Why Executive Coaching Is Still Using 1980s Thinking,
And Why It Has to Evolve
Angela Cox (United Kingdom)
When I first trained properly as a coach in 2017, I remember feeling unsettled by something I could not immediately name. The frameworks were well established. The accreditation was credible. The ethics were clear. Yet the philosophy underpinning much of executive coaching felt as though it had been preserved rather than evolved.
Structured questioning was presented as best practice. Strict non-directiveness was positioned as professional purity and the GROW model was gospel. Coaching objectives were frequently aligned in advance with HR or a line manager. Feedback tools such as 360 assessments shaped the developmental agenda before the relationship had fully formed.
It was organised and it was widely accepted but it was also shaped in a different era.
Executive coaching emerged in a business landscape that was comparatively stable and hierarchical. The assumption was that leaders were rational decision-makers who required clearer thinking, better goal alignment, and enhanced interpersonal effectiveness. Cognition was prioritised. Behaviour was adjusted. The inner life of the executive was largely considered outside scope.
That assumption no longer reflects reality.
The senior leaders I work with are not short of goals. They are not unclear about what their boards expect. They are acutely aware of performance standards and reputational pressure. What they are navigating instead is sustained complexity. Digital acceleration, public scrutiny, economic volatility, distributed workforces, and personal pressures that do not conveniently pause between office hours.
Rob Regan, former COO at Principality Building Society, and long-standing C-suite executive, articulated this tension clearly when reflecting on his earlier experiences of executive coaching. He described what he called triangulated alignment, where coaching objectives were shaped through discussions between coach, HR and line manager before he had fully stepped into the work. Although commercially understandable, this structure subtly shifts the psychological contract.
When executives know that themes may be shared back, or that the agenda has already been framed around organisational expectations, they moderate what they reveal. The space becomes measured. The conversation often tilts towards correction rather than exploration. Coaching risks becoming an extension of performance management.
Trust narrows.
Rob spoke about feeling that traditional executive coaching frequently centred on who the organisation required him to become. The focus sat on refinement, smoothing, and measurable adjustment. What was rarely explored was who he was beneath the role and what pressures were shaping his behaviour.
He also described rigid adherence to non-directive practice. Sessions structured almost entirely through questioning, with minimal perspective offered. For some leaders, particularly earlier in their careers, this can be developmentally helpful. For seasoned executives accustomed to strategic debate and high-level dialogue, it can feel constrained.
Non-directive coaching has important value. It protects autonomy and guards against ego-driven advice. However, when applied dogmatically, it can reduce depth. Senior leaders often benefit from psychologically informed challenge, pattern recognition, and thoughtful hypothesis. Co-creation requires more than clean questions. It requires engaged dialogue.
The third limitation concerns scope. Much executive coaching still isolates professional performance from personal context. Communication style, executive presence, stakeholder influence, and 360 themes dominate the agenda. Leadership is treated as something that exists primarily within organisational boundaries.
Source: iCN Issue 54 (Coaching Practice & Innovation); page 17
About Angela Cox
Angela Cox is a leading voice in the evolution of modern coaching, known for challenging outdated approaches and bringing coaching into alignment with the realities of modern life and leadership. She is the founder of Paseda360 Coach Training Academy, Master Executive Coach, Bestselling Author
