leader as coach Archives - Global Institute of Organizational Coaching

Daniel had always been a results-driven leader. As a senior manager at a fast-growing tech company, he was known for his sharp decision-making, high expectations, and relentless pursuit of efficiency. His team delivered, but morale was low. Employees often seemed hesitant to speak up, and turnover was higher than in other departments.

One day, Daniel’s director pulled him aside and shared some tough feedback. “You’re great at driving results, but your team doesn’t feel heard or supported. If you want long-term success, you need to coach, not just manage.”

This hit Daniel hard. He prided himself on his leadership, but the realization that he was losing great people because of his approach made him pause. Determined to improve, he enrolled in a leadership coaching program focused on transforming managers and leaders into coaching leaders.

The Shift Begins

The program was an eye-opener. At first, coaching felt unnatural. Daniel was used to providing answers, not asking questions. He had always believed leadership meant being the smartest person in the room. But through workshops, role-playing exercises, and real-time coaching sessions, he learned that great leaders don’t have to provide all the answers—they empower their teams to discover solutions themselves.

He started practicing new coaching techniques, including active listening and powerful questioning. Instead of immediately solving problems for his employees, he began asking:

“What do you think would be the best approach?”
“What’s the real challenge here?”
“What’s another way to look at this situation?”

Though it felt uncomfortable at first, he committed to applying what he was learning in his day-to-day leadership.

The Breakthrough Moment

One day, his top performer, Sarah, came to him frustrated about a client issue. Normally, Daniel would have jumped in with a solution. But this time, he remembered what he had learned in his coaching program. He paused, listened deeply, and then asked, “If you had full control, how would you handle this?”

Sarah thought for a moment and then laid out a plan. To Daniel’s surprise, it was better than what he would have suggested. “That sounds like a solid approach,” he said. “Let’s go with your idea.”

The impact was immediate—Sarah walked away feeling empowered, and Daniel realized that his team had more potential than he had given them credit for. This was the moment when coaching truly clicked for him.

The Ripple Effect

As Daniel continued applying what he had learned, his leadership style transformed:

He replaced directive conversations with one-on-one coaching discussions.
He encouraged team members to take ownership of their development.
He shifted from giving critical feedback to asking reflective questions that inspired growth.

The results were undeniable:

Team engagement soared—people felt heard and valued.
Problem-solving improved—employees were thinking critically rather than relying on Daniel for answers.
Turnover dropped significantly—his team became a place where people wanted to work.

The New Daniel

A year later, Daniel’s director pulled him aside again. This time, it wasn’t a warning—it was praise. “I don’t know what changed, but your team is thriving. Keep doing whatever you’re doing.”

Daniel smiled. His leadership coaching program had not only taught him techniques—it had changed his mindset. Coaching wasn’t just a leadership tool; it was a way of thinking, leading, and engaging with his team. And in embracing it, he had not only transformed his team but had also become the leader he had always aspired to be.

Not a Singular Story

Daniel’s journey reflects Dr. Kevin McGarry’s assertion that coaching is more than a leadership tool—it’s a way of leading that fosters belonging and connection. Initially, Daniel led with efficiency and results in mind, but his shift toward coaching transformed not only his leadership style but also the culture of his team. By embracing coaching, he created a psychologically safe workplace, encouraged open dialogue, and empowered his employees to take ownership of their growth.

McGarry’s work reinforces that coaching isn’t just about improving individual performance—it’s about cultivating an environment where employees feel valued, engaged, and connected. Daniel’s story exemplifies this transformation, showing how coaching leadership can create a thriving workplace where both people and business results flourish.

Organizational success requires leaders skill development at every level. In “Scaling Leadership” Anderson and Adams emphasize that coaching is not just a skill but a way of leading—one that aligns with self-awareness, authenticity, and long-term impact. By integrating coaching into leadership, organizations can create workplaces where employees not only perform but truly belong. Coaching is essential for developing leadership at scale, as it empowers employees to step into their own leadership potential, reinforcing a sense of inclusion and contribution rather than just compliance. It also creates psychological safety and engagement by building trust and openness, making people feel heard, supported, and valued—critical components of belonging. Additionally, coaching helps unlock potential and growth by ensuring employees are recognized for their unique strengths and encouraged to develop them, reinforcing their sense of worth and connection to the organization. In an increasingly complex and uncertain world, coaching equips employees with the adaptability and resilience to navigate change, fostering collaboration and shared problem-solving rather than isolation and fear. Ultimately, coaching is a key lever in transforming organizational culture from a fear-based, reactive environment to one of creativity, connection, and purpose.

Finally, Dr. Richard Boyatzis, shares in “Coaching with Compassion” that a key advantage of coaching is its ability to drive sustainable behavior change and development. Unlike directive leadership, which can trigger defensiveness, coaching with compassion engages the Positive Emotional Attractor (PEA)—a psychological state that promotes openness, learning, and long-term growth. This results in employees who are more adaptive, self-motivated, and willing to take on new challenges. Coaching also contributes to improved well-being and resilience by reducing stress and enhancing employees’ sense of purpose and fulfillment at work. Furthermore, leaders who coach foster a culture of learning and innovation, providing a safe space for exploration and risk-taking, which encourages creativity and problem-solving.

Leaders who coach bring significant advantages to their organizations and teams, as highlighted by Richard Boyatzis. Coaching enhances employee engagement and motivation by inspiring and supporting individuals rather than relying on directive leadership or micromanagement. This approach leads to higher job satisfaction, commitment, and a deeper connection to the organization. Additionally, coaching improves performance and goal attainment by helping employees align their personal aspirations with organizational objectives, fostering both individual and collective success. Leaders who coach also develop stronger emotional and social intelligence, allowing them to build deeper relationships, enhance team dynamics, and create a more connected and collaborative work environment.

Ultimately, Boyatzis emphasizes that coaching is not about fixing problems but about unlocking people’s potential by focusing on their strengths, aspirations, and personal growth. This approach not only builds a strong leadership pipeline but also fosters a culture where employees feel valued, supported, and connected. In doing so, coaching becomes a powerful tool for creating belonging at work, ensuring that employees thrive both personally and professionally.

These coaching principles along with other research-based concepts have been integrated into the Coach as Leader; Leader as Coach program sponsored by Global IOC. The program is co-facilitated by Dr. Kevin McGarry and Dr. Peggy Marshall. For more information about the program, click on this link. Leader as Coach, Coach as Leader Program – Global Institute of Organizational Coaching

Although leadership is recognized as a universal phenomenon, it still lacks a common definition and theoretical foundation that can be empirically tested. The good news is that we have shifted from the “hero” or “great man myth” into a view of leadership that is inclusionary, participatory, collaborative and transformative. An organization’s ability to be effective and adapt its environment to the post-pandemic VUCA world requires sustainable, effective leadership that cascades through the organization. Among other things, organizations need leaders for inspiration, enthusiasm, focus, and to strategically guide their vision, mission and culture. Strong leadership is often viewed as one of the most important factors in organizational health and growth yet, many organizations struggle with the development and scaling of leadership behaviors. This blog focuses on the development of coaching skills to complement leadership behaviors.

In a recent article by the World Economic Forum, a survey suggested that 40% of employees are considering leaving their jobs. 40% of employees are thinking of quitting their jobs, says survey | World Economic Forum (weforum.org) This will create an incredible talent gap for some organizations. Using coaching skills to develop and better understand the needs, values and drivers of individual behavior of employees might influence the desire to remain with an organization. Kelly in “The Dream Manager” shares that the destinies of the organization and individual potential are interwoven. He threads the concept of “best version of self” throughout his message which is inclusive of both the organization best version and individual best version. This requires that both the individual and organization deeply explore what is valued, the meaning made from those values and alignment of action with the values.

Anderson and Adams also consider exploration of values to be important to leadership behaviors. In “Scaling Leadership” the authors share that development of others starts with the development of self as leader. In addressing the VUCA world that has been exacerbated globally by the pandemic, leaders are encouraged to close their own development gaps. A self-understanding about meaning making, decision making, emotional intelligence and beliefs and assumptions guide the leader in developing skills to address the complexities of leadership. When this happens for the individual leader, it begins to cascade down through direct reports which then creates the “scale” necessary for coaching and developing leaders at all levels. The competencies of the high creative leadership behaviors identified by the authors are very much aligned with great coaching.

Boyatzis and McKee in “Resonant Leadership” add another component to “Leader as Coach; Coach as Leader”. Focusing on the benefits of emotional connection, the authors position the relationship as key to successful coaching which has been proven time and time again in the research. The resonant coaching leader not only creates resonance with followers but also creates this resonance with self through the process of renewal. Leaders are so conditioned to “doing” that they often sacrifice “being” and reflection. Boyatzis and McKee share that developing a renewal process provides increased energy and engages the mind, body, and heart in shifting to positivity and healthier relationships. Kouzes and Posner while researching and writing about leadership in “Encouraging the Heart” share this thinking with Boyatzis and McKee. They contend that effective leader coaches are connected with followers as they demonstrate genuine caring for the follower. Without this caring, the follower may experience his or her leader as simply transactional rather than transformational.

Transformational leadership connects leading and coaching, as it empowers others, is congruent with a core set of values, focuses on continuous development, and inspires a shared vision through translating dreams into reality. Blanchard, in Morgan’s “Profiles in Coaching” believes that leadership and coaching go “hand-in-hand” and that coaching is a form of leadership requiring leaders to discover their own direction, purpose and mission. Upon reflection and clarity about direction, purpose and mission, coaching and leadership involve guiding the follower’s focus and action on what is important in life through identification of strategies for accomplishing values and goals. Blanchard ties this process back into a model for servant leadership by suggesting that through the coaching process, the leadership pyramid turns upside down and the leader becomes the supporter for the self-directed achievement of followers.

Support is also a component of the coaching thinking partnership which engages the leader and direct report in gaining clarity about goals, holding followers accountable for agreed upon actions and celebrating with followers when goals are met. These leaders provide opportunities for emergent and meaningful conversations. The leader coach sees himself or herself as a barometer of where the follower is with regards to their own thought processes. Questions are asked to draw out deeper, more thoughtful, meaningful conversations and take the follower into thinking about future possibilities. Questions such as “what will success look like for this project?” and “what might create challenges for the project?” cause a follower to think both in terms of best-case scenarios while also preparing to overcome challenges. Chip and Dan Heath in “Decisive” use this exercise as a “pre-parade and post-mortem” discussion. Interestingly, it is typically easier for followers to brainstorm the challenges than the successes which creates another opportunity for coaching.

The paradox of the leader as coach phenomenon exists in duality in that it is both about the development of self and the development of relationships with others. Leaders as coaches drive change yet stabilize the team. They also honor past successes while looking forward to the future. Finally, leaders as coaches integrate both science and art. Managing the paradox contributes to its complexity and to the complexity of designing effective leader as coach development programs.

Join us on June 23^rd for our next webinar on “Leader as Coach; Coach as Leader” for more on this topic.