---
id: "claim-human-centricity-hard-to-coach"
type: "claim"
source_timestamps: ["§ Human centricity", "§ 2. Hire"]
tags: ["talent-acquisition", "coaching"]
related: ["concept-human-centricity", "action-hire-for-uncoachable", "concept-strategic-agility", "concept-applied-curiosity"]
confidence: "medium"
testable: true
speakers: ["Rens van den Broek", "Samantha Hellauer", "Dina Wang"]
source_url: "https://hbr.org/2025/09/what-companies-with-successful-ai-pilots-do-differently"
source_title: "What Companies with Successful AI Pilots Do Differently"
sources: ["execution"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-execution"
originDay: 8
articleStem: "hbr-foci-60-successful-ai-pilots"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/09/what-companies-with-successful-ai-pilots-do-differently"
sourceTitle: "What Companies with Successful AI Pilots Do Differently"
---
# Human centricity is one of the least coachable SHAPE dimensions

## Claim: Human centricity is one of the least coachable SHAPE dimensions

According to survey respondents, **[[concept-human-centricity|human centricity]]** — along with **[[concept-strategic-agility|strategic agility]]** and **[[concept-applied-curiosity|applied curiosity]]** — is viewed as one of the **least coachable** dimensions of the SHAPE framework. This suggests organizations may need to **hire externally** to fill this gap rather than relying solely on internal development (see [[action-hire-for-uncoachable]]).

- **Confidence:** medium
- **Testable:** yes

### Enrichment — inference (clearly marked)
No external psychometric data explicitly classifies these traits by coachability. Broader leadership-psychology research suggests dispositions like empathy and openness are **partially trainable but strongly influenced by stable personality traits and prior socialization**, making them harder to change rapidly mid-career. This is **plausible but not externally confirmed**. **Counter-perspective:** development experts warn that labeling traits 'least coachable' risks prematurely sidelining internal talent who could grow into effective shapers with coaching and psychological safety.