Leadership Coaching — Who Needs It Most (and How AI Could Bridge the Gap)
International Authority for Professional Coaching & Mentoring (IAPC&M)
Let us start by clearing up any confusion between the term executive and leadership coaching. These terms can be swapped freely: as I began my research for this article, I found myself puzzled—even though I’m a coach!
Executive and Leadership Coaching Serve Two Different Purposes:
- Executive coaching is a development tool that traditionally supports mid and senior level employees to prepare for and transition into more responsible leadership-based roles that require deeper strategic thinking and the ability to drive performance
- Leadership coaching develops the broader capability of leadership, including those just starting their leadership journey from emerging and newly promoted managers to experienced senior leaders. The aim is to develop confidence, communication, and emotional intelligence, so they can lead effectively.
“Leadership coaching focuses on who the person is as a leader, not just what they do”.
Who Gets Leadership Coaching vs Who Needs It Most
A 2024 report by CJPI reported that “senior executives and middle level managers tend to be the main recipients of coaching”, stating 58% of executives who receive coaching are C-level or senior leaders, 42% are mid-level managers or directors.
And while this report focuses on executive coaching, I believe it does highlight how coaching investment focuses on developing the higher levels within an organisation. Where does this leave lower levels and newly promoted managers?
Surely a newly promoted manager — skilled in their specialist role, but with little or no experience of leading people — needs coaching just as much, if not more, than those higher up who already have some leadership experience and, crucially, a peer network to turn to for advice.
The Peter Principle. This principle demonstrates that “individuals are often promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level where they lack the necessary skills, leading to incompetence in their new role” demonstrating the disconnect between blue-collar workers and managerial levels. Not everyone is suited for, or interested in, being a chief.
I remember my own experience in the global IT project world. When I moved from a QA tester role to a QA lead, it was a huge step — and I had to upskill fast. I was fortunate to have good mentoring support, which helped me make the transition, but not without developing a few bad habits along the way. Those habits led to periods of unnecessary stress, both for me and my team.
The cost to organisations of neglecting newly promoted managers seems almost so obvious that it does not need saying – but sadly, that is simply not the reality! An online report by Stribe quoted the annual cost for poor management in the UK is £84 billion.
When newly promoted managers lack structure and support- be it through coaching, mentoring or supervision, their ineffective leadership can impact culture, performance and spread negativity throughout the organisation. Unhappy and disengaged team members leave, and the cost of replacement and retraining— not to mention the impact on remaining colleagues, workflow, and delivery — can be significant!
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