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Coaching approaches

Behavioral coaching

Behavioral coaching is a coaching approach that focuses on observable actions and on what keeps them in place. Kate Skiffington and Perry Zeus set out the approach in a 2003 book. No outcome study that tests behavioral coaching under that name turned up in the sources checked, so the nearest research is on cognitive-behavioral coaching, and the grade is P.

What it is

Behavioral coaching puts the focus on what a person does. The coach and client identify the behavior to change in observable terms, look at what currently maintains it, and plan changes the person can carry out and keep up. The book's subtitle names sustainable change as the aim.

The nearest research is on cognitive-behavioral coaching, which shares this focus on behavior and goals. The two are not the same, and the research does not test behavioral coaching under its own name. Anthony Grant's studies of coaching include a randomized controlled trial of executive coaching, which is the closest body of evidence.

Where it comes from

Skiffington and Zeus published Behavioral Coaching: How to Build Sustainable Personal and Organisational Strength in 2003. A 2004 book review in the International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring covers the book.

Eldridge and Dembkowski wrote a chapter titled Behavioral Coaching for the Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Coaching and Mentoring (2012). Only its metadata was read, not its text.

The principles underneath

Work on the behavior itself

The target is an action a person can take or not take, described in terms that someone else could observe.

Look at what keeps the behavior going

The coach looks at what happens before and after the behavior, not only at what the person wants.

Aim for change that lasts

The book's subtitle names sustainable change as the aim, meaning change that holds after the coaching has ended.

Judge progress by action

Progress is judged by what the person did between sessions, not only by how the session felt.

How a session runs

  1. Name the behavior to change in observable terms: what would someone see you doing?
  2. Look at what happens just before and just after the behavior now, and what seems to keep it going.
  3. Agree one small change to try before the next session, and how you will record it.
  4. Between sessions, note what you did and what got in the way.
  5. In the next session, review the record together and adjust the plan.

When it tends to fit

  • You know what you want to do differently, and you keep not doing it at the moments that matter.
  • You have set a goal before, and it did not hold once the first enthusiasm faded.
  • You want progress you can see in what you actually do, not only in how you feel about it.

What the research shows

Evidence: Practitioner tradition — little or no outcome research

No outcome study that tests behavioral coaching under that name turned up in the sources checked on 2026-10-15. Two sources describe the approach: a 2004 book review of Skiffington and Zeus's 2003 book, and a 2012 handbook chapter titled Behavioral Coaching. Only their metadata was read, so they are cited for what the approach is, not for what it achieves. The nearest research is on cognitive-behavioral coaching. A randomized controlled study of executive coaching examined goal attainment, resilience and workplace well-being (Grant, Curtayne & Burton, 2009). A meta-analysis pooled psychologically informed coaching studies, including cognitive-behavioral and positive psychology frameworks (Wang et al., 2021).

Where the evidence is thin: Cognitive-behavioral coaching is close to, but not the same as, behavioral coaching, so these studies do not show what the approach does on its own. The designs and sample sizes of the adjacent studies were not checked for this page.

Sources

  1. Ledgerwood, G. (2004). Book Review: Behavioral Coaching: How to Build Sustainable Personal and Organisational Strength, by Skiffington, S., & Zeus, P. (2003). North Ryde, New South Wales: McGraw Hill. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring.
  2. Eldridge, F., & Dembkowski, S. (2012). Behavioral coaching. In The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of the psychology of coaching and mentoring. Wiley.
  3. Grant, A. M., Curtayne, L., & Burton, G. (2009). Executive coaching enhances goal attainment, resilience and workplace well-being: A randomised controlled study. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 4(5), 396–407.
  4. Wang, Q., Lai, Y.-L., Xu, X., & McDowall, A. (2021). The effectiveness of workplace coaching: A meta-analysis of contemporary psychologically informed coaching approaches. Journal of Work-Applied Management.

Where it stops

Behavioral coaching works on actions. Difficulties such as low mood, anxiety or conflict in a relationship often have causes that a focus on behavior alone does not reach.

A plan of small actions can become a checklist that adds pressure when a week goes badly. If that happens, slow down and talk it through with someone who knows you well.

Where a behavior is part of a mental health condition, an addiction, or a risk to someone's safety, a qualified professional is a better fit than a coaching plan.

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