Good Coach Scorecard
Twelve questions on the traits that separate good coaches from great ones. Score yourself, see where you stand, and get one thing to work on.
Answer for how you actually coach, not how you would like to.
1.In sessions I speak less than a third of the time.
2.I notice what the client is not saying, and name it when it serves them.
3.I can sit in silence for ten seconds without filling it.
4.Most of my questions are open and start with what or how, not why.
5.I ask one question at a time and wait.
6.When I have advice, I ask permission before giving it.
7.Every session ends with a commitment the client chose, in their words.
8.I follow up on last week's commitment before anything else.
9.I track client progress somewhere the client can see too.
10.I have a written agreement covering scope, fees, cancellations and confidentiality.
11.I refer out when a client needs therapy, medical or legal help.
12.I have my own coach, supervisor or peer group.
Every list of the characteristics of a good coach says the same things: listens well, asks good questions, holds people accountable, keeps clear boundaries. Knowing the list is easy. This scorecard asks twelve blunt questions about what you actually do in sessions, scores four traits, and hands you one habit to work on.
How to use this tool
- 1
Answer all twelve statements for how you coached in your last five sessions, not your best one.
- 2
Rarely, sometimes, often or almost always. There is no neutral, on purpose.
- 3
Read the scorecard: an overall percentage, a score per trait, and the weakest trait with a specific practice to fix it.
- 4
Copy the result, work on the one habit for 60 days, then re-take it.
The four traits the scorecard measures
Listening and presence: how much of the session you talk, whether you tolerate silence, whether you notice what is not being said. Questioning: open questions, one at a time, advice only with permission. Accountability: commitments in the client's words, followed up first thing next session, tracked where they can see it. Boundaries and ethics: a written agreement, referring out, having your own support.
These map closely to the ICF core competencies and to what clients say when asked why they stayed with a coach. The traits are teachable. The scorecard is just an honest baseline.
What separates good coaches from great ones
Great coaches talk less. Recorded sessions show the best coaches speaking under a third of the time and asking roughly one question per minute of client speech. They also follow up relentlessly: the commitment from last week is the first thing on the table, every time, without judgement.
The other marker is infrastructure. Great coaches have a signed agreement, a notes system, a way for clients to see their own progress and a supervisor or peer group of their own. That is the boundaries trait, and it is usually the lowest score for coaches in their first two years.
Questions coaches ask
What are the characteristics of a good coach?
Deep listening, open questioning, consistent accountability, clear boundaries, genuine curiosity, and the discipline to keep their own advice out of the way. Clients also name reliability and warmth. This scorecard measures the first four because they are the ones you can practise.
What makes a great coach different from a good one?
Talk time and follow-through. Great coaches speak less than a third of the session, ask one question at a time, and open every session with the client's last commitment. They also invest in their own coaching or supervision, which most good coaches skip.
How is the scorecard calculated?
Twelve statements, three per trait, each scored 0 to 3. A trait score is your total out of 9, shown as a percentage. The overall score is your total out of 36. The weakest trait gets a specific practice to work on for the next 60 days.
Is this a coaching skills assessment I can use with my team?
Yes. Ask each coach to take it privately and bring their weakest trait to a team meeting. It works better as a conversation starter than a performance metric. Coaching teams on Coachful often pair it with recorded-session reviews.
Is the good coach scorecard free?
Yes, no email required. Nothing is stored except on your own device if you copy the result.
More free tools for coaches
Updated September 2026
Start Your Coaching
Journey Today
You didn't become a coach to manage 6 apps. Try Coachful free — takes 5 minutes — and watch your coaching business take off.
Built for coaches who take their clients seriously