Metacognition in action: how coaching fosters self-awareness and growth

What if personal transformation, rather than performance metrics, were the true engine of workplace success? This paper explores how workplace coaching fosters deep metacognitive change in employees — transformations that precede and enable professional growth. Drawing on a qualitative study of employees who underwent WPC within an Italian organization, the analysis relies on seven narrative interviews enriched through metaphor elicitation to capture participants' sense-making processes. These metaphors offer a unique window into how individuals make sense of change, regulate emotion, and reconstruct identity. The findings challenge the dominant focus on quantifiable outcomes by revealing coaching as a powerful catalyst for self-awareness, resilience, and relational intelligence. The paper argues that coaching effectiveness should be understood not only in terms of what employees achieve, but also in terms of how they make sense of their changes. Implications for theory and human resource practice are discussed, particularly the need to reframe coaching as a strategic, developmental investment in human potential.