All playbooks
Conversation Playbook
Leadership Coaching — Coach
Better Conversations | Stronger Relationships | Better Outcomes
Before the session
- Frame it for the client: Clarion listens for patterns across four EI domains — not to score their leadership, but to surface what's actually happening in how they lead.
- Let the client talk through a real situation, not a general update — an actual team conversation, decision, or moment gives Clarion, and you, something concrete to work with.
- Pull up the previous Clarion report for 10–15 min before the session to review open commitments and see what's shifted since last time.
Ask across all four domains each session
Self-Awareness
- “What's a moment this week where your own reaction surprised you?”
- “Where did you notice yourself leading from stress instead of intention?”
- “What assumption about your team or the situation turned out to be wrong?”
Self-Management
- “Where did you catch yourself before reacting the way you might have in the past?”
- “How did you regulate yourself in a high-pressure moment this week?”
- “What's one habit you're actively trying to build or break as a leader right now?”
Social Awareness
- “What did you notice about how your team responded to you in that moment?”
- “Where do you think someone on your team felt unheard or overlooked?”
- “What's a signal from your team you might have missed until later?”
Relationship Management
- “How did you handle a difficult conversation with a direct report this week?”
- “What's one relationship on your team you're intentionally investing in right now?”
- “Where did you give feedback that landed differently than you intended?”
Connecting to your coaching frameworks
Clarion's four EI domains are built to sit alongside whatever coaching framework you already use — not to replace it. Here's one example construct from a few common approaches, and where each typically shows up in the Clarion domains:
GROW Model — Reality
Reflected in Self-Awareness — where the client's own account of a situation lines up with, or diverges from, what actually happened in the room.
ICF Core Competencies — Evokes Awareness
Reflected across Self-Awareness and Social Awareness — moments where a client names a real insight about themselves or someone else mid-conversation, not just in hindsight.
Radical Candor — Care Personally / Challenge Directly
Mapped through Relationship Management — whether tough feedback landed as caring and direct, or as one without the other.
Situational Leadership — Matching Style to Readiness
Tracked through Social Awareness and Relationship Management — whether the leader adjusted their approach based on what a specific team member actually needed.
What you'll be able to see afterward
- A read on how you're actually leading, not just how you describe it: specific moments, not general reflection, are what let you and your coach see real patterns.
- Use LCD (Likeable, Credible, Dependable) as a lens on how your team is currently experiencing you as a leader — not just how you intend to come across.
- A second, independent read on the pattern you and your coach are already working on — useful for confirming progress, or noticing when it stalls.
Coach reminders
- Before the session, ask what specific situation the client wants to bring — not a general status update.
- End with one specific commitment the client will try before next session — this feeds commitment-risk scoring.
- Close every session the same way: recap the commitment out loud so it's stated, not just implied.
