Hiring for Potential: Coaching Your Way to High-Performing Teams
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
By Lori Counts, FAHP, CFRE, and James Gold
The difference between a high-performing philanthropy program and one that stalls is rarely strategy. It is people. And more specifically, it is how those people are hired, developed and led. In today’s health care environment, where expectations are high and resources are stretched, coaching is no longer a “nice to have.” It is a leadership discipline that directly impacts performance, retention and results. At its core, coaching is about building a philanthropy team that is resilient, engaged, relational and sustainable.
This is not theory. This is practical, usable and designed for leaders who do not have unlimited time, but who do want better results. Coaching begins with hiring.
In health care philanthropy, we ask our people to navigate emotion, confidentiality, urgency and gratitude, sometimes all in the same day. This work requires more than technical fundraising skills. It requires judgment, empathy, resilience and confidence. Coaching is what builds those capacities. Yet many foundation leaders were promoted because they were excellent fundraisers, not because they were trained to coach. As a result, activity is managed, but people are not always developed.
Coaching techniques shift interviews from evaluating resumes to understanding how a candidate thinks, learns and connects to purpose. Instead of simply confirming skills, coaching creates space for reflection, curiosity and deeper insight. It allows leaders to listen for mindset, emotional intelligence, adaptability and coachability, which are qualities that matter as much as technical ability in fund development.
Coaching techniques shift interviews from evaluating resumes to understanding how a candidate thinks, learns and connects to purpose.
In practice, coaching during interviews helps reveal potential, not just performance. It builds connection and trust by turning interviews into conversations rather than interrogations. It allows leaders to test coachability in real time, observe how candidates respond to feedback and uncover values, motivation and alignment with the organization. Most importantly, it sets the tone for partnership, signaling that the role is about development, not just output.
Organizations invest enormous time and resources into hiring, yet too many high performers disengage or leave. When they do, it is rarely because they lack capability. It is because they do not feel seen, challenged or aligned. Research consistently shows that people do not leave companies. They leave managers. More specifically, they leave managers who do not listen, develop or support their growth.
Coaching changes the role of the leader from decision-maker to developer. That shift influences everything, including how people are hired, onboarded, developed and retained.
In health care philanthropy, coaching is not about lowering expectations. It is about helping people show up as trusted stewards of your mission. It means helping gift officers think strategically, supporting them through emotionally complex situations and encouraging reflection after donor interactions. A coaching leader does not say, “Here’s what you should say.” They ask, “What do you think matters most to this donor, and why?”
Coaching is not fixing, micromanaging or avoiding accountability. It is a leadership approach grounded in asking thoughtful questions, actively listening and developing capability instead of dependency. It replaces directives with inquiry and judgment with reflection. Leaders ask, “What options do you see?” and “What did you learn?” rather than prescribing answers.
Most hiring processes focus on past performance. Coaching-oriented hiring focuses on mindset. It asks how a person learns, adapts and responds to feedback. Because while skills can be taught, qualities like curiosity, self-awareness and openness to feedback are both harder to accurately assess in an interview and far more difficult to develop once someone is in the role.
The “right” hire is not always the one with the most compelling resume or the strongest track record. It is the one best positioned to grow, adapt and build meaningful relationships over time. It is the person who can build trust with donors, clinicians and leadership. Coaching-oriented hiring prioritizes emotional intelligence, comfort with ambiguity and the ability to learn complex clinical narratives.
The “right” hire is not always the one with the most compelling resume or the strongest track record. It is the one best positioned to grow, adapt and build meaningful relationships over time.
Strong interview questions might include:
“Tell me about a time you had to earn trust with someone who was skeptical.”
“What feedback have you received that has changed how you fundraise?”
“When was the last time you realized your approach wasn’t working?”
But the real insight comes from how candidates reflect. Do they blame others? Show curiosity? Demonstrate growth?
One of the most powerful techniques is introducing a coaching moment during the interview. For example:“What do you think would be your biggest challenge in this role?” Their response will tell you everything about self-awareness, humility and growth potential.
Hiring well is only the beginning. Coaching is what transforms potential into performance and ultimately determines whether a philanthropy program simply functions or truly excels.
About the Authors:
Lori J. Counts, FAHP, CFRE, is a certified executive coach and Principal Consultant with Accordant. You can reach her by email at Lori@AccordantHealth.com or by connecting through LinkedIn.
James Gold is a Principal Consultant with Accordant. You can reach him at James@AccordantHealth.com or through LinkedIn.
Comments