Why do 5 out of 6 Asian leaders in one organisation quietly drop out of coaching after just a few sessions? Because for them, it felt pointless! Feedback about coaching from Asian coachees include:
- “My coach is an idiot, they just ask me questions.”
- “Only asking questions is adding no value whatsoever.”
- “Asking questions is not normal in Asia.”
If any of this sounds familiar, it is not a failure of your leaders or even of coaching itself. It is a mismatch between a Western designed, question centric methodology and the cultural realities of Asian workplaces. The good news: with a few targeted shifts, coaching can become one of the most powerful development levers for your Asian leaders.
Below are four reasons coaching often stalls in Asia — and four practical strategies HR leaders and coaches can use to turn it around.
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Learning styles: teacher vs student centric approaches
In Western contexts where coaching was developed, most senior leaders grew up in student-centred classrooms. They were encouraged to ask questions, challenge ideas and voice personal opinions. A coaching conversation feels like a natural extension of that experience.
Across many Asian systems, leaders were shaped by teacher centred education: the “expert” teaches, the learner listens, studies and performs. The person in the “teacher” i.e. the coach, role is expected to provide answers, structure, and clarity – not just questions. Coaching that is purely nondirective can therefore feel confusing, frustrating, even disrespectful or empty.
Strategy for HR and coaches
- Position the coach as a “guide with experience,” not a neutral facilitator.
Encourage coaches to share selective experience or perspectives to build credibility, then pivot to a powerful question. For example: “When I was in a similar role, what worked well was X. Looking at your context, what feels similar, what is different, and how might you adjust your approach?” - Prime reflection before the session.
Ask coaches to send 2–3 focused questions as prework (e.g. “I’m really interested in your specific thoughts on these points before we meet…”). This helps coachees arrive ready to respond, rather than being put on the spot.
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Social hierarchy: using, not fighting, power distance
In many Asian cultures, hierarchy is clear and accepted: seniors lead, juniors follow. Leaders are used to being the authority in the room and simultaneously defer strongly to those seen as “above” them. A purely “equal” coaching stance can be puzzling – why is this expert not offering guidance?
When coaches insist on staying completely nondirective, they can inadvertently signal weakness or lack of competence. Leaders may disengage because the interaction does not fit their expectations of a senior advisor.
Strategy for HR and coaches
- Invite coaches to consciously use the authority that coachees are giving them.
For instance: “Let’s make a 1for1 deal: I’ll offer a suggestion, and you’ll offer one too.” This honours hierarchy but still builds ownership.
- Provide “permission scripts” during contracting.
Encourage coaches to say explicitly: “Part of my role is to share perspectives. Part of your role is to reflect, challenge and decide what fits. We’ll do both.” This makes the coaching mindset feel more legitimate and less alien.
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Collectivist norms: from “me” to “we”
Most mainstream coaching questions are built on individualistic assumptions: self-determination, personal agency, “What do you want?”. In collectivist environments, leaders are constantly attuned to the needs of the team, family, organisation and wider community. A heavy focus on “I, me, my” can feel self-indulgent, or even socially risky.
When questions ignore collective expectations, leaders may give “safe” answers instead of real ones, and the coaching impact drops dramatically.
Strategy for HR and coaches
- Reframe questions with a collectivist lens.
Replace “What are your challenges?” with “What are the challenges you and your peers are facing that would be helpful to explore?”
- Shift from purely personal to shared stakes.
Try “What would your manager or CEO most want you to be discussing today?” or “Who is it important to get this right for, and what are their expectations?”
- Make norms discussable.
Ask “What rules or social norms are shaping your decision here?” to surface the invisible pressures leaders are navigating.
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Results bias: make outcomes explicit
Coaching is often introduced as a “developmental” opportunity. In Western settings, the promise of self-awareness and growth is often compelling enough. In Asian corporate environments, leaders are more likely to ask: “How does this help my KPIs, my team’s performance, or my boss’s expectations?”
If coaching conversations stay at the level of reflection without converting to visible outcomes, leaders and sponsors will quickly conclude that the time investment is not worth it.
Strategy for HR and coaches
- Build a clear line of sight to results from day one.
In goalsetting, anchor objectives in business outcomes (e.g. stakeholder feedback, team engagement scores, retention, project delivery) rather than vague “growth” intentions.
- Bias conversations towards action.
Encourage coaches to use more “how” and “what next” questions, and to close sessions with explicit commitments: “What exactly will you do, by when, and how will we know it made a difference?”
What this means for HR
Coaching is not “broken” in Asia — it is just badly translated when lifted straight from Western playbooks. When HR reframes coaching to respect local learning styles, hierarchy, collectivist norms and results orientation, engagement and impact can increase significantly.
Start small: brief your coaches on these four shifts, adjust your communication to leaders, and watch how quickly coaching stops feeling like a strange Q&A exercise and starts to be seen as a practical engine for better leadership and better business results in your Asian context.
At 1point5 Solutions, we partner with HR and talent professionals across Asia to develop leaders through evidence-based, culturally aware coaching & workshops.
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Authored by: John Raymond
