In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, coaching has emerged as a strategic development tool that goes beyond mere performance management. It fosters self-awareness, encourages goal-oriented behaviours, and builds leadership capacity across all levels of an organisation. In essence, coaching empowers individuals to unlock their full potential, making it an indispensable approach in leadership development.
The Evolving Role of Coaching
The perception of coaching has shifted over the past two decades—from a remedial activity to a strategic investment in talent development. Leaders are now expected to be coaches themselves, enabling their teams through questions, feedback, and support rather than top-down directives (Gregori & Martin, 2025).
Moreover, modern coaching aligns with transformational leadership theories, where the focus is on individualised consideration, intellectual stimulation, and inspirational motivation (Bass & Riggio, 2006). The International Coach Federation (2023) outlines coaching as a partnership that focuses on thought-provoking and creative processes to inspire clients to maximise their personal and professional potential.
Goals of Coaching
Coaching’s core purpose is to catalyse change—whether it’s behavioural, emotional, or cognitive. In leadership development, this includes:
- Enhancing decision-making and problem-solving skills.
- Improving emotional intelligence (Goleman, 1998).
- Cultivating a growth mindset and resilience in uncertain times.
According to the CIPD (2022), effective coaching begins by identifying clear, measurable goals and involves the use of reflective questioning to explore options, identify obstacles, and define pathways to success.
For example, a mid-level manager struggling with delegation might work with a coach to recognise limiting beliefs about control and develop strategies to empower team members instead of micromanaging.
Responsibilities of a Coach
An effective coach does not provide answers; rather, they facilitate insight. As Passmore (2015) notes, a coach must:
- Discover: What lies beneath the surface—values, beliefs, motivations.
- Clarify: Help clients view situations from multiple perspectives.
- Support: Maintain accountability and motivation through regular sessions.
- Align: Ensure that actions match long-term goals and core values.
This non-directive approach is echoed in the work of De Haan et al. (2013), who found that the relationship quality between coach and client—rather than the coaching technique—was the strongest predictor of successful outcomes.
Coaching Models: The GROW Framework
The GROW model, pioneered by John Whitmore (2017), is widely respected for its structure and versatility. The extended version includes:
- Goal – What do you want to achieve?
- Reality – What is the current situation?
- Options – What could you do?
- Will – What will you do?
- Tactics – What are your next steps?
- Habits – How will you maintain progress?
This model is particularly effective for leadership coaching, as it helps leaders reflect on strategic issues and explore decisions with greater clarity and commitment. For instance, a CEO might use GROW to navigate a company restructure, starting from defining the end goal (smoother operations) to developing habits like weekly strategy reviews.
Key Coaching Skills
Leadership coaching is underpinned by a suite of interpersonal skills that enhance trust, dialogue, and insight. Grant (2014) identifies ten core skills:
- Active Listening – Essential for understanding subtext and emotion.
- Unlocking Limiting Beliefs – Identifying subconscious barriers.
- Empathy – Establishing rapport and psychological safety.
- Powerful Questioning – Encouraging deep reflection.
- Feedback Delivery – Constructive, clear, and timely.
- Goal Focus – Maintaining alignment with agreed objectives.
- Non-Judgemental Attitude – Promoting openness.
- Flexibility – Adapting to the client’s pace and needs.
- Summarising – Reinforcing key learnings.
- Confidentiality – Building trust and professionalism.
Developing these skills not only benefits coaches but also equips leaders to coach their teams, fostering cultures of autonomy and continuous improvement (Rao, 2025).
Avoiding Common Coaching Mistakes
Despite best intentions, coaches often fall into traps that diminish effectiveness. Grover and Furnham (2016) highlight these common pitfalls:
- Over-advising – Coaching is not consulting.
- Talking more than listening – This stifles client ownership.
- Being overly formal – Reduces rapport and candour.
- Poor preparation – Undermines trust and direction.
Avoiding these errors ensures that the coaching space remains a client-centric, empowering environment.
The Science Behind Coaching Impact
A growing body of research supports coaching as an evidence-based leadership tool. Studies show that coaching can improve managerial performance, wellbeing, and team climate (Theeboom, Beersma & Van Vianen, 2014). In particular, coaching that leverages positive psychology and solution-focused techniques has shown to be more effective than deficit-based models.
For example, a recent study by Dalimunthe (2025) found that leadership coaching in corporate transformation projects led to higher engagement, clearer strategic vision, and enhanced two-way communication among senior teams.
Similarly, Abdikadir and Ng’ang’a (2025) concluded that supportive management practices, including coaching, significantly improved service delivery in Kenyan commercial banks.
Killer Coaching Questions
Powerful questions prompt introspection and insight. Examples include:
- “What would success look like for you?”
- “What are you avoiding?”
- “What’s holding you back?”
- “What would you do if failure wasn’t a risk?”
- “How would others describe your leadership?”
These questions help clients move from surface-level issues to deeper insight, promoting sustainable change (Hawkins & Smith, 2013).
Leadership Through Coaching: Organisational Examples
Many forward-thinking organisations are embedding coaching into their leadership pipelines. Google’s ‘Project Oxygen’ found that great managers are also effective coaches, not micromanagers (Garvin et al., 2013).
At Unilever, coaching is woven into the leadership development journey, helping future executives reflect on purpose, self-awareness, and inclusive leadership behaviours (ICF, 2023).
Similarly, PT Hakaaston’s transformation strategy (Dalimunthe, 2025) showed that coaching helped align leadership with business innovation and empowered decision-making across business units.
Coaching and Inclusion
Leadership coaching is also being used to foster inclusive cultures. Leaders coached in empathy, active listening, and bias awareness are more capable of leading diverse teams effectively (Gregori & Martin, 2025).
In conclusion, coaching is a powerful enabler of effective leadership. It nurtures self-directed growth, enhances emotional intelligence, and fosters strategic alignment between individual goals and organisational needs. By investing in coaching, organisations not only develop better leaders but also build resilient, adaptive cultures capable of thriving in complexity.
Whether you are a seasoned executive or an emerging leader, adopting a coaching mindset can transform not only your leadership style but also the people and systems you influence.
References
Abdikadir, A.A. & Ng’ang’a, I.S. (2025) ‘The Influence of Supportive Management on Service Delivery in Commercial Banks in Northern Kenya’, Open Journal of Human Resource and Leadership, 10(5), pp. 36–46.
CIPD (2022) Coaching and Mentoring Factsheet. [Online] Available at: https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/people/development/coaching-mentoring-factsheet. [Accessed on 17.09.2025]
Dalimunthe, Z. (2025) ‘Analysis of PT Hakaaston’s Business Transformation’, Eduvest – Journal of Universal Studies.
De Haan, E. et al. (2013) ‘Executive Coaching Outcome Research’, Consulting Psychology Journal, 65(1), pp. 40–57.
Garvin, D.A., Wagonfeld, A.B. & Kind, L. (2013) Google’s Project Oxygen: Do Managers Matter? Harvard Business School Case 313-110.
Goleman, D. (1998) Working with Emotional Intelligence. London: Bloomsbury.
Grant, A.M. (2014) ‘The Efficacy of Executive Coaching’, Journal of Change Management, 14(2), pp. 258–280.
Gregori, P.M. & Martin, J.C. (2025) ‘Servant Leadership in Contemporary Organisations’, Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 8(2). DOI:10.3389/fsport.2025.1693014.
Grover, S. & Furnham, A. (2016) ‘Coaching as a Developmental Intervention’, PLOS ONE, 11(7), pp. 59–137.
Hawkins, P. & Smith, N. (2013) Coaching, Mentoring and Organisational Consultancy, 2nd ed. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
International Coach Federation (2023) ICF Core Competencies. [Online] Available at: https://coachfederation.org/core-competencies. https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/people/development/coaching-mentoring-factsheet. [Accessed on 17.09.2025].
Passmore, J. (ed.) (2015) The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Coaching and Mentoring. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell.
Rao, S. (2025) ‘Evidence-Based Servant Leadership’, INNOVAPATH Journal, 2(1), pp. 15–30.
Theeboom, T., Beersma, B. & Van Vianen, A.E.M. (2014) ‘Does Coaching Work?’, Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(1), pp. 1–18.
Whitmore, J. (2017) Coaching for Performance, 5th ed. London: Nicholas Brealey Publishing.
