Your coaching starts before your first session
The most useful thing you can do before you meet your coach takes about 15 minutes: complete your baseline assessment.
It isn’t a test, and there’s nothing to pass. It’s an honest snapshot of where you are today, so your coach can meet you there instead of spending your first session catching up. This guide covers why it matters, what to expect, and how to get the most out of every question.
Why your baseline matters
Growth is hard to see from the inside. Your baseline gives you, and your coach, a clear “before” to measure against.
It gives your coach a head start. Your responses go straight to your coach. Instead of a first session spent on background, you can dive into what actually matters to you.
It sharpens your focus. Choosing one primary skill area, and putting into words why it matters, turns a vague wish to “get better” into a goal you can work toward.
It makes your progress visible. When you reflect again later in your program, you’ll have an honest starting point to compare against. Small shifts that are easy to miss day to day become clear.
It’s time for you. Most of us rarely stop to ask how we’re really doing at work. This is a built-in moment to do exactly that.
What to expect
The assessment is built on the four core skill areas of the Bravely Leadership Skills Model, and it moves in three parts.
- Where you are today. For each core skill, you’ll pick the one of five statements that best describes you, from “this is a real challenge for me” to “I excel here and help others do the same.”
- Where you want to focus. You’ll choose one core skill as your primary focus with your coach, then share why in a short written answer.
- A closer look at your focus area. You’ll rate yourself from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree) on 15 statements tied to the skill you chose.
Here’s what each core skill means, and what the 15 follow-up statements explore if you choose it:
- Adaptability & Resilience: Adjusting to change with flexibility and staying strong through challenges. The follow-up statements explore adapting your approach, learning new skills, creative problem-solving, managing stress and energy, and persistence.
- Communication & Collaboration: Conveying ideas clearly, listening actively, and working well with others. The follow-up statements explore active listening, clear communication, cross-team relationships, decision-making, and reading emotional cues.
- Team Building & Development: Fostering collaboration and helping others grow. The follow-up statements explore inclusion, shared purpose, team coordination, giving feedback, and coaching others.
- Accountability & Driving Results: Setting clear goals, owning outcomes, and following through. The follow-up statements explore taking initiative, ownership, stretching yourself, strategic thinking, and adapting plans.
How to make it count: a section-by-section guide
Part 1: Rating the four core skills
- Think about a typical week, not your best or worst day. Picture how you actually show up most of the time.
- Use real moments as evidence. Before choosing, recall a recent example: a plan that changed, a tough conversation, a deadline you owned.
- Pick the closest fit. If no statement matches perfectly, choose the one nearest to how you feel. There are no wrong answers.
- Resist rounding up. A lower score isn’t a mark against you. It’s simply where your growth story begins, and it gives you more room to see progress.
Part 2: Choosing your focus
There’s no single right choice. Your focus can be an area where you see room to grow, or a strength you want to take further. A few questions can help you decide:
- Which skill would make the biggest difference in your current role?
- What would help you get where you want to go in your career?
- Where do you feel stuck, or where do you keep running into the same challenge?
You can still explore other areas with your coach. This is just where you’ll start.
Part 3: Explaining your “why”
This is the one written answer, and it’s the most valuable part for your coach. A few honest sentences go a long way. Try covering:
- What’s happening now: a situation or pattern that prompted your choice
- Why it matters: to you, your team, or your career
- What good looks like: how you’d know you’d made progress
- Anything else: other areas you’d like to explore alongside it
For example: “Our team has been through two reorgs this year, and I’ve noticed I shut down when priorities shift. I want to stay steady and help my team do the same. I’d also like to work on how I communicate changes.”
Part 4: The 15 follow-up statements
- Answer quickly and honestly. Your first instinct is usually the most accurate.
- Rate what you do, not what you intend. “I set aside time for reflection” means you actually do it, not that you’d like to.
- Use the full scale. Mixed scores are normal and helpful. They show your coach exactly where to dig in.
Who sees your answers
Honesty works best when you know where your answers go. Here’s exactly what happens to them:
- Your coach sees your full responses, to guide your conversations and growth plan.
- Your employer never receives individual results.
- Your manager sees only which skill you chose to focus on, and only if your organization asked your manager to give feedback on your coaching. For many Advance users, managers aren’t involved, so this stays private too.
- Bravely may share written answers anonymously, and combine ratings across people, to spot common themes across your organization.
Before you start
- Block 15 quiet, uninterrupted minutes
- Jot down two or three recent work moments you can draw on
- Think about what you’d most like to get out of coaching
- Remind yourself there are no right or wrong answers
Ready when you are
The best coaching relationships start with honesty, and that starts with you. Take a few minutes, be candid with yourself, and give your coach the clearest picture of where you are today.
Your future self will thank you for the starting line. Complete your baseline assessment now and walk into your first session ready to grow. You can book your first session here.
