---
title: "Coaching Mindset: Are You Throwing in the Towel?"
url: https://thecoreresults.com/coaching-mindset-are-you-throwing-in-the-towel/
description: "How coaches balance support, challenge and judgment when an employee reaches a difficult point."
published: 2018-08-20
updated: 2018-08-20
---

# Coaching Mindset: Are You Throwing in the Towel?

Published 2018-08-20

Coaching field note

20 August 2018 · Coaching

A difficult coaching moment asks a manager to balance persistence with judgment. Pushing without listening can damage trust, while withdrawing support too early can leave development unfinished.

## Use evidence before deciding

Return to the competency being practiced, the observations already recorded and the employee’s own account of the situation. Those details help distinguish a temporary setback from a deeper mismatch in preparation or support.

A strong coach adjusts the next step to the evidence: more practice, a clearer standard, a smaller goal or a candid decision about the role.