by rapid growth and frequent feedback.

Coaches must choose the right ‘train speed’ by aligning their coaching approach with the individual’s temperament, learning style, and the urgency of their developmental needs. Move too quickly, and the individual may feel overwhelmed, rushed, or stressed, failing to fully internalise the insights gained. Move too slowly, and momentum may be lost, leading to disengagement and dwindling enthusiasm.

Another pre-boarding consideration is the level of ‘crowding’. Just as some trains are packed with passengers to the point of discomfort, coaching sessions can also become overpopulated with competing interests and agendas. For instance, a coachee may be juggling feedback from multiple stakeholders, working on several parallel initiatives, or feeling pulled in too many directions.

This can create a cluttered coaching environment that inhibits progress. Leaders must clear the tracks by simplifying focus, ensuring that the coaching process is not overloaded with noise. Ultimately, a well-curated coaching relationship has just the right number of passengers, namely, the coachee, the coach, and perhaps select supporters or mentors, allowing for purposeful engagement and minimal distraction.

Climbing On Board

Settling into the Right Seat

Once the train (the coaching journey) begins, attention shifts to how the coachee settles in. Are they in the ‘right seat’?

In other words, are they positioned to gain maximum value from the coaching experience? The right seat might mean ensuring the coaching sessions occur in an environment that fosters openness and honesty, perhaps a quiet meeting room, a virtual call free from interruptions, or a walk-and-talk outdoors. Especially relevant when coaching neurodivergent coachees! It may also refer to the coachee’s emotional and mental state.

Are they ready to engage, reflect deeply, and make changes? If not, it might be necessary to rearrange the ‘seating’ by adjusting expectations, building trust, and removing barriers to authentic communication.

In leadership coaching, ensuring the coachee is in the right seat involves helping them feel psychologically safe.

This includes establishing clear ground rules about confidentiality, respect, and non-judgement. When a person feels secure, they can lower their guard, explore their challenges openly, and consider fresh perspectives. In practical terms, think about whether your coaching environment invites candour and curiosity. If a coachee feels as though they must remain on guard, they may never truly ‘sit down’ and enjoy the ride. Without comfort, no meaningful journey can commence.

The seating arrangements on a train can influence a passenger’s comfort and experience, much like the structure and approach of coaching sessions shape a coachee’s level of engagement. A window seat might provide inspiration and a sense of expansion. In coaching terms, this could mean encouraging your coachee to look beyond their immediate context, perhaps by considering best practices in their industry, learning from role models, or exploring literature that opens their minds to new possibilities.

By contrast, a seat near the corridor might facilitate mobility and interaction, analogous to incorporating regular feedback loops, role-plays, or scenario-based exercises that keep the coachee actively involved. The key is to match the coachee’s personal style and preferences with a ‘seat’ that resonates, fostering both comfort and proactive participation.

The Journey Itself

Timing, Atmosphere, and Experience

Once underway, consider the length and quality (type of train) of the journey. Some coaching relationships are designed for short, targeted interventions, akin to a quick hop between neighbouring towns. These might focus on resolving a specific conflict, refining a presentation, or boosting immediate performance on a particular project.

Others are longer journeys, spanning months or even years, giving ample time for deep personal transformation. For example, a senior leader preparing to take on a more strategic role may require a long-haul journey that encompasses building emotional intelligence, strengthening stakeholder management skills, and cultivating a broader vision.

As a coach, you must assess how long the individual needs to ‘stay on the train.’

Too brief a journey might yield only superficial insights. They get from point A to point B, but without experiencing the richness of personal development, emotional maturity, or new behavioural patterns. On the other hand, an excessively prolonged journey can lead to complacency, drifting attention, or a sense of stagnation. The art of leadership coaching lies in recognising the right moment to pull into the station and declare the journey complete, ideally when your coachee has reached their chosen destination, feeling equipped and confident to continue growing independently.

The atmosphere within that ‘train carriage’ also matters.

1. Is this journey comfortable or fraught with stress?

2. Are the surroundings (i.e., the coaching sessions and the organisational culture in which they’re embedded) supportive and uplifting, or rigid and judgemental?

Just as railway companies strive to improve passenger comfort through ergonomic seating, quiet carriages, and scenic routes, leaders can enhance the coaching experience by incorporating elements that promote reflection, creativity, and enjoyment. Consider incorporating storytelling, real-world examples, tools for self-assessment, and opportunities for practising new skills in low-risk settings. The aim is not merely to transport the coachee from one point to another, but to make the journey itself an enriching learning experience.

In practical coaching terms, this can mean periodic check-ins to assess progress, ensuring the coachee has the resources they need, be those frameworks, reading materials, feedback surveys, or opportunities to shadow a senior colleague. It might also mean encouraging the coachee to celebrate small wins along the way.

On a long train journey, a passenger might enjoy a cup of tea or marvel at a stunning landscape out the window. In coaching, small moments of recognition, insight, or skill demonstration become those pleasurable experiences that sustain engagement and motivation.

Navigating Challenges and Stations Along the Way

No train journey is without its potential hiccups. Delays, unexpected detours, or unplanned stops occur, and the same is true of coaching. A previously defined goal may need adjusting due to organisational changes, or a coachee might find their initial enthusiasm waning as they confront personal insecurities.

Embracing these challenges as part of the journey is vital. Just as an experienced traveller handles delays by remaining calm and adaptable, a skilled leader-coach reframes setbacks as opportunities for learning and growth.

Each station along the route represents a checkpoint, an occasion to reflect on progress made, re-evaluate goals, and perhaps even switch trains if the current approach no longer serves the coachee’s best interests. Leaders should facilitate these reflective pauses, encouraging coachees to assess what they’ve learned so far, what obstacles they’ve overcome, and what adjustments might be needed moving forward. By treating each station stop as a constructive pause rather than an inconvenience, the coachee learns adaptability, resilience, and the art of recalibration.

The Passenger’s Responsibility

Engaging with the Journey

In a train journey, the passenger has agency. They can read, reflect, converse with fellow passengers, or simply enjoy the scenery. Similarly, a coaching relationship is not a passive experience for the coachee, and they must play an active role. The best coaching occurs when the coachee takes responsibility for their own development, engages thoughtfully with feedback, and invests energy in practising new skills or behaviours. A leader can provide the train, the route, and the supportive environment, but the coachee must board willingly and participate actively.

This dynamic interplay is crucial. If the coachee sits rigidly, staring at their phone and ignoring the sights and sounds around them, the journey’s value diminishes. In coaching terms, disengagement results in stalled progress. By encouraging the coachee to ask questions, set personal milestones, and experiment with fresh approaches, leaders inspire a sense of ownership. The coachee comes to see coaching not as something done to them, but as a purposeful journey they co-create and navigate themselves.

Arriving at the Destination

Ensuring Sustainable Benefits

Ultimately, every journey should lead to a destination, be it the attainment of a goal, a new perspective, or a revitalised sense of purpose. Once your team member disembarks, the coaching journey’s worth becomes evident. They should carry forward what they have learned, equipped not only to meet their immediate objectives but also prepared for further growth.

As a leader, your role as coach is to ensure that the journey was worthwhile. Did they board the right train, travel at the right speed, and sit in the right seat?

Did the experience instil confidence, encourage adaptability, and foster resilience?

If yes, then the analogy holds true, just as an excellent train journey takes you smoothly from one point to another, effective coaching moves people from their starting point to a brighter, more capable future.