The Coaching Cure: What Happens When We Help, Not Punish

In healthcare, “corrective action” often carries a heavy weight. It's formal. It’s procedural. And too frequently, it feels like punishment.

But what if the first step wasn’t discipline, but dialogue?

Over the years that I’ve spent in leadership and practice, I’ve met skilled clinicians facing challenges: communication breakdowns, disruptive moments, or even a string of negative feedback that blindsided them. These weren’t failures of character. They were patterns no one had helped unpack.

That’s where coaching comes in.

Unlike remediation, coaching starts with curiosity, not correction. It’s not about telling someone what’s wrong. It’s about asking what’s going on. It’s a chance to reflect, reset, and rebuild with dignity.

When we are met with empathy and structure instead of shame, we don’t just improve– we evolve. We begin to see the connections between behavior and outcome. We find our footing again. We reconnect with purpose.

And yes, patient care gets better. Team culture improves. But more than that, we feel human again.

In a system that’s often quick to label and slow to listen, coaching offers something rare: a path forward that builds people up instead of breaking them down.

It’s not soft. It’s wise.