Ask Intent Before You Write the Story
Use Situation-Behavior-Impact-Intent to turn a frustrating moment into an accurate coaching conversation.
Impact is yours to name; intent is theirs to explain. SBI makes feedback observable: Situation, Behavior, Impact. CCL’s SBII extension adds Intent, which is crucial for coaching leaders because behavior and motive are not the same evidence. Without the intent step, a manager often coaches the story they invented: “You do not care,” “You are avoiding ownership,” or “You are not strategic.” That story may be wrong, and even when it is partly right, it usually triggers defensiveness. The mechanism is cognitive separation. Situation pins the moment, Behavior removes labels, Impact explains why it matters, and Intent opens the other…
Sign up free — one personalized lesson every day, matched to your role and goals.
Already have an account? Sign in