Learning requires 'safety' - plus just enough 'discomfort'  

​The critical success factor is the quality of the coach to coachee connection. Good coaching outcomes are co-created in the 'safe space' this creates. Avoiding criticism or pre-judgment allows the coachee to explore new ideas and re-visit assumptions they not previously questioned. 

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​Both parties have to recognise and deal with the emotional "change curve" - have a look at this version ("the hero's journey") - because any significant change involves a dip in self-certainty, with corresponding feelings of discomfort that can cause people to give up or retreat from change.

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Line managers engaged in (or sponsoring) coaching may also find it helpful to look at this version of a very famous "situational leadership" model​ ("sinking or swimming"). It clarifies how your style may need to change as people develop their competence and move along the change curve. 

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​Finally, coaches (and coachees) need to accept that coaching rarely goes straight from A to B (as sometimes implied by the GROW model). The reality is more a 'random walk' within the boundaries of what you can visualise as a "development diamond" - a shape that represents opening up to explore, then closing down to action. That may require more than one conversation!