Strong leadership drives strategy, innovation, and team guidance in any organization. Continuously equip your leaders with skills and knowledge so that they are always at their most effective. A leadership development plan is the individual-level counterpart that makes program investment stick.
Research.com highlights that leadership training boosts leadership behaviors by 28% and improves organizational outcomes by 25%. For the deeper ROI question, the analysis of whether hiring an executive coach is worth it examines both the evidence and the conditions under which it holds. Additionally, benefits are even greater when these programs include staff beyond senior levels.
Let us unveil the benefits of leadership development programs for corporations and explore how they can boost employee morale, productivity, and satisfaction. For a cost comparison with individual coaching, see the breakdown of executive coaching cost by credential and engagement type.
TL;DR – Benefits of Leadership Development Programs
Leadership development programs provide numerous benefits. Here are the top ones, which we will discuss in more detail in the blog:
Enhanced communication skills
Improved team collaboration
Increased productivity
Higher employee morale
Fostering innovation
Supporting succession planning
Building a positive and inclusive organizational culture
If you are ready to engage in leadership development, contact us to benefit from Tandem Coaching’s experience and expertise to guide you on your journey.
A leadership development program benefits individuals by using a structured approach designed to help develop the skills and knowledge necessary to lead effectively.
These programs typically involve a combination of training sessions, workshops, coaching, mentoring, and experiential learning opportunities.
The primary goal is to prepare current and future leaders to take on higher responsibilities and drive their organizations toward success.
What Does a Leadership Development Program Involve?
Leadership development programs involve various activities and components to enhance the participants’ leadership capabilities and – importantly – their soft skills.
The higher up the ladder a leader is, the more critical abilities such as self-awareness, meaning-making, and stress resilience become.
That is why key elements often include:
Coaching and Mentoring: Personalized guidance from experienced leaders to help participants navigate their leadership journey.
Mastermind Group Sessions: Peer-to-peer learning and support to exchange best practices and accelerate overcoming common challenges.
Experiential Learning: Hands-on experiences and real-world projects that allow participants to apply their skills in practical situations.
Feedback Mechanisms: Regular feedback from peers, subordinates, and supervisors to help participants identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Assessment Tools: Tools and assessments to evaluate leadership styles, competencies, and growth potential.
Soft-Skills Workshops: Focused sessions on essential leadership topics such as communication, decision-making, and strategic thinking.
One of the advantages of leadership development programs is that they can be tailored to meet the specific needs of different organizations and leadership levels.
Common types include:
Emerging Leader Programs: Designed for individuals who are new to leadership roles or have the potential to take on leadership responsibilities in the future.
Mid-Level Leader Programs: Targeted at leaders already in management positions and seeking to enhance their skills and effectiveness.
Executive Leadership Programs: Focused on senior leaders and executives, these programs aim to refine advanced leadership skills and strategic thinking.
Industry-Specific Programs: Customized programs that address a particular industry’s unique challenges and opportunities.
Benefits of Leadership Development Programs
According to Harvard Business, organizations engage in developing leaders for three main reasons: 47% aim to enhance customer experience, 46% want to improve employee engagement and productivity, and 46% are targeting diversity gaps in the workforce.
Below, we list just some of the many benefits of leadership development that help them achieve that:
Enhanced Communication Skills
Effective communication is a fundamental aspect of successful leadership. Leadership development programs benefit participants by improving their ability to convey ideas clearly, listen actively, and provide constructive feedback. Enhanced communication skills lead to better team collaboration, reduced misunderstandings, and more effective problem-solving.
Improved Team Collaboration
Another benefit of leadership development is that it teaches leaders how to build and lead cohesive teams. Participants learn to create an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued, fostering collaboration and teamwork. Improved collaboration results in higher productivity and a more innovative and dynamic work environment.
Increased Productivity
Leaders who have undergone development programs are better equipped to manage their teams efficiently. They can set clear goals, delegate tasks effectively, and motivate their team members to perform at their best. This leads to increased productivity and a higher overall performance level within the organization.
Higher Employee Morale
Investing in leadership development demonstrates an organization’s commitment to its employees’ growth and well-being. This investment can boost employee morale and engagement, as team members feel valued and supported. Engaged employees are more productive, loyal, and likely to contribute positively to the organization’s success – another benefit of leadership development.
Fostering Innovation
Leadership development programs encourage leaders to think creatively and embrace new ideas. Participants learn how to create a culture of innovation within their teams, encouraging experimentation and risk-taking. This fosters a mindset of continuous improvement and drives the organization to adapt and innovate in response to changing market conditions.
Supporting Succession Planning
Another advantage of leadership development is that it eases succession planning. By identifying and nurturing future leaders, organizations ensure they have a pipeline of capable individuals ready to step into leadership roles as needed. This proactive approach helps maintain stability and continuity within the organization.
Building a Positive and Inclusive Organizational Culture
Leadership development programs help create a positive organizational culture by promoting values such as integrity, accountability, and respect. Leaders who embody these values set the tone for their teams, creating a work environment where employees feel motivated and aligned with the organization’s vision and goals.
How to Create an Effective Leadership Development Program
At Tandem Coaching, we have already created a compelling, tried-and-tested leadership development program. Contact us if you would like to know more about it.
Below, we share some of the learning we gained from creating this program.
To fully harness the benefits of leadership development, create an effective leadership development program that involves the following key steps:
Assess Organizational Needs: Identify your organization’s specific leadership challenges and opportunities. This can involve conducting surveys, interviews, and assessments to gather insights from employees at all levels.
Define Goals and Objectives: Establish clear and measurable goals for your leadership development program. These should align with your organization’s strategic objectives and address the identified needs. A well-structured leadership development plan can guide this process.
Design the Program: Develop a program that includes a mix of training methods, such as workshops, coaching, mentoring, and experiential learning. Ensure the content is relevant and engaging for participants.
Select Facilitators: Choose experienced facilitators and coaches who can effectively deliver the program and provide valuable guidance to participants.
Implement the Program: Roll out the program and encourage participation. Provide the necessary resources and support to ensure a smooth implementation.
Monitor and Evaluate: Continuously monitor the program’s progress and evaluate its impact. Gather feedback from participants and make adjustments as needed to improve the program’s effectiveness and increase the participants’ leadership development program benefits.
Provide Ongoing Support: Offer ongoing support and development opportunities for leaders to ensure they continue to grow and develop their skills.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about the benefits of leadership development:
What Skills are Typically Enhanced through Leadership Development Programs?
Tandem Coaching’s leadership development programs are designed to enhance a wide range of skills, including effective communication, strategic thinking, decision-making, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, team building, and innovation management.
These skills are essential for leaders to navigate challenges, inspire their teams, and drive organizational success.
Contact us if you are ready to upskill your leadership team.
What is the Purpose of Leadership Development Programs?
The purpose of leadership development programs is to prepare individuals for leadership roles, enhance their current performance, and ensure they are ready to tackle future challenges.
That’s why we include Mastermind group sessions in our leadership development at Tandem Coaching to encourage leaders to network and collaborate with others in similar positions.
Further benefits of our leadership development programs include developing the skills and knowledge necessary for effective leadership as well as fostering a culture of continuous improvement and growth within the organization.
What is the Value of Leadership Development?
Leadership development benefits organizations significantly by creating a strong pipeline of capable leaders, enhancing employee morale and engagement, increasing productivity, and fostering innovation.
Effective leadership drives organizational success, and investing in leadership development is essential for long-term growth and sustainability.
How Can Leadership Development Programs Be Customized?
Leadership development programs can be customized to meet the specific needs of different organizations and industries.
Customization can include:
Industry-Specific Content: Developing training materials and case studies that address a particular industry’s unique challenges and opportunities.
Organizational Goals: Aligning the program’s objectives with the organization’s strategic goals to ensure relevance and impact.
Leadership Levels: Tailoring the content and activities to suit different levels of leadership, from emerging leaders to senior executives.
Flexible Formats: Offering a mix of in-person, online, and blended learning options to accommodate various learning preferences and schedules.
Personalized Coaching: Providing one-on-one coaching sessions focusing on individual development needs and goals.
Tandem Coaching’s leadership development programs are designed to enhance a wide range of skills, including effective communication, strategic thinking, decision-making, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, team building, and innovation management.
These skills are essential for leaders to navigate challenges, inspire their teams, and drive organizational success.
Contact us if you are ready to upskill your leadership team.
That’s why we include Mastermind group sessions in our leadership development at Tandem Coaching to encourage leaders to network and collaborate with others in similar positions.
Further benefits of our leadership development programs include developing the skills and knowledge necessary for effective leadership as well as fostering a culture of continuous improvement and growth within the organization.
Effective leadership drives organizational success, and investing in leadership development is essential for long-term growth and sustainability.
Customization can include:
Industry-Specific Content: Developing training materials and case studies that address a particular industry’s unique challenges and opportunities.
Organizational Goals: Aligning the program’s objectives with the organization’s strategic goals to ensure relevance and impact.
Leadership Levels: Tailoring the content and activities to suit different levels of leadership, from emerging leaders to senior executives.
Flexible Formats: Offering a mix of in-person, online, and blended learning options to accommodate various learning preferences and schedules.
Personalized Coaching: Providing one-on-one coaching sessions focusing on individual development needs and goals.
Leadership development programs will benefit any organization aiming to enhance communication, foster collaboration, and drive innovation. Organizations can build a strong leadership pipeline that supports long-term success by equipping leaders with the necessary skills and knowledge.
Through structured training programs, coaching, or mentoring, leadership development helps create a positive organizational culture, aligns efforts with strategic goals, and ensures continuous improvement. Start leveraging the benefits of leadership development today and unlock the full potential of your team and organization.
“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”
True leadership is about bringing out the best in your team. However, empowering your team requires continuous self-development — and the most effective development starts with objective data. The executive coaching tools that generate that data — ProfileXT, Genos EQ, 360-degree feedback — turn self-development from aspiration into a measurable plan. It’s easy to get caught up in everyday tasks and lose sight of the effective leadership skills needed to inspire as a leader. That’s why ongoing leadership growth is crucial, whether you already lead or aspire to.
Most organizations struggle with leadership gaps, ineffective succession planning, and misaligned executive vision. The tool that translates organizational need into individual growth is a structured leadership development plan — the practitioner’s alternative to generic training programs. Without structured leadership development, high-potential employees remain untapped, and business results suffer.
At Tandem Coaching, we bridge the gap between potential and performance with our customizable leadership development programs. Whether you’re an emerging leader or a seasoned executive, our program equips you with strategic decision-making, emotional intelligence, and leadership agility—the skills needed to lead in today’s fast-paced environment.
Leadership development is the process of enhancing and teaching management and leadership competencies and mindsets to employees who can hold or potentially take on leadership positions.
It prepares current and future frontline leaders to successfully guide teams, projects, departments, and organizations by enhancing critical skills like:
Strategic thinking
Decision making
Communication
Conflict resolution
Change management
Team building
As leaders develop their leadership competencies, it’s essential to focus on certain leadership traits that align with the organization’s goals to foster relevant leadership growth. The objective is to create well-rounded leaders who can thrive in dynamic, evolving business environments and align leadership efforts to help organizations lead them forward effectively.
According to a Deloitte survey, 86% of executives rated leadership as an “urgent” or “important” priority. However, only 13% of responders said they do an excellent job developing high potential leaders at all levels!
Companies that prioritize leadership development solutions report stronger team engagement, bench strength, cultural alignment, talent retention, and benefits of developing future and today’s leaders, which also helps them retain talent.
What Makes a Good Leadership Development Program?
A solid leadership development plan is a structured training undertaking that teaches leadership skills over a period of time through various forms of education and hands-on experiences.
These development initiatives can take many forms, including:
Cohort-based programs: Bring groups of leaders together for workshops, assessments, and collaborative projects over months.
Online/virtual programs: Delivered through virtual platforms, these programs offer flexibility for busy schedules.
One-on-one coaching: Provides personalized and confidential guidance from an expert coach.
Job rotations: Unlocks the full potential of the high-potential employees and exposes them to various leadership roles temporarily.
Stretch assignments: Challenges for employees to lead special projects beyond their regular duties help develop organizational behavior.
The format varies depending on an organization’s needs, resources, and learning objectives, but the end goal of any successful implementation is always expanding critical leadership capacities. A successful leadership development program courses can also provide substantial professional development opportunities, ensuring that potential leaders are well-prepared to meet future challenges.
At Tandem Coaching, we offer a cutting-edge leadership development program tailored to the needs of high-potential leaders preparing for their next big role. This program focuses on performance development, helping leaders understand their strengths and areas for improvement, ultimately leading to the development benefits that come from sustained growth.
What’s Included in Our Leadership Development Program?
Our Leadership Development Program is designed to unleash your leadership potential through a structured, high-impact journey.
The business world is constantly changing these days. New technologies, economic shifts, global events, and market disruptions create uncertainty and rapid change that organizations must adapt to.
This situation of constant flux, sometimes called VUCA – volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity – makes leadership development even more important.
With VUCA as the new normal, investing in developing current and future leaders within organizations has become essential for organizations to succeed in fast-moving business environments.
Here are some related topics explaining why leaderhip development matters:
Enhances performance & growth: Better leaders are ready to shape the future of their organizations through better business results. Leadership training helps improve skill sets, leadership qualities, and behaviors tied to performance.
Preparing future-ready leaders: With disruption ahead, development programs prepare talent to steer leadership growth and innovation.
Drives culture alignment: It connects employee development and their roles within the company to organizational values and culture. Effective leadership can also enhance the organization’s adaptability, ensuring that every leader may contribute meaningfully to both current leadership demands and future organizational goals.
Boosts retention: Leadership development initiatives are important because they provide actionable learning solutions and growth opportunities and improves employee’s engagement. According to PwC research, employees today are eager for development and a culture of learning, with 77% saying they are ready to learn new skills. They’re also more likely to stay.
Improves succession planning: Focusing on leadership development strengthens and preparing leaders at every level for what’s next.
Builds resilience: Challenging assignments build critical soft skills like agility, empathy, and learning orientation.
Enables change management: These undertakings and programs equips professionals to effectively adapt to changing priorities, new leadership roles, and new projects, and gives them innovative solutions thereby enhancing their leadership responsibilities.
Cultivates diversity: Exposure to different leadership styles and mindsets promotes inclusivity and diverse thinking.
The World Economic Forum predicts leadership and easy to access social influence skills will be among the top workplace competencies by 2027. This underscores why leadership programs are a strategic priority for organizations globally.
Those who invest in customized leadership development solutions aligned to their business cycles and goals also see substantial returns on their significant investment. For every $1 spent, the company earns a profit of $4.15. The ROI of leadership development is clear!
Examples of Leadership Development Skills
Well-rounded leaders need and must possess capabilities spanning hard skills, soft skills, and self-management:
Hard Skills
Strategic thinking: Ability to analyze the competitive landscape and chart an effective vision and roadmap for the future.
Financial acumen: Understanding key financial levers that drive organizational performance.
Data literacy: Using data to inform critical decisions and measure impact.
Digital fluency: Leveraging technologies to enhance processes, systems, and capabilities.
Soft Skills
Communication: Conveying complex ideas, managing key goals and stakeholders effectively, and public speaking abilities. Using NLP methods improves how you communicate.
Collaboration: Bringing aligned teams together to work towards unified goals as a key to the development strategy for leaders.
Empathy: Understanding different perspectives and connecting on an emotional level.
Creativity: Fostering cultures where innovative ideas can emerge.
Accountability: Taking ownership of decisions, outcomes, and mistakes.
Resilience: Bouncing back from setbacks and challenges.
Mindfulness: Maintaining self-awareness and managing stress levels.
This combination of strengths and weaknesses prepares great leaders to handle complex challenges on both organizational and personal fronts. Leadership can also serve as a powerful tool for fostering a culture of learning and adaptability, ensuring that every leader is equipped to navigate the complexities of modern business environments.
3 Phases of Modern Leadership Development Initiatives
As leaders gain skills and experience, they evolve across three key phases, which apply to a variety of leadership contexts:
1. Emerging Leader
Emerging leaders transition from individual contributors to people managers, needing to develop core management abilities, such as:
Clarifying team roles/responsibilities
Providing effective feedback
Building trust
Managing meetings
Balancing day-to-day and future thinking
2. Developing Leader
With management basics in hand, developing leaders (Mid-level professionals) work on advanced skills, like:
Establishing long-term business strategy
Aligning teams behind organizational goals
Managing priorities amidst competing demands
Influencing change across the business
Enhancing communication beyond your immediate domain
Stretch assignments and assessments build the capabilities for organizational influence and strategy.
3. Strategic Leader
Finally, strategic leaders (Senior executives) focus on enterprise-wide proficiencies such as:
Setting the organization’s vision, strategy execution, and understanding leadership models that best fit the organization’s needs
Leading organizational transformation
Achieving sustainable business results
Championing innovation to drive competitiveness
Managing talent pool for future continuity
At the end of the program, leaders will have developed a comprehensive understanding of the strategic initiatives required to drive sustainable success within their organizations and unlocking their full potential. While the required competencies evolve across phases, leadership development is always about expanding critical skills for increasingly complex roles.
Components of Leadership Development Training and Solutions
Holistic leadership development is a set of processes combining different components, including leadership models, working together:
Hands-On Learning Experience
On-the-job experiences, such as special projects, job rotations, interim management roles, etc., provide invaluable opportunities to apply developing skills.
Senior Leaders Assessments
360 assessments, personality, and leadership style indexes provide insights into self-direct development for leaders at every level.
Networking for lasting impact
Peer networks inside and outside the organization offer diverse perspectives and promote ongoing learning.
Action Learning as a foundation of culture of learning
Participating in workshops/seminars, tackling real business problems, and implementing solutions help you develop critical leadership skills, such as time management and human capital management.With a focus on these critical areas, organizations can build leadership talent.
Organizations like Harvard ManageMentor emphasize aligning development processes with customer satisfaction goals, ensuring leaders impact not only the workplace but also the market.
You can take practical steps to become a more decisive leader in your workplace:
1. Listen Actively
Active listening is one of the most vital skills for modern leaders to improve leadership skills and build effective teams.
Studies reveal that 86% of employees feel their voices go unheard; 63% believe their managers ignore them. This lack of listening damages the organizational culture.
You can counteract these trends by honing your active listening as a leader.
Tips include:
Give your full attention when others are speaking. Don’t interrupt or multitask.
Ask thoughtful follow-up questions to show you’ve understood them.
Paraphrase key points back to the speaker to confirm you’ve grasped what they mean.
Provide relevant input without judgment.
Convey genuine interest through positive body language like nodding and eye contact.
Developing active listening skills helps employees feel valued and prepares them for leadership roles within the organization, contributing to the growth of the next generation of leaders. Per research from Salesforce, employees who feel heard perform 4.6 times better. They are also more engaged.
With $550 billion lost annually due to disengagement, ensuring workers feel listened to should be a priority.
Listening actively benefits leaders as well. It builds trust, enhances perspective-taking, and garners insights to fuel better decision-making.
2. Keep Learning
Constant business changes require leaders to keep learning. Recent LinkedIn data shows organizations rank learning opportunities as the #1 driver of positive retention.
As a leader, you should exemplify a growth mindset focused on continuous skills development, which is crucial for future leadership success.
Ways to keep learning include:
Take courses relevant to leadership, either online or in person. Look for skills gaps to fill.
Read books, blogs, and podcasts about leadership, productivity, culture, and other topics to expand your knowledge.
Attend conferences, talks, and workshops. Interact with thought leaders.
Try job shadowing. Observe other leaders and teams.
Continuous learning exposes you to new ideas and perspectives, which leaders can also leverage to enhance their leadership capabilities. It also shows your team that growth matters. Working with a qualified mentor within the company can boost your learnings significantly.
For a complete leadership development program customized for high-potential leaders, consider our 9-month intensive cohort-based offering. It combines 1-on-1 coaching sessions, 360 reviews, interactive workshops, and peer learning to maximize leadership potential.
Contact us today to discuss how our transformational leadership development can accelerate your career growth.
3. Promote Collaboration
Bring your team together to solve problems.
Ways to encourage collaboration:
Form diverse teams with cross-functional expertise to spur innovation.
Foster open communication and input from all team members.
Define a collaborative process for decision-making.
Build team bonding through offsites and social events.
Celebrate group accomplishments, not just individual ones.
Ask “What do you think?” and actively listen to responses. Value all voices.
A Forbes study says that inclusive teams make better business decisions 87% of the time. Teams using a collaborative process decide faster, require 50% fewer meetings, and deliver 60% better results.
Collaboration taps into collective intelligence and is a crucial process of developing leadership abilities and improving leadership skills. Make “we” decisions, not “me.” Eventually, it benefits everyone – leaders, teams, and organizations.
4. Develop Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence allows you to understand and manage your emotions and recognize and respond effectively to others’ emotions.
Developing EQ results in stronger workplace relationships, communication, and leadership.
Ways to develop it:
Identify your emotional triggers at work. Notice your reactions.
Be self-aware. Reflect on how emotions impact your leadership style.
Show empathy. Listen closely to understand others’ perspectives.
Keep composure during conflicts. Take time to respond calmly.
Be flexible. Adapt your style to fit changing conditions.
When leaders develop their EQ, it positively influences team culture and aligns leadership behaviors with the organization’s strategy.
5. Ask for Feedback
Regularly asking for input shows that you value growth as a leader. It also identifies blind spots that are holding you back.
Ways to get feedback:
After meetings and projects, ask what went well and what could improve.
Schedule monthly or quarterly feedback reviews with your team.
Use anonymous surveys to gather candid input on your leadership.
Work with HR to conduct 360 reviews.
Thank team members for their perspectives and implement their suggestions.
Bill Berry, a leader at Tacoma Power, thought his change initiative was successful until blunt feedback revealed some serious problems.
Realizing he needed a better system, Berry now regularly asks for input on his strengths and areas for improvement.
Though not always easy to hear, feedback is a gift. It provides invaluable insight into how you are perceived. The most effective leaders actively seek it rather than avoid it.
To ensure successful leadership development, it’s critical that leaders regularly assess their progress and adapt their strategies to meet the evolving needs of their teams and organizations. Make feedback part of your regular performance management, leadership responsibilities, and growth as a professional.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below are some common leadership development questions:
What are the different types of leadership development?
Effective leadership development is meant to help leaders grow by enhancing the leadership abilities of any member within an organization. Enterprise leadership development programs vary, from traditional executive leadership education to leadership coaching, online courses, and hands-on training and development experiences. A good development program focuses on senior leadership as well as emerging leaders to strengthen critical leadership competencies at every stage of their development journey.
How can you create a leadership development program that works?
Creating an effective leadership development program requires a structured approach to leadership development that aligns with business strategy and talent development needs. A good development program should include:
Clear leadership principles and core leadership competencies
Strong commitment from senior leadership to drive engagement
A mix of leadership coaching, mentorship, and experiential learning
Digital tools, including online courses, for flexible learning
A feedback loop to measure impact and enhance the development experience
By integrating these elements, organizations can ensure they’re effectively applying good leadership practices to elevate your leadership initiatives.
Why is leadership development important for an organization?
Leadership development is important because leadership is a key part of business success. Effective leaders create strong teams, enhance employee engagement, and drive innovation. A well-designed organization’s leadership development strategy fosters key leadership abilities at all levels, ensuring that both senior leadership and emerging leaders can understand the leadership landscape and contribute to long-term success.
What are the different types of key leadership styles?
Understanding different types of leadership is essential for developing leadership effectiveness. Common leadership styles include:
Democratic Leadership – Encourages collaboration and shared decision-making
Authoritative Leadership – Sets a clear vision and direction
Affiliative Leadership – Focuses on emotional intelligence and team relationships
Pacesetting Leadership – Drives high performance through example
Coercive Leadership – Enforces strict compliance and control
A good development programteaches leaders to understand the leadership styles and adapt them based on business needs.
How is leadership developed through training and development programs?
Leadership is developed through structured programs that emphasize skill-building, experience, and feedback. Professional leadership development programs focus on the process of enhancing the leadership capabilities of both emerging and established leaders. A successful development journey includes:
Leadership training and development to build leadership skills listed as essential for success
Leadership coaching to refine decision-making and interpersonal skills
Development courses and online courses to enhance strategic thinking
Hands-on opportunities to apply learning in leadership roles within an organization
A structured approach ensures that leaders grow at every stage of their development experience.
How can organizations ensure they’re exercising leadership in their development efforts?
To ensure they’re exercising leadership, organizations must create a good development program that engages leaders at all levels. A strong leadership team needs to:
Align leadership and management training with business objectives
Provide mentorship and leadership coaching to reinforce effective leadership development
Use enterprise leadership development programs to support long-term growth
Invest in training and development that includes senior leadership involvement
By following these best practices, companies can ensure their leaders are effectively applying good leadership in real-world scenarios.
What is the best approach to leadership development?
A successful approach to leadership development balances structured learning with real-world application. Good development programs incorporate:
Leadership coaching to refine decision-making and adaptability
Traditional executive leadership education for theoretical foundations
Online courses and self-directed learning for flexible growth
Practical leadership experiences that enhance leadership roles within an organization
This combination ensures that leaders develop the critical leadership competencies needed to thrive in complex environments.
How does developing leadership help elevate your leadership potential?
Leadership development is meant to help individuals refine their skills and step into higher-level roles. Programs that focus on elevate your leadership strategies enable participants to:
Gain key leadership abilities through training and development
Improve strategic thinking and execution through development courses
Strengthen leadership and management capabilities for senior leadership positions
Apply core leadership competencies to navigate challenges effectively
By investing in a structured development journey, organizations ensure that their leaders can grow and succeed at every stage of their careers.
How do leadership development programs prepare individuals to take the next step in their careers?
Leadership development programs focus on nurturing unique strengths and equipping individuals with the skills needed to meet workplace challenges. By addressing critical areas like supervisory skills and stakeholder engagement, these programs help participants become leaders who inspire confidence and drive results. They provide a roadmap for career growth, enabling professionals to take the next step toward senior leadership roles.
Effective leadership development is meant to help leaders grow by enhancing the leadership abilities of any member within an organization. Enterprise leadership development programs vary, from traditional executive leadership education to leadership coaching, online courses, and hands-on training and development experiences. A good development program focuses on senior leadership as well as emerging leaders to strengthen critical leadership competencies at every stage of their development journey.
Creating an effective leadership development program requires a structured approach to leadership development that aligns with business strategy and talent development needs. A good development program should include:
Clear leadership principles and core leadership competencies
Strong commitment from senior leadership to drive engagement
A mix of leadership coaching, mentorship, and experiential learning
Digital tools, including online courses, for flexible learning
A feedback loop to measure impact and enhance the development experience
By integrating these elements, organizations can ensure they’re effectively applying good leadership practices to elevate your leadership initiatives.
Leadership development is important because leadership is a key part of business success. Effective leaders create strong teams, enhance employee engagement, and drive innovation. A well-designed organization’s leadership development strategy fosters key leadership abilities at all levels, ensuring that both senior leadership and emerging leaders can understand the leadership landscape and contribute to long-term success.
Understanding different types of leadership is essential for developing leadership effectiveness. Common leadership styles include:
Democratic Leadership – Encourages collaboration and shared decision-making
Authoritative Leadership – Sets a clear vision and direction
Affiliative Leadership – Focuses on emotional intelligence and team relationships
Pacesetting Leadership – Drives high performance through example
Coercive Leadership – Enforces strict compliance and control
A good development programteaches leaders to understand the leadership styles and adapt them based on business needs.
Leadership is developed through structured programs that emphasize skill-building, experience, and feedback. Professional leadership development programs focus on the process of enhancing the leadership capabilities of both emerging and established leaders. A successful development journey includes:
Leadership training and development to build leadership skills listed as essential for success
Leadership coaching to refine decision-making and interpersonal skills
Development courses and online courses to enhance strategic thinking
Hands-on opportunities to apply learning in leadership roles within an organization
A structured approach ensures that leaders grow at every stage of their development experience.
To ensure they’re exercising leadership, organizations must create a good development program that engages leaders at all levels. A strong leadership team needs to:
Align leadership and management training with business objectives
Provide mentorship and leadership coaching to reinforce effective leadership development
Use enterprise leadership development programs to support long-term growth
Invest in training and development that includes senior leadership involvement
By following these best practices, companies can ensure their leaders are effectively applying good leadership in real-world scenarios.
A successful approach to leadership development balances structured learning with real-world application. Good development programs incorporate:
Leadership coaching to refine decision-making and adaptability
Traditional executive leadership education for theoretical foundations
Online courses and self-directed learning for flexible growth
Practical leadership experiences that enhance leadership roles within an organization
This combination ensures that leaders develop the critical leadership competencies needed to thrive in complex environments.
Leadership development is meant to help individuals refine their skills and step into higher-level roles. Programs that focus on elevate your leadership strategies enable participants to:
Gain key leadership abilities through training and development
Improve strategic thinking and execution through development courses
Strengthen leadership and management capabilities for senior leadership positions
Apply core leadership competencies to navigate challenges effectively
By investing in a structured development journey, organizations ensure that their leaders can grow and succeed at every stage of their careers.
To wrap up, developing leadership skills pays off big. As you’ve seen, listening actively, learning continuously, encouraging teamwork, having emotional intelligence, and asking for feedback are vital ways to improve leadership capabilities.
But growth requires commitment.
For companies seeking a comprehensive leadership development program, including coaching and mentoring components, formal mentorship programs, and management tools, check out Tandem Coaching. Our 9-month intensive training program pairs 1-on-1 coaching, mentoring and coaching relationships, 360 reviews, interactive workshops, and peer learning to maximize leadership potential.
Sometimes, the benefits of personal development can be less tangible, such as improved communication abilities or enhanced self-awareness and leadership skills. However, that statistic shows a more quantitative advantage.
Working with an executive coach can offer both quantitative and qualitative improvements, making it a holistic approach to professional development.
In this article, we’ll explore the key benefits of working with an executive coach for C-suite leaders. We’ll define what executive coaching is and explain how coaching will help accelerate your career growth.
TL;DR – 5 Key Benefits to Expect from Executive Coaching Services
The answer is yes; there are numerous benefits to engaging in executive coaching if you’re looking to take your skills to the next level.
If you don’t have time to read the whole piece, here are our top five benefits of executive coaching—we’ll cover these in more detail shortly.
Manage change
Introduce new perspectives
Provide conduits for constructive feedback
Improve performance
Develop leaders and thought leadership
The right coach can make a significant difference, ensuring that you leverage all possible benefits effectively. Get in touch today to find out how we can improve your approaches.
It all sounds super interesting, right?! But before we dive deeper into why executive coaching is essential, let’s further define the subject. Certification isn’t required to benefit from executive coaching; what matters is the effectiveness of the coaching relationship.
What is Executive Coaching and How Does the Executive Coaching Process Work?
Executive Coaching is a collaboration and partnership between you and an experienced coach to improve your leadership abilities and enhance organizational impact. Working with a coach from a coaching provider like Tandem Coaching ensures that you are receiving high-quality service tailored to your needs.
Executive coaching from Tandem Coaching is targeted at the C-suite and executive leadership levels. It helps you sharpen your professional qualities and drive real improvements in your industry as a business leader. Executive coaching sessions are designed to align your personal and organizational goals for maximum impact.
These skills can cover a range of areas depending on your specific requirements:
Motivational skills
Supportiveness
Self-Awareness
Stakeholder engagement
Strategic thinking
Leadership skills
Ability to inspire growth
Cultural awareness
Decision-making skills
Enhance self-confidence
Develop agile leadership abilities
Key outcomes range from corporate wins, such as improved productivity, to more personal goals, like achieving a better work-life balance.
Want to dive into specifics? Visit our guide: What is an Executive Coach? to better understand how coaching will help you. And remember that good coaches help you navigate through challenging situations, providing the confidential space for leaders to grow and reflect.
Understanding Leadership Development Coaching and Enhancing Leadership Skills
While executive coaching covers many areas an executive may want to develop, executive coaching focuses more on a holistic approach, whereas leadership development coaching has a more targeted focus. This dual focus ensures that coaching doesn’t just stop at surface-level improvements but delves deep into core leadership competencies.
Leadership development coaching helps executives identify specific leadership skills they want to improve, such as influencing, motivating, and inspiring their teams.
The coach then partners with the executive to create an action plan for making positive changes in those targeted areas.
Support like this can help leaders and executives address challenges in a more balanced way. It equips them with coaching skills that are vital for effective leadership. Additionally, it can empower them to become more agile and help the business navigate changing corporate landscapes.
What to Expect From Executive Coaching Process
An executive coach collaborates with you and other senior leadership professionals to identify your strengths, challenges, and areas of opportunity. This involves various team meetings to ensure that all stakeholders are aligned.
Part of this process is defining your business goals and highlighting potential blind spots to help you create a structured roadmap for success.
However, a good approach to getting the most out of coaching at this level is to have ideas about where you would like to see the biggest improvements in yourself through self-reflection. Whether that’s enhancing strategic thinking or sharpening organizational skills to protect your work-life balance. Coaches, among other things, help leaders in leadership roles set clear objectives and develop action plans to achieve them.
Our bespoke executive coaching program uses this approach to ensure we understand your business and personal goals before developing an action plan.
How a Coaching Culture Enhances Leadership Skills and Organizational Improvement
One major benefit of executive coaching is it often motivates leaders to establish a broader coaching culture as a part of their coaching experience. Such a culture aids in developing leadership positions within the organization and ensures a pipeline of top talent.
A strong coaching culture emphasizes ongoing feedback to refine approaches through group conversations, 1-2-1 settings, or more anonymous routes like surveys. At its core, it is a commitment to developing an environment where employees feel safe sharing ideas. This commitment often involves working closely with your executive team to ensure alignment and buy-in.
However, this cultural shift does not happen quickly or easily. In a 2014 study by the Human Capital Institute and the International Coach Federation, only 13% of companies were found to have strong coaching cultures in place.
It requires dedicated buy-in from leadership over an extended period. Yet the benefits are clear. The top advantage is increased productivity and employee engagement.
Research shows that engaged workers have lower absenteeism, less turnover, and higher productivity. Unfortunately, most employees are not actively engaged currently.
A Deloitte study found that:
87% of organizations struggle with culture and engagement issues, and
50% see low engagement as a very important concern.
After executives experience coaching firsthand and see improvements in their own performance, they better understand the value of developmental support at all levels.
They become more likely to champion company-wide coaching initiatives, which aim to establish a culture of open communication, ongoing feedback, and continuous learning. A good coach will hold you accountable for these initiatives, ensuring long-term success.
Recent studies show companies with mature coaching cultures see over 130% increase in overall performance. The investment pays dividends in trust, communication, and engagement.
Executive Coaching vs Executive Education – What Are the Key Differences?
Executive coaching and executive education are two distinct yet complementary approaches to professional development for leaders. While both aim to enhance leadership skills and organizational performance, they do so through different methodologies and focuses.
Executive coaching is a personalized, one-on-one process where a coach works directly with an executive to address specific challenges, refine leadership skills, and develop strategies tailored to the individual’s needs and organizational context. This coaching process is highly adaptive, allowing for real-time feedback and immediate application of new skills in the workplace.
The primary advantage of executive coaching lies in its ability to offer bespoke guidance that is closely aligned with the executive’s personal and professional goals. This results in actionable insights that can be directly implemented to drive performance and leadership presence.
On the other hand, executive education typically involves structured programs, often delivered through universities or business schools, that provide leaders with theoretical knowledge, case studies, and frameworks to enhance their understanding of business practices and leadership strategies. These programs are designed to offer a broad perspective on leadership and management, equipping executives with the tools to think strategically and make informed decisions.
Executive education is ideal for leaders seeking to expand their knowledge base, gain new qualifications, or stay updated on the latest industry trends and business strategies.
While executive education focuses on building a foundation of knowledge and providing exposure to various leadership concepts, executive coaching dives deeper into the practical application of these concepts within the unique context of the executive’s role. A blended approach of executive coaching and education can be particularly effective for people management. Together, these approaches can provide a well-rounded development experience, combining the breadth of knowledge from executive education with the depth and personalized support found in working with an executive coach.
Different Types of Executive Coaching Services for Top Leaders
We can already see why executive coaching is so important. However, it’s also pivotal to understand that there is no silver bullet for improving yourself through coaching.
In fact, effective executive coaching encompasses several different areas of focus. So, it’s up to you to define which focus best aligns with your goals. Choosing a coach who understands your specific needs can make a substantial difference.
These coaching programs and formats include:
Career coaching: Aimed at helping ambitious execs attain career goals by empowering them with the confidence to take control of their professional destinies.
Skills coaching: Fine-tune the skills you already possess, from presenting to adapting to change. Get tailored support based on the specifics of what you want to improve.
Team coaching: Focused on enhancing collaborative skills like mastering listening, developing teamwork, and improving communication. This method is vital for developing the coaching culture we spoke about earlier.
Performance coaching: A strategic look into new ways of working to cement routes to goal achievement. Enhance your trailblazer abilities by rethinking corporate processes.
Executive leadership coaching: As mentioned earlier, this format focuses on your abilities to enhance and inspire your team. How can you fine-tune your skills to maximize productivity while creating a happy team?
Business coaching: This does not tell you how to do your job or run an organization. However, it can help define goals and aid collaboration to create a clear plan for achievement.
5 Key Benefits of Executive Coaching to Improve Leadership Skills
As we have highlighted before, an executive coach’s benefits are wide-ranging. But let’s explore the advantages we highlighted at the top to understand them better.
1. How Executive Coaching Helps Top Leaders Manage Change
The COVID-19 pandemic showed just how quickly the business environment can change. Companies face many factors that can alter the landscape, from internal shifts like new product launches to external forces like economic downturns.
Executive coaching means developing your strategic thinking to better defend against future changes, proving how executive coaching works effectively. Understanding the benefits of change management helps leaders see why this investment pays off across the entire organization. This can include improving weaknesses in your corporate awareness and planning while driving accountability. Diagnostic frameworks like Prosci’s ADKAR model can pinpoint where individuals are stuck in a change—but closing those gaps requires the human development capability that coaching provides. Executive coaches provide the tools you need to adapt to new team dynamics and changing business landscapes.
2. How Executive Coaches Help Introduce New Perspectives
Oftentimes, the executive leadership can be too close to corporate challenges to define a clear route through the issues.
This is not an indictment of poor management—far from it. In fact, great managers can sometimes hold the best interests of the business so close to their hearts that new modes of thinking are not perceptible.
Bringing in an outside perspective in the form of coaching can open up new pathways of thinking that were previously not obvious, highlighting the impact of executive coaching.
3. How the Executive Coaching Process Provides Conduits for Constructive Feedback
Back to our point about developing a positive coaching culture, poor business cultures often leave no room for constructive feedback. Parts of the management team become siloed and other members of the business feel that feedback won’t be heard or actioned. This can be particularly challenging for top executives who might feel isolated in their roles.
Feedback loops can become closed through fear of negative repercussions or a lack of education. However, constructive feedback is vital to developing healthy businesses. Developing your competency in this area can facilitate psychological safety and open collaboration within your team.
Executive coaches provide the importance of keeping feedback channels open and productive. 360 feedback tools or standard interviews can be effective approaches for gaining insights from all areas and levels of the organization.
As we mentioned earlier, establishing a culture of coaching can be the catalyst for driving meaningful improvements in your performance. Those enhancements come with more progression opportunities.
For example, they could mean the difference in developing from a departmental director position to a Vice President.
4. How Organizations Benefit from Executive Coaching to Improve Performance
A recent overview by Dr. Bill Dyment into the efficacy of executive coaching found that IT giant IBM saw a 50% improvement in leadership behaviors as a result of coaching. This increase also saw a stark improvement in global leadership performance within the brand.
Additionally, Dr. Dyment’s research highlights that, after coaching, a pharmaceutical company saw uplifts in sales performance estimated at 43 times the initial cost of the coaching.
Executive coaching boasts these returns by removing obstacles preventing you from performing optimally, thus showing how executive coaching will help.
Trained executive coaches provide the ability to unlock your potential by fine-tuning your leadership skills, encouraging feedback loops, honing decision-making skills, and championing internal communication.
5. Developing Executive Presence and Thought Leadership through Executive Coaching
In a world that continues pivoting towards machine learning or AI alternatives to human interaction, soft skills like leadership abilities are more critical than ever.
A study by Boston College, Harvard University, and the University of Michigan found businesses that invested in soft skills training were 12% more productive as a result.
Enhancing your soft skills through a coaching experience allows you to be more available to other members of the organization. However, improving these traits can also enhance your personal life, potentially improving your communication skills and methods for managing conflict at home or in other environments, proving that coaching will help both professionally and personally. Executive coaching is a professional development tool that can help bridge gaps in both professional and personal competencies.
Maximizing the Benefits of Executive Coaching Services
Executive coaching could be the thing that catapults you to the next level of professional growth. However, for it to be truly effective, you must be fully committed to putting in the required hard work. An effective coaching style is crucial in maintaining this commitment and ensuring progress.
Squeezing the absolute most out of your coaching will mean getting serious about a few elements of your corporate outlook and work-based methodologies. Business and organizational goals should align with the coaching strategies for maximum impact.
Collaboration in the Executive Coaching Process
We recommend entering your coaching partnership with an understanding of how you, your business, and your coach can work together most effectively. This collaboration often leads to remarkable improvements in business measures and overall performance.
Setting Clear Goals with Executive Coaches for Leadership Improvement
Whether KPIs, growth goals, or personal milestones, it always helps to have a clear understanding of your targets. Your coach can help you get clarity on those short and long-term SMART goals.
Using Feedback in the Executive Coaching Process to Benefit from Executive Coaching
Use 360 assessments to gather constructive feedback from around the business. Not only will this define positives and areas for improvement in your leadership style, but it will also begin to open up those crucial feedback loops, demonstrating effective leadership. Direct reports will also feel more engaged and valued when they see leadership actively seeking and implementing feedback.
Implementing Appropriate Techniques in Executive Coaching to Improve Leadership Skills
Working with masterful coaches from Tandem Coaching means you can quickly roll out programs that will enhance your strategic efforts as well as your ability to inspire. Methods, such as our ASPIRE® engagement model, are perfect for this. Our coaching program is particularly beneficial for senior leaders and top executive roles within an organization.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about the benefits of executive coaching.
What is the ROI of Executive Coaching?
Recent studies have shown that executive coaching from businesses like Tandem Coaching has a striking return on investment of 788%, clearly showing the organizational impact and how executive coaching works.
In addition to that attention-grabbing figure, similar reports have recorded 70% increases in individual performance and 48% improvement in organizational performance.
What is the Goal of an Executive Coach?
The core goal of executive coaching with Tandem Coaching is to develop the leadership and performance levels of executive leaders or sharpen the skills of senior managers hoping to progress into those positions.
Executive coaches provide positive change by helping their clients focus on core areas like communication loops, emotional intelligence in leaders, and championing accountability, proving that coaches help leaders effectively.
What are the Results of Executive Coaching?
There are numerous positive outcomes to engaging in executive coaching, including:
Improving organizational and personal performance
Enhancing engagement levels
Allowing for constructive feedback
Driving collaboration opportunities
Enhancing job satisfaction
Improving agile skills to react to corporate change
Not to mention the substantial ROI that all these enhancements yield when seeking executive coaching. An effective coaching relationship can be transformative, both for individual leaders and for the organization as a whole.
Conclusion
When you start to drill down into the benefits of executive coaching, it becomes apparent that this is a super powerful tool for professional and personal growth.
The enhancements and knock-on effects can be far-reaching, making the cost of executive coaching an extremely worthwhile investment for top leadership and executives.
Discover executive coaching solutions with Tandem Coaching today and start plotting your route to organizational goal achievement, showing how coaching is a professional development tool that can grow your business. Your journey in executive coaching is a professional adventure that promises significant returns.
Agile Coaching has evolved remarkably over the past three decades, reaching what many consider the Late Majority stage of innovation. That evolution includes a deeper understanding of what coaching actually is — coaching is more than just asking questions, a distinction that separates the most effective agile coaches from those who mistake facilitation for transformation. With the landscape continually shifting, staying ahead means more than just keeping pace; it’s about redefining the game. This webinar is designed to guide current and aspiring Agile Coaches through the maze of opportunities and challenges in today’s market.
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See you all. Thank you, Alex for doing what you’re supposed to be doing and hitting record. So, I’m Cherie Silas, and I’m the CEO of tandem coaching. And we are happy to have you all here. Today, we’re going to do a great webinar that we hope can be very helpful to coaches of all kinds. Right? I know that that looks like a lot of you are agile coaches, but also a decent representation of miscellaneous types of professional coaches. And so we know that one of the most challenging thing for coaches is figuring out like, how to actually make coaching a business. And how do you get that business up and running? And how do you run it once you get there and actually, charge and things like that. And so, I’ve been working with URI for probably a couple of years now, we’ve been going back and forth, working on different things together and interacting a bit. And I’ve gotten to know his business pretty well. And what I’ve seen from him and the way he runs his business has been very impressive. And there were things that I wanted to learn from him selfishly. So I asked if he would do this webinar, and not just include me, but include all of you so that you could learn some of those things. So, Yuri, I’ll let you kind of step in and tell us a little bit about who you are. And then let’s just take it from there. Yeah,
1:32
sure. Thanks, Sherry. I’m blessed to hear those things from you. Because I’m, I’m recalling the way I found about you even before reading your your famous book that you and Michael, Mila MAs and Alex written on enterprise agile coaching. I’m recalling that I found your profile on LinkedIn, occasionally. And I was impressed that the person who combines CC certificate with the MCC exists, actually. So and as you say, you’re bridging to worlds of executive coaching and coaching. It’s truly impressive. I didn’t think that such people exist. Now I know that there is a few of them. So. And yes, we have a few years of collaboration of different kinds. And now I’m delighted to speak to your audience here about agile coaching as a business. So I guess the process I would suggest the following process for today, I will share my slides, I will walk through the deck. And I would encourage you to ask questions in the chat box. And Sherry will handle those because I will not read them. And in the end, we will have q&a, I guess some 10 Maybe 20 minutes. If I will be able to answer questions as they go, I guess we I will do pauses from time to time or Sherry, I’m letting you interrupt if you feel that this particular question should be best answered immediately. Okay. Sounds great. Awesome. So here’s what we’ve got going to speak today off, and the promised agenda. So what’s going on in the field of agile coaching in terms of, of the industry in terms of business domain, then career options for agile coaches, whether it’s employee, contractor or consultant. And here I would like to see in chat, your feedback. What role do you associate with so employee is for if you work in a company as a coach or Agile coach, contractor is the person who has less stability, who works with I don’t know, six or 12 months contracts and then has to find another contract or maybe continue the current contract. And consultant is a person who works with multiple businesses, multiple projects, etc. So this understanding this about you as the audience will help me focus on the right things in this topic. So you can simply put the number in chat, like one for employees, two for contractors and three for for consultants if it’s easier for you. All right. I’ll review it later as it’s done. But for now, I’ll continue sharing a few words about myself. So this year marked 20 years of my professional career. I started in tech industry as a technical writer I guess 20 years ago. And during next eight years, I’ve tried multiple roles like developer, business analyst, marketer etc and starting 2012 I’m in tech leadership roles. And then I switched to occasionally didn’t plan it. But I realized that my way of leadership is a coaching style. And when I got to my first coaching training, I was amazed how it works and decided to shift my career towards pure coaching agile coaching consultant. And next year, I started an agency called Agile drive. And this year we rebranded it. It also is connected to what’s happening with agile as an industry and to our services. So we no longer do only Agile transformations are trainings we do strategy development, strategy, execution, different types of trainings and coaching. And at one session, one of the client asks, my partner and Ema has a demo. Why are you called Agile drive, what you’re doing with us is not agile. So we thought, okay, it’s a sign to rebrand. And now we are optional partners, and I act in multiple roles or wear multiple hats as a CEO, business consultant, executive coach, or executive team coach, and again, my mentor for consultants, more for coaches in terms of challenges that they have in their practice in specifically about contracting business side of things, etc. Speaking about my company appeal partners is today, we have two offices in Ukraine in Europe. Each is run by this respective partner, me or Dima, we’ve done 50 Plus projects in multiple countries here, some logos from national and international clients. And I guess that’s enough bragging and not something I like very much. I want to start with and before that, I will read your responses regarding roles. Okay, we see other EC contractors, consultants, people combining multiple roles or employee who is working as a consultant. Hi, Alexei. Alright, good. So why am I doing what I’m doing? And should you or shouldn’t? Again, it’s a sort of precaution before the stock. So I’m not trying to talk you into starting a consulting agency or something, but I’m rather sharing my experience with hope that it will ignite a spark of inspiration you to be more and more courageous to do what you want to do. How did I get into this coaching call sound consulting thing, a short story that will explain you my motives behind it. So I’m recording my first coaching session as a client. intimate moment that I believe that most of you have heard, I hope it was memorable. And I was amazed how coaching works. So I resolve my issues and barriers in my head. And then I asked this lady coach, her name is Allah, and she’s like one of the top executive coaches here in Ukraine. I asked her out, what is what’s the business that you’re running? Is it a business? Is it a viable business? Is it a business at all? So she was, besides being a coach, she had this training and coaching agency, and she had a partner and she had some few people have the back office staff doing sales, marketing, finances, etc. And she laughs to me and said, Well, you’re it’s a bad business, frankly, bad. What do you mean? She said, You know, this, Sherry is laughing. I guess she’s she’s, she’s resonating with that. So what do you mean bad business? And she said, So, to scale my coaching business, I have to scale my expertise. I hate to scale expert people around me. So basically, how it worked for me for the last 15 years is, as I’m repeating my, my old pattern, every time I’m taking a partner, or a few of them, I’m developing them, they become expert coaches, and soon they leave me and they open their own business and they become my competitors. So if you want my advice, just don’t start it. So because I’m a person who is motivated by like complex challenges, I thought that okay, challenge except that if you couldn’t build it past I don’t know two or three trainers, then it’s, it might be an interesting challenge for me. So because again, if you want a lot of money, there are many easier ways to earn good for CIM rather than a scaling consulting agency. But again, we’re not working only for the money. But for other motives, my motive, again, is solving complex challenges that my mentors couldn’t. So that’s why I’m here.
10:16
And yeah, as the right in the some standard videos, don’t repeat this without supervision. But if you still want to repeat this, you can rely at least on my supervision processes, since I helping a lot to coaches and consultants. So let’s continue with what’s going on in the field of agile coaching and consulting just to get a sense of what’s going on with the industry. And what can we rely on if we, for example, agile coaches, working as consultants or insight? What can we have on this market? What can we count for? So hopefully, you know, this model, technology adoption curve by Everett Rogers, it basically outlines the lifecycle of any technology or any innovation and if we, so if you take agile, it was in the early market on the on the stage where it was interested in, provided and propagated by by innovators, it’s been here, I don’t know, maybe in the in the late 90s, right, or the early 2000s. But then it moved to a more wider adoption, and then it crossed this chasm, right, and became mainstream. And now I guess it’s even more than more here. So what it means when the technology or any concept like Agile is in the late majority states, it means that most of the companies actually have their own expertise in Agile. They’re on agile coaches, or Scrum Masters. And they now need different things from people who are in the consult consulting mode, see external agile coaches. For example, they occasionally demand some trainings by but they do not much. For example, here in Europe, they do not much rely on the consulting expertise because they have really good expertise developing site over the years. So this means that for me as an Agile coach, for example, that my clients now need something more from me not just running trainings, or explaining what Agile is, and running pilot teams or etc. So, so you can think if you’re an Agile Coach external like like me, or like my, my team members, you can think if you think in how to develop your business further, you can sing about the differentiators. So things that are early in the market, and the companies do not have, for example, internal expertise, and then they might demand that from you. Things like OKR, for example. So there’s a trend growing trend in Europe that people who couple years ago, they named themselves agile coaches. Now they claim themselves to be OKR coaches, because there is a demand Parokya coach, so I’m not the one to assess the level of expertise, right, but okay, I guess it’s it definitely crossed the chasm, and maybe it’s somewhere here. Or if you take AI, it’s probably crossing this chasm. And, for example, Henrik Newberg, well known agile Guru, I would say one of them, who has the famous videos on the YouTube about agile, like product ownership in a nutshell, or Spotify, engineering culture, he’s now claiming himself to be aI enthusiasts and AI consultant, not not the Agile anymore, right? This is actually a strong sign that in the industry is changing. You can read more more definitely have a comprehensive report on where each technology or each concept in software development culture and methods is on the info cube website. I’ll share the link probably afterwards, right. So these guys do those trends reports every every year and this, this current represents the state of December 2020 23. Just to to browse and to think, like, what, what am I as a consultant might be bringing into the company is that it’s still unique still from the early adopter, for example, stage so this is where companies still rely heavily on the external expertise rather than the the internal. Okay. And another recommendation here like is speaking of this Agile to OKRs which, for example, which is trendy in Europe, differentiate or die is actual as an as, as, as previously, right? So instead of selling the same lemonade just by changing your title on LinkedIn, think about some good example of differentiation like like Henrik number, right? So he’s, he’s thinking he is well known he has his company, maybe not even one so very crisp and pubs and clubs. But he still is thinking as a consultant what I will be selling during the next 10 years, and this will most likely will not be agile. Although these guys, this guy has participated in Spotify transformation, Lego transformation, Mojang, etc, like large companies. So it’s a short story about differentiators. But the next thing I would like to share is what’s probably more interesting is strategies to increase your impact and income. And in this webinar, today, I will speak a lot about the business side of things, but just don’t think that I’m obsessed about only about impact in income. Of course, what brought what is bringing in many of consultants into this business domain is rather desire to continuously grow and improve and impact and income is something that comes in parallel as a side effect. So as we have today, three different audiences my next. This is the framework that I’ve created when, when I was preparing to this, this webinar. So it basically outlines the recommendations or strategies for for three types of, of people based on four verticals. One is the core expertise would be leadership coaching, or agile coaching. Next is marketing and sales. Because Surprise, surprise, if you want to achieve commercial success, you have to play and improve in sales and marketing, rather than core expertise at some moment of your career. And the fourth area is how to how do we prove our expertise to to others to clients, for example, or to employers? So we’ll start with employees, do you see my screen? Well, I hope so. So as for employee, so here’s at least three things that are expected from employee to increase their input and income. Of course, it’s a no brainer, excel in Agile coaching. And we will not speak about this in this webinar, mentor and be mentored coach and be coached I guess, it’s self explained. And the next one is take charge for org level initiatives. I’m recalling being a scrum master in tech company and things that boosted my career was taking initiative about what’s not in my job responsibilities, I had something like running trainings for neighbor department, just from my initiative, because I’ve seen that it might help to collaborate with them. Again, speaking of marketing, again, taking charge for org level initiatives and being more visible on the organizational level will will help you this visibility help you build your internal reputation and the skill if you’ve never done this never spoke at the conferences. As a as a consultant, it’ll help you to, to, to pump this muscle experiment with side gigs. Again, I’m recalling that the first thing that sparked my my interest in consulting was a side gig. So I ran a workshop for a small company. And I was amazed how how, how quickly they grasp what I’m telling them because of site experience because of fresh look that I was bringing in there. So my people in my company from from from the teams that I was supervising were more reluctant to my ideas then then the the people from from the other company so this site, it wasn’t about the some big amount of money but rather it was about that testing myself as a consultant if I will be useful to people from another company.
20:06
And in terms of prove your expertise, typically, to grow. Like it’s culture wise, for example, in the US and Canada, it’s, it’s more important if compared to Ukraine, the amount and the quality of the credentials that you have on your resume. But what companies in my experience are typically getting is the assessment based credentials, for example, CSM or PSM, something where you got a training and then got some certain assessment 30 questions where 80 questions and you got the credential. For more seasoned consultants, this will not be that easy. So the their credentials will be more experienced based rather than assessment base. We’ll talk about this in a while. So for people that are working as contractors, again, it the popularity of this format is different. It varies from country to country, but beyond what’s expected from employee to increase their impact, for contractors to stand out on the market to differentiate and to prove your expertise to external clients. It’s expected that you not just attend conferences, but you speak at gatherings, the company, the conferences, the Atlantic coach camps exchange experience with fellow fellow coaches. And this is something that is bringing you those solo gigs or collaboration gigs and from, from my experience and experience of my coaches, from my circle, these collaborations are greatly helping you grow, actually grow and get to know other clients, etc. In terms of marketing, it’s expected from contractor to increase market presence to be active on social media to in unconference and what I’m observing. Work in marketing and sales is not very comfortable for for agile coaches or for coaches. So, majority of people in my circles would rather attend the Agile coaching conference, not a business conference, or speak at the Agile conference, not not at the Business Conference. But actually these things, speaking at the external events, means events where the audience consists of your clients, not agile coaches, this is something that is bringing you those clients, right, or even attending them as a as an attendee, not a speaker, will help you learn their, their challenges, their issues and the solution that they’re looking for, and help you actually hear better hear your client. As for sales skill, from contractor, it’s now becomes crucial to grow to develop your negotiation expertise and generic sales skill. Frankly, I often tell my not clients, but potential clients during the first meetings with them, where they are trying to negotiate with me over my rates or something. I frankly, tell them that I’m not a good negotiator. And this might be considered as a negotiation trick, but it’s really not something that I do every day, although I’ve been maybe in 100, negotiations or past seven years. But still when I’m negotiating, for example, with the CEO of the bank, or any professional financial expert, negotiation is their job. They’re doing this every day. And I’m not so I’m trying not to not to play this game directly, but rather, you use some other techniques that I will share in a few slides. But again, this this is crucial. And here I want to share a story of my friend Pasha who is the owner of probably the most known Ukrainian creative agency. Pasha has been the client of mine, we helped him restructure his organization to more agile ways of working. And he wants I was curious to learn from him his unique way to to price his creative projects. So I knew that their their rates of his agency are probably the largest in Ukraine. And I asked him how he came to this way of negotiating when he just bluntly naming the number out of his head says I believe that this project will cost this and that and he’s not playing like our leader. aides are something like meaning creative agencies do. So parsha is telling, we know that we are doing unique creative work. And we want a unique price for that. And I said, So how you come up how you develop this mindset? And how come of course they have to, to have an impressive portfolio, etc, etc. And he told me a story of, of his guru, the design guru called Stefan Sagmeister. I guess I have a separate slide about Yeah, here it is. So Stefan Sagmeister is a payment probably cream of the crop in the design world. He’s Austrian designer. He’s famous, for example, for music album covers for Rolling Stones, Jay Z, Aerosmith, etc. So my friend, Porsche, he was chasing that Stefan Sagmeister, to ask him a couple of questions like, How can you become such a cool designer? And he said, I found him on one event in Europe, I specifically flew there and I caught him for a few questions. And I asked him, What made you become the top demanded designer in the world. And what Stefan responded, it actually shocked my friend Pasha. Because he said, first, I thought that to be a well known, top designer, I have to polish my design skill. But soon, when my learning curve is almost flat, I realized that it is not the design skill that I have to improve to become a great designer, but rather my sales skill. And parsha was very much shocked and surprised. He said, As a designer, myself, I wasn’t keen on selling, it’s not my job. But I realized after that conversation, that this is something I need to I need to watch to my sales process to build myself to systematize my sales process, instead of thinking that my creativity will self sell itself. So this story inspired me to. So at some point of my self development journey, I started taking courses on negotiation on business model, etc, etc, on more business things, rather than purely develop myself as an Agile coach or a executive coach. So again, I’m pretty sure that for contractor role, negotiation expertise in generic sales skill is a must. And in terms of proving expertise, they typically deserve expert credentials. For example, CSP, which I guess is popular level of credential for contractors, is requiring three years if I’m not mistaken of experience, or PCC, ICF certification requires 500 I’m not mistaken hours of coaching logs. So this is not something you can pay $1,000 and get the next day based on some tests assignment right. And also, please know that for certain credentials, they depreciate over time means that having CSM on your resume 10 years ago and today means different things for employers or for your clients. And again, consultants so, to me, the difference between consultant and contractor is that contractor is still relying on long contracts and has contract after contract while consultant is someone that is helping multiple companies and there are different types of projects, contracts or consulting products. And here we go. So as for core expertise, what I think is worth considering on top or actually if we look at the image on the bottom of all of those things is consultants typically work on executive and strategic levels. So what it means I’m recalling a few years ago was
29:31
running an Agile transformation for larger enterprise. And I believe that facilitating a bi weekly transformation six sync up with the board is something that is important for me to facilitate personally. While the CEO after probably third session says URI I believe that one of our SCRUM masters can facilitate as well. So I want you to focus on more street Dziedzic things rather than tactical that we are describing here. And I had the internal conflict that I described discussed then was my mantra. But the thing is that working on strategic levels means that you don’t want to go into operational and tactical things, but you rather want respective people in their roles doing that thing. And you want the client to cherish you for to value for this strategic perspective, and not not falling into the operational level. What I mean by developing executive presence, it’s the posture, it’s the communication style. It’s the dress communication for the executives, or people who are responsible for the strategy so that they could be comfortable with you to open up with you to to share with you their what’s what’s on their mind, what what’s, what are their their challenges, right. And psychological growth. I can hardly imagine my work as a consultant working with higher rank, highly demanding clients without having a regular counseling or psychotherapy, that helped me helped me develop this psychological part of my rank as a professional. And again, poaching supervision, I guess, lies also here. So the core expertise of a consultant is extended with those things that are here on the bottom of the screen. In terms of marketing, it’s not any more just a market market presence, because consultants typically demand higher rates than contractors. And probably the negotiations might be tougher, the demand must be, I would say built, not just waiting for the clients to call you and say you’re UK, we have a problem. So thought leadership is something that will differentiate a consultant from a from a contractor, or an employee, which includes so I know Sherry, for me is a great example. She’s publishing books, she has her own personal coaching. She runs supervisions, mentoring for coaches, she’s doing herself transformation, work with clients, executive coaching, etc, etc. So it’s a number of services that have their own pricing models, they haven’t their own share in her revenue stream, etc. So it’s not just posting content on social media, but rather doing all things as complex, right? speaking at conferences, develop partnerships, for example, I’m recalling one of the most efficient partnerships in terms of marketing was giving classes in the business school on business agility. So I was running, I guess, three times per year for the class. And after every class, I was working with at least two contracts to clients, which is a pretty good conversion. And again, specialization just as we speak, spoke about Henrik never, for the companies to be able to pay you a unique price, you have to be unique. For example, what comes to my mind first is the offers of Team topologies concept, which is, I guess, gaining its popularity on the mass market now. They, their framework is somewhat unique, and it gives some important answers to their organizations in terms of org design, in their Agile transformations, and there’s little too few competitors in this so they can I don’t know what pricing do these guys are doing, but I guess they can feel their uniqueness. And they’re pretty demanded right now they offer so this concept team topologies. In terms of sales on the consultant level, you finally in the end of the day have to start working on your own business. So when I was a sole consultant, I was focusing mostly on businesses of my clients. I was checking of course financials in the end of each month to ensuring that I’m making enough but still, I’m recalling a few years ago, I was hiring a consultant and For consultants. So these guys asked me a question that that struck me and it was the following set theory, how much do you work? What was the percentage that you work on your business versus in your business. And it was very powerful, because I guess at that time, I was working on my business, maybe 10% of the time, and the majority time I was working in consulting gigs, or managing consulting gigs, where my coaches were working. So with this 10%, it’s not a focus, it’s rather your firefighting. And plus, you have to, to establish a growth growth machine, nice, stable sales pipeline, you have to continuously work in your market, tweak your business model, invent new products, optimize your financials. And And finally, when the team is telling you, you really need a strategy, you have to invent the strategy with them, right? So last year, I’ve focused on a few months on purely CEO role, to to fix the growth machine issue, to make our sales forecasts more predictable. And after a few months, I guess my CEO responsibilities shrink to maybe two days, two days per week. And the rest of the time I’m open to the client work now. So as we spoke with Cherie and Alex, before this workshop, when Alex intervened with the question, how do you combine CEO role and consultant role, I don’t believe there is a continuous state of balance between those two. So it’s this this balance is dynamic. So for now, this this quarter, my balance is 40%, CEO and 60% consult. But again, things might change, and I’m fine with this. This makes, and again, in terms of proving your expertise. The clients expect you from you something more unique than than just industry standard credentials, right. So developing your own frameworks, developing your own educational programs, or your own certification bodies, or writing books is something that is expected for a consultant to be treated as a consultant. I think I’ll stop for a while here, because it’s gets the major part of this presentation is done. Maybe there are some questions because I’m not monitoring chat too much.
37:52
We haven’t had any questions in the chat. However, I suspect that a few people do have questions. So if you would like to raise your hand or come up, come off mute and ask that question. That would be great.
38:16
Okay, then,
38:19
coming in now,
38:20
we have one. Yep. Daniel. Okay. Oh, no, I was just, I’m still digesting everything.
38:30
Okay, I thought you came off. You do? You’ve raised your hand. What question do you have? Yep. My
38:34
question would probably be like a transition between one of those from employee to say, contractor or consultant. What’s that? What’s that? Like? Because I’ve always been an employee and I’m curious to explore a different position.
38:54
Okay, have you tried to do anything on the site? In terms of your professional career?
39:00
Um, I’ve tried doing coaching on the side. Okay.
39:06
That was really be it. Okay, so do you think moving to towards a coach or leadership coach or agile coaching because these two tracks are different? What is closer to you?
39:23
For sure, agile coaching is still closer to me because I have more experience, but there’s something interesting with coaching and adds to the Agile coaching. Yeah.
39:37
All right. So if I’m thinking about the recipe, I think the famous phrase to get outside of the building is the first word comes to my mind. So trying to be active on social media and explaining what services can you offer on the site. Of course if your job contract is not intervening with these, because there are some exclusive job contracts that are stating specifically that you cannot share them. Well, there is no legal way. And we will not suggest illegal ways here, but seems that you have already some practice on the site and telling more about it or looking at any fellow coaches to do side gigs or talking to your friends and family. Maybe you know, guys, someone who might need services like this, and that, or at least establishing your own website, which is not a costly thing and sharing to the world that I’m huge. I’m doing this, this and that. So marketing is the way in short ways.
40:48
Thank you.
40:49
Or I’m recalling my first experience when I first experience of trying was the site geek that I spoke previously. But first experience of getting outside was speaking in the Project Management Conference. And sharing something I wanted to share. It was It wasn’t a blast. But it was a good. It was a good event. And I experienced this. Because I like being on the stage. I had the music career before it. And I’ve recalled that that feeling of being on stage and answering to tricky questions from the audience. I thought, Oh, that is life, not just working it out hours weeks. So then I pursued like started speaking more and more. Some some some speeches were terrible. And but they were the best learning experience for me. And then conference by conference, I started building on my personal brand and that those sidekicks started happening and at one time, I decided to jump off the ship, the huge ship to my little water scooter of my startup. But again, you have to you have to realize that the moment when you so I often get this question, how do I start my own consulting company or consulting practice, and based on the experience of my mentees and my colleagues on the market, I will now say that continue combining as long as you can, means that develop your financial buffer, because immediately when you go to consulting it, there’s a fallacy of beyond consultants that they’re totally waiting some mythical hourly rate, like mythical man months, right? They say, Oh, when I work 50 hours on this rate, I will earn more than my current salary that I will easily get 50 hours of work. But it’s not that in month to month, they are different and you have to have some financial buffer to recover when things are not going well. So then I’m that’s why I’m suggesting to continue combining two. And then some people combine and just don’t go they are fine with combining.
43:21
Alright, Shahab, you have a question.
43:24
Yeah, well, I actually I have to do but I’ll start the first one. So guys, I jumped quite late to the meeting. But you read the question to you. What was your experiments before you start to be a consultant? It’s like, it was like, something that you start experimenting, or it was just like, Okay, this is the time I’m feeling this wherever I’m feeling this.
43:44
Okay, so you’re you’re you’re pulling me even earlier in my career when I identify identified this passion for for intrapreneurship. So I guess the first, the first ever thing was combining the job and rock band, with concert shows, albums, etc. And that’s how I learned that. Like, I’m good at combining. I focusing on one activity on one discipline is not my type of thing. That’s just my nature, right. And the second one was in 2012, when I opened Forbes magazine, if seen regular guys like me, I’ve known some of them, and they were in the startup accelerator. And I learned about those terms. And I said, Gosh, I, I should have been here among them, because I know some of them why I’m not here. And the few weeks after I’ve seen the advertisement of a hackathon called garage 99, something like that. So went on this hackathon. I was In the winning team, and in a matter of weeks, we’ve raised the precede investment from the same accelerator that these guys were in the, from the Forbes pages. So the that’s how I went on the startup journey for a year. And we’ve, we’ve burned the money, we’ve didn’t build any, anything to find product market fit, but there was a ton of learning, and a ton of understanding that enterpreneurship is something that I want to pursue. And then I had a few internal startups in their organization said I was never successful. And I guess the next experiment was, I definitely knew that I don’t, I’m not ready to lose money means that I don’t want to go out and to experiment to burn my family budget to my experiments. So first, so I went out from the enterprise to become a partner in small but pretty famous at the time agile coaching agency in Ukraine, and after a year working as a partner, I realized that I’m finally this little bird is finally ready to leave the nest and, and find its own nest. So that’s three, I guess, major career experiments. And Jakob, thank you for this question, because it helped me realize what I’m based on. But you have I guess, second question, right? Yes, sorry. I
46:38
know that Raven is having hands up. The second is like, a bit provocative, but maybe it’s my false assumption, like, assuming that we are in the slight majority with agile, like most of the company fortune 500 already tried. What in your eyes? Let’s assuming that more experienced as a coach is what is the demand for agile coaching? In your eyes right now?
47:02
What what is the demand?
47:04
Yes. What’s the demand for agile coaching? Because assuming like the most of the big companies already tried Agile transformations, maybe I’m wrong, maybe now yeah.
47:15
Yeah, I have a maybe non conventional answer to this. Raven, and you gotta worry, we will have time, plenty of time to answer your question. Because I guess this is this one is important. So because there are many notions on LinkedIn, for example, that Agile is dead, right? Let’s move to something else. Right. So I believe that Agile has play its crucial role in the development of new, efficient and human oriented ways of working for the last 30 years, it definitely left this mark on the the way that people interact with each other in organizations. And it’s time probably for some new not version versions of it, for example, many companies that are pretty efficient, I don’t know, delivery hero for it. I don’t know why, but they come to my mind first. So many established tech companies, they say when you ask them, Do you run Angel? Do you run those standards? Do you know what PBR is? Their typical answer, oh, we want beyond agile, right? So and I guess this is the idea. So you learn the basics. And then after a few years of deliberate practice, you start improvising. And then in the end of the day, you invent something new. So many great companies have invented their own ways of working based on the Agile principles and values, right, while the laggards or the late majority or the sorry, banks and other institutions that are that have never been very efficient, not just in terms of it, but in terms of other things. Right. And I guess, again, you want it to be provocative, I will be provocative in response, that many large financial institutions with help of so called Agile transformation, they’re trying to fix poor leadership and lack of vision. That’s because I work with different banks and bank with a strong leader who is really wanting to build a great company. We just work for year and a half and they then leave to run their own experiment and they’re in a much better shape, but banks with very distributed accountability, say it out They were working with them for years. And they say we will better work with you rather than change this leader in this department because it’s very political as non budget. We know it’s it will cost us money, but this is the risk we are paying for. So something like this. Nice. Thank you. That’s a sensor. Jakob. Thank you. Thank you. All right. And Raven.
50:28
Hello, hello. Okay. So I want to I just want to, I guess, a comment more than a question. So back in 2019, I’ve always wanted to have my own business. But I was kind of pushed into it. There was a colleague of mine that said, Hey, I just landed this contract for agile coaching, I need some coaches. But in order for you to work with me, you gotta start your own business. And I’m like, what? Like, how soon he’s like, I need to get stuff set up within two weeks. You know, so it was it was it was, I was ill prepared. Okay. And so that’s what my business has been based on. Because I did not know a lot. I was just trying to set up and trying to work and trying to figure out and navigate entrepreneurship. Since that’s what my business has been. I have a partner over here, Raven, I need some help. I just landed a contract. Can you work with me? Yes, I can work with you. But my business is based on that. I don’t have that marketing component. I don’t have that sales component that I’ve landed. I maybe like landed one. But most of my businesses, strictly partnerships. So I’m just saying like, I’m just being transparent. I’m obviously I’m not bragging. I’m just saying like, it is very difficult. For me, I appreciate the partnerships. I’m trying to figure out how can I learn to be good at sales, be good at marketing, and land some of my own and be more self sufficient? That’s just my little comment.
52:16
Yeah, thanks. Thanks for even to add on that. When I first hired a lady for a marketing lead role in our company, I prepared her, I warned her that, Rania prepare to be a change agent here, because you will, here’s how it will work, you will reach out to coaches, which we have, I don’t know eight of them are more. And you will ask them to participate in some marketing activities like writing blog posts, running webinars, etc. And they will always tell you, they’re too busy with client work. So you have to learn how to engage them, because this is definitely not a pleasant kind of work for them. Right. And after two years of those experiments, and ups and downs, I must say that I’m in vacation right now, this week, and I was it gave me a chance to look at the actual partners, Facebook and LinkedIn pages and posts from the external point of view, not not not reading our slack. And I’m surprised that I’m looking at the outsider. And I really like what’s happening, right. So now we’re trying now doing the sales transformation we are. We are working with our coaches to to help them embrace the fact that they are responsible for sales too. And that’s another transformation for them. But again, when they leave, and sometimes coaches leave me, just like they my mentor told me, so they started establishing their own sole business. They definitely don’t want to build an agency, but they do well as a solo consultant and sometimes come to me in to mentoring on these topics. Thanks for even more
54:19
Can Can I add real quick to Raven before Igor? Raven, I would encourage you to embrace those partnerships, right? We can’t do it alone in business period. Right? It’s all it is all about partnerships. And in the world we’re in especially if you’re a solopreneur those bigger contracts, you’re not going to be able to do them alone. Right and so embrace those partnerships and in actually seek out more of that because that is where your your money is going to come from. It’s really hard for an individual to get a big corporate contract because the reality is they need more than one person You’re gonna have to figure out how to bring other people in. So just something to consider.
55:07
Thank you for sharing that.
55:12
And Igor, Yeah, hello, everyone.
55:14
So my question is I mean, I’m curious how you differentiate from other consulting agencies. And next question, what is your opinion about, you know, sometimes consulting coming to the market to client, do some few transformations. And after, after this, some people should come one more time, and maybe some coaches to help our organization? To feel better? Yeah, obviously, I’ve been on this move.
55:59
Can you remember the first question, because the second one is so hard? I have so much to tell you. The first one was how do we differentiate? Right? Yeah.
56:08
Are you differentiate from competitors on the market?
56:14
So as we started our subsidiary in Denmark last year, we started being more conscious, what works for us in Ukraine, and these are different things. So in Ukraine after seven years without an established brand, like every day, some request is coming in from multiple channels, right. So, we are not, but still we are active in marketing. But in Denmark, situation is different. We are no name like, we are nobody to them, right. So the terms are different, the type of activities are different, we are more following a client’s demands rather than dictating something based on our experience. So things like that.
57:06
How do we differentiate? First thing is that recalling how to translate because they are in Ukrainian, so
57:18
we are. We’re telling the client, we are with you, until the the end of the project in even further. And this is a partial answer to your first question. So the to your second question. So it is not uncommon for consultants to work for a certain period with the company in the transformation phase, and for example, burnout, or just want to terminate this contract because it it has grown to something unbearable for the consultant, for example, or the stakeholders have changed and they want these particular consultants out. So there’s so many reasons that that, to me, it’s it is pretty normal in the industry of transform business transformation, that it’s hard to complete those projects from from start to end, compared to any other like construction industries, whatever. So because if you’re even if you’re working in personal coaching with a person, it is not new for you that the single person is sabotaging their own ambitions, their own goals in some phase of your coaching. And now, if you’re speaking about large organization, everyone is going through this change curve, and is sabotaging their own or the goals of the others. And it makes it difficult for for a single coach or a single company or a team of coaches to change. So and another explanation to point number two is the what I call transformation phases. Phase one, we never tried this, we want to do some pilot teams to learn something etc. It’s like, more or less clear, right? And they might need one or two coaches or three coaches for this contract. They’re doing this they’re closing the contract, shake hands and they then they realize, Oh my gosh, we now need like even more coaches because more teams are demanding we have started seeing that more teams are demanding coaches. Do we contract with those coaches or we hire new or maybe we hire McKinsey because sorry, like another big consultancies because they tell us they know how to do it. 100 teams at a time. So again, it the client is maturing with as the transformation is moving, the client is maturing and now now after a year or two there request will be more more detailed, more conscious. And they might or they might realize that they want to continue with this coach or not. So I think I’ve been in, in different shoes in terms in shoes of a person, as you say, Go fix our transformation after XYZ or, or a person after which they’ve hired someone else. So that’s that’s just normal to me. That’s the nature of the transformation. All right,
1:00:35
let me jump in real quickly on the on the differentiator, because that topic is very near and dear to our hearts at tandem. We actually just came through the whole exercise of trying to figure out why the CAC us, right. And as we were thinking about that, actually, it brought me back to when I started my consulting gig. And that was not like, I wanted that I was just thrown into that. And it turned out to be okay. But I think as employees, we probably always, all of us feel that a question. Why do we need to hire you? Guy, the more aggravating version of that question. Why amongst all the candidates, you’re the best. And I want to give like a flippant answer. I don’t know all your other candidates. But if you want to, if you want to get hired, and you probably don’t want to give that answer, right. So the answer is that I don’t know other candidates. But here’s what I bring to the table. And you speak to Z desires into the problems can choose the pain points of a person in front of you. So what we learned that there is no one size fit all. And actually our tell them it’s not moral but tell them principle is that we build a custom program, a custom designed engagement for you specifically, we don’t do cookie cutters, we don’t do one size fit all we don’t we don’t teach you scrum because we think Scrum is the best thing since sliced bread. We actually our engagements run in two phases. The first phase is we come in, we talk to clients, we talk to stakeholders. It takes a month, month and a half. And after that we come up with a plan of engagement. And however meantime we did that, she personally heard that you came in and in first two or three weeks, you probably asked us more battle questions or know more about us than we do. And she’s like, I don’t Nothing, I’m just asking questions. And out of that, out of coaching stands by the way, that’s the fundamental coaching stance comes a customer engagement and comes the core of what we tell them is being hard. We actually speak to your needs, we come with a customized solution, not a cookie cutter. And we are with you all the steps of the way adjusting, growing and maturing as your organization is. So if you look at your background, I don’t think it’s that hard. Your si euro was talking about working in different shoes. Look at all the shoes, look at your shoe rack that that is in the in the hallway, and fix examine all those shoes. Those are some probably unique shoes. Just examine them and ask yourself, How did I grow? What did I learn walking in those and put that on your pitch?
1:04:11
Nice, thank you. So Richie.
1:04:18
Hello, everybody. I have maybe rudimentary question. What are the key challenges that you face while transitioning from a salaried employee to enterpreneurship? And how did you manage handling those How did you address those effectively without getting impacted on your full time job or whatever current job you were having at that time?
1:04:51
Just to give you a better sense of the question you mean the challenge that I had during the transition or after that transition. So,
1:05:01
there is always a phase right when you are already doing a salary job and then you are getting ready for jumping into enterprise, there is already always going to be that overlapping period. So, I would like to know the common challenges during that path and how did you tackle them also anything additional that you would like to provide as advice like, be cautious about the timing when you jump into an entrepreneurship? Or Okay, once you feel like you, you have completed the these days, then you are ready to jump into that kind of guidance. Okay.
1:05:41
Okay, thank you, sorry. Um, no, this this this intrapreneurial journey is contagious. So as you’ve tried your first side gigs, and you’ve received some extra bonus to your salary in turn, in terms of the pay, it is contagious. And my, my experience can be best described with one story. At the time, when I was almost ready to leave. One of my bosses I had to at the time, he came to Ukraine from us and set one on one with me. And we had some some challenges with the product. And I was the engineering manager. Sorry. And he, he sat with me and asked the theory. I know there’s few types of leaders, there are leaders who are string doers. There are leaders that are more of a thought leaders and maybe some third time that I’m not recalling, instead, see that URI Who do you most associate with? So he was sort of coaching me, although it was probably his first coaching attempt in our relationships. But this helped me realize that I associate myself more with the although I was a good doer, I can be a strong doer, right. But this thought leadership is something I cannot leave that I’m pursuing, in fact, into this direction. So with this story, I want to emphasize that as long as you start develop your side career, you start posting on Facebook or LinkedIn more often than previously, your co workers are seeing this and I know many examples when I’m watching such activities from from my network and I’m guessing when this person will be disbanded from his job or leave voluntarily and this always happens right? Because they cannot they cannot stop this intrapreneurial journey and say, okay, okay, I will be inside average, a salaried employee in that set. Again, it’s contagious, you feel this, this mix of increased freedom selection creates responsibilities slash increased potential of earning more, and you cannot go back so this is probably the the challenge is to ecologically manage this with your boss with your employer to ensure that they are fine that you’re doing side gigs and there, they know you will even maybe sometimes better than you do. And they feel like when I first came to my first boss, and she was more connected with me and I told her then I am probably getting an offer from Microsoft. She said URI I know that it’s great career option for you. I’m just asking you to stay for two more months not one months. It was a trick so she she said I know you will leave eventually. But for now I want you to stay in blah, blah, blah. So I left her one year just enough for her to to cope with started starting with nutrition and she later told me
1:09:28
Okay, thank you. I understood where exactly we need to be cautious. sharing your story. Yeah.
1:09:36
This to that, um, it’s really planning financially, right, know what you need, and don’t just jump in. Right. So moving from a full time employee to a contract. Yes, their security in full time employee, although that’s probably a bit of false security. Right. They can lay you off any day. That’s reality. But when we shift a contract, it’s more money, but it’s higher risk, right? They, you expect that they will send you packing at any day with no compensation package, right? So you have to have that buffer in place, know what you need in place to be safe, right? So if you quit your full time job, what do you need in place, so if you don’t have a contract for two months, or three months or four months, right, and preparing ahead of time, and often what will happen for you to make the big shift, like from contract work to consultant work, which is going from, I’m tagging on to somebody else, but I’m taking on the risk to I’m actually taking all the risk, it’s my company. Sometimes that is a you’ve got to do both for a while, until you can actually afford to go off on your own. So start preparing financially before you ever leave your full time job.
1:11:05
Thank you, Sharon, small addition on that. If you prepare three plans, like forecasts, like positive, realistic and optimistic or like negative of realistic and optimistic, and then plan financially, it shares it based on the worst scenario. Because this is what will actually happen. For the business, you
1:11:36
want to add one thing to make sure that this whole conversation is not about money, while jumping from employee employment, to contracting, ease, financial and a lot of legal consequences and all that. One thing that is helpful, and I coach people a lot on this one, it’s the mindset because people, even people being employees, they come and they say, I’m going to be contractor, I’m going to be my job. But my boss, I’m going to set my own hours, that’s going to be great. And I’m asking, so how much of that do you do right now? And they’re like, well, we cannot do that. Well, you can, you can do some of that. You can decide your own workload, you can decide where you want to grow, you can decide where you want to develop, you can decide what impact you make in your current company. How much of that you do right now as an employee, in a lot of people are really surprised that we don’t do that. So you’re telling me that overnight, you quit your job, you wake up, you go work for yourself, and that would magically appear.
1:12:54
You know what they say? They say if you want a promotion, start doing that job. Now. It’s the same thing here. You want to go contractor start doing the same job now. I go I go contract for
1:13:12
companies, or I’m an employee at the company. I tell them outright. Employment versus contract for me is just the way I pay my taxes. I do the same thing, regardless of my employment situation or the so it’s what you do right now. What might decide success or failure what you do tomorrow? Nice, slick, thank you. Can
1:13:38
I Can I just please add something technical, I promise I’ll be quick. So what I did was, so Well, I’m always a contractor for the vast majority of my career, but let’s just say I’m an employee, I would figure out if I’m not comfortable with doing things during the week, figure out how you can do something on the weekend. Maybe you say hey, I want to train and do an agile facilitation. I want to become a trainer to get my foot in, you know, in the pool, and then you may host trainings on the weekend. Okay? Now, when you get a little bit more comfortable as an employee, you figure out your schedule, my schedule tends to be free on a Wednesday and a Friday. So maybe you’ll have trainings, or break up your trainings to be four hours here four hours here until you complete that training, right? So there’s different ways, but also some things are just unpaid. And it’s about building your portfolio and your experience. So maybe you say hey, I’m going to do some free coaching and you advertise that on LinkedIn or something and people come and tell you your problems and then you that’s how you grow but you’re not getting paid yet. But you’re building your portfolio. That’s all I wanted to share.
1:14:42
Awesome. Thank you Raven and Mike. You’ve been very patient.
1:14:49
Thank you, Yuri. for your time this afternoon and Sherry And and Alex for hosting. I’m curious they’ll everything that’s been said while I’ve been waiting is actually, I think playing into the question I have, which tends to be the case when you’re patient, right? I’m curious, your if you can tell us a little bit about your experience, specifically with valuing your work, learning your strategies and pricing, right as it’s in the bullet point, and specifically to Alex’s follow up on that, not necessarily from a monetary monetary perspective, but from your own belief in yourself and momentum, and all that those great things. I see, you’re excited to answer this, because this is something I’ve just recently begun to overcome. And I think that that’s really what’s holding a lot of people back. I’d love to hear your progress through that. Thank you. X tree. And Alex, do you have something to add there? It would be great to
1:15:58
excellent question. Probably the best thing that happened to me in this consulting slash entrepreneurial journey is increased. Understanding increased self worth was Kevin, again, like 100 negotiations during last seven years. Oftentimes, clients are depreciating or diminishing or putting or questioning your price on my price, okay. That I’m telling them and working with those arguments, I mean, even in my inner dialogue, I’m not even talking in dialogue with them significantly increased minds are saying why am I costing what I’m what I’m telling them? And what I’m there are several factors that I’m so I’m for now my, how do I come up with price again, most of the things that I work are custom, just like Alex said, and I don’t have like a predefined menu with prices I have, I’m assessing the price of a complex project based on my intuition, rather, and taking into account several factors, like is this client interesting to work with and develop? For me, like developing the partnership, he or she develops and me to? means how much do I learn in this in this journey? Next one is do I believe that I can help them it’s pretty important because it’s not always the case. Next is Do I really want it or I have some restrictions? I don’t know maybe it’s a questionable industry like gambling or cigarettes or alcohol whatever. And are they bureaucracy heavy or not? So are they paying immediately Are they able to pay up front or they are paying like six days after so this the accumulation of those factors gives me some number then I go to my C for explain her the case. And we are doing planning poker with with numbers and since we are together for a while our numbers pretty pretty much coincide. And after this planning poker, I’m very much confident that this is if not just a single number maybe arrange that our falls into our zone of potential agreement. And this but it’s definitely not the strategy for for a person who is getting outside of the salaried employee and trying to to market themselves as consultants so it’s probably on the
1:19:14
moreover improvisation level of experience does it somehow answer at least partly a question or?
1:19:26
Yeah, I think Alex might have some follow up on it in Sri as well. Like I said, just because of Alex extra point, though, less of the less of the monetary amount but the purse like the confidence, I’m curious what your experience was in particular, that lead to you saying, okay, I can charge $21,000 a month for this. I can I can, I can come through on this Where’s that? What was that experience? Like? I just made up that number. But how? Necessary? Yeah. Thanks for the validation. Tell us your story of how you came to say, okay, yes, this is a win win for myself, to support myself, as well as with the client. And this will sustain me for maybe a number of months, but I don’t know where my next clients coming from. But I’m going to do a great job here. And I’m just curious if you can tell us, if there is maybe there isn’t a one story where you where you actually got that one check. But what was it like whenever you got to the point where you said, Here it is. And then it started being that? Yeah,
1:20:53
I’ll go first Alex, because he’s the CFO of and I fight with. So
1:21:01
I said the price.
1:21:04
I argue more with Alex over price than I do with clients over price. But I, I, for me, when I moved into this, my main driver was I’m never gonna do anything I don’t want to do ever again.
1:21:19
Right? And a lot like Yuri’s formula. For some people. If you want me you’re gonna pay because I don’t necessarily what you write. And so and along the line, even as I was doing my prices, if I got too busy, I was like, Okay, I have to raise my prices. Because I can’t serve anybody, everybody, and the ones who really want me or they’re going to be the ones who are willing to pay. And so every time I got too overwhelmed, I was like, time for a price increase. Right. And now, Alex, will tell the ugly side of me when I’m like, That’s too much.
1:22:01
And that’s, that’s, that’s probably the worst time to raise your prices because it’s too late. You’ve already been underpriced for six months at the lease, before you realize you need to raise prices. So for me the turning point well, I will speak for prices. And then I quickly speak on the cow. Can we do that? The turning point, we had a absolutely fascinating guest on our podcast, Cornelius shapely, and she runs million dollar coaching business. And she said something we asked her that question, how do you set your prices? And she said, it’s simple. And, Mike, when are you talking about like this and this and this, I keep telling coaches, you’re working too hard. This is very simple logic. You need to be charged with the price, you can say without giggling that’s it. If you can hold a Gago, that’s the price. Go for that. And on the other hand, I totally support three E L, we are not doing here. Anything that we don’t want to do. I don’t want to be in business of installing Scrum. I don’t want in business of helping people to manage their chair. I don’t want to be in business of professionally coaching out some employees. I want to be in business of executive coaching, I want to be in business off leadership development, I want to be in business of real Agile transformation. And we know how to do that. So we pick our clients can remember, as in professional coaching, your client coach relationship is always a two way street. Right? It’s a privilege to be in a position where you can choose your client where you can say no, can say no is an art and it’s a huge privilege. So we can tell our clients No, we don’t do that. We don’t want that. Right. So if you get to the point where you can afford that, and that’s a big E for a lot of people. That’s where you’re like, Yep, I got my growth. Yep, I can set my price. And then it’s a meeting of the mind and of the needs of the client and the consulting company or coaching company.
1:24:31
That’s all great. I still didn’t get one story of the experience though. That’s That’s what I was hoping to hear was like that experience where the check where the invoiced the check came through and you’re like, Oh,
1:24:46
my voice my voice always comes from
1:24:52
all right. So just take that entire journey of working finding, finding that lead, turning that lead into to a negotiation of win win, and actually depositing the check, and, and that also, you know, we’ve kind of we’re moving more and more towards the money. But I also Alex, I really appreciated what you said before about, this isn’t just monetarily, this is also like, you know, the books, the concepts, the frameworks, the you know, I hesitate to even post on LinkedIn, but I go to these things, and I listen to people ask the same questions. And I’ve already either I’ve just internalized it so much, or I’m just holding myself back. And I’m, I’m more and more on the edge of just like, Okay, I’ve just got to be willing to be I don’t know, face that. I don’t know that. I don’t know, you said like self worth. I think it’s just, I thought, I think everybody already knows this stuff. That’s my biggest problem is I don’t want to be just another voice. And I certainly don’t want to take the, you know, the Agile is dead Montra or the sarcastic Montra. Like, there’s all these different kinds of approaches. And I think, how did you find your approach? Maybe would be a good question. Right? So, you icon in Scrum, sorry to speak over you. But I’m telling you, you know, you were one of the first. You know, I don’t know if you remember, I earned my, my ACSM through you and my CSPs. And through you. And you were one of the first voices of Agile Scrum from scrum alliance that I remember seeing, wow, she must be the best. And well, I’m curious, how did she make those videos to make that content? You know, with some of the, you know, not necessarily the highest fidelity, you know, just but putting it out there.
1:26:53
So let me say first, I recognize that we’re at time. So I want to let anybody who wants to go you are thank you so much for joining us. We are thrilled to have you here. We haven’t done many of these sets, COVID. But we were will be bringing some more things back online. When everybody else went online, we were like they’ve got it, we’re going to do something else. But so now we’re kind of reaching back out to the community. And if anybody wants to stay for a couple minutes, I think we have just a few minutes. I personally have only another five, five minutes or so. But you’re welcome to stay on. So thank you, everybody, for joining. And thank you, Yuri. For your talk. See.
1:27:40
Thanks for having me.
1:27:42
All righty. So yeah, Alex, do you want did you leave? Oh, there you are. Sorry. You moved in. I didn’t know if you were still there. Do you want to answer that, Alex? Well,
1:27:54
so my only answer is, you’re basically asking a question for another talk and for another 45 minutes, right. But if, look, if we were working in a coaching capacity, I heard so many things. I could go in the directions. But my basic question for you, like I’m holding back, everybody knows, I don’t have anything else to add to the community? Well, a couple of things. First of all, we found that people are actually more engaged, and you bring in more clients, and you bring in more followers when you talk basics, not when you bring some accurate complex ideas to the market. Right. So look, Dave Snowden, like is paramount ly important, right? And his followers, or is the top of the pyramid, the whole financing the whole complexity model? And the bottom? How do we do complex things? How do we do complex development every day? How do we push that value into production? You start giving Kannada to them? And they’re like, Yeah, we have job to do. Right. So the basics are the most important, the most profitable, and the most nurturing to your audience. So that’s one thing. And the other thing when you start well, I stay away from posting to LinkedIn and I don’t have anything to say my coaching question to you will be what’s worse that might happen if you do?
1:29:38
What the experiment you might run to prove that because right now, it sounds like it’s here. Right and the proof for that?
1:29:48
Yeah, I’m so there’s an audience at every level. The question is, what audience do you want to speak to the people around you? Maybe at a high level, but those are you Your peers, those aren’t necessarily the ones that are learning from you. Right? There’s no matter what level you’re at, there’s always people who haven’t heard what you’ve heard. And it’s not about knowing everything. It’s about sharing the thing you do know, right, because others are gonna share what they know. And you’ll learn from others, and they’ll learn from you. And I learned from plenty of the people that used to learn from me. There is an audience everywhere. It’s just what do you have a passion about? Talk to what you know, talk to what you have a passion about? Don’t go read a book and then say, Oh, I’m going to tell you what this book said. Right? If you don’t have experience, and you can’t answer the questions, say what you’ve done, say where you failed, say what you’ve learned, say what you’re passionate about, say what you’re experimenting on. And when you don’t know something said, I don’t know. Or do like I do? Well, who else would like to answer that question? Right? Right. And so going through that, I will tell you that it can take years to get a contract signed with a big company, right? It can it can be it’s relationships you develop over time. A lot of the work we do comes from people like you referrals, people who have worked with us or who have been students, or people who like I was at a different client, and they moved to a new clients, and hey, can you come help us over here? You are very valuable to us. Right? Another way, Raven was here, Raven, you’re still here. Like with the partnerships, people are like, I’ve got this work, but I can’t do it on my own. Can we help? Yes, we’ll help you. Right. And so, in this business, the reality is, it’s about who you know, and who you build relationships, not just what you know, right? It’s it. I know a lot. But as Yuri said earlier, right, they’re not going to buy what I know. Right? I’ve got to, I’ve got to sell it, or they won’t buy it. And so it’s really about developing those longer term relationships. And you will be good for you know, at more contracts than you’ll land you’re going to bid on a lot of stuff and it takes a lot of time and you’re not going to get it but you can’t cry every time you just move on. Not every client your client and if you’re going to bid on stuff you don’t really want be prepared to do it. So make sure you’re charging the price that you are willing to work that work for if like you know like I’m not going to do that for this price but I may do it for this price up here. Right did for what you what you won’t be kicking yourself. Alright everybody. Well thank you very much for joining me. I appreciate you hanging in there. We’ll make this video available. And you have a great weekend and if you celebrate Easter and you get holidays, then have a great Easter weekend.
In the realm of agile leadership, the role of a coach extends beyond mere guidance; it’s about unlocking the transformative potential within each leader. Drawing upon my journey and expertise in professional coaching and agile practices, I’ve distilled five key coaching strategies that can significantly elevate the effectiveness of leaders and executives in an agile context. These strategies are not just methods but pathways to deeper understanding, emotional intelligence, and work-life harmony.
1. Active Listening for Unspoken Cues: Active listening is the cornerstone of effective coaching. It involves tuning into not just the words of the leader but also the emotions, energy shifts, and non-verbal cues. This holistic approach allows coaches to understand the leader’s context fully, helping them to articulate challenges and aspirations that might not be immediately apparent.
2. Reflection, Not Parroting: Coaching is not about echoing what the leader says but providing reflective feedback that helps them see their thoughts and statements from a new perspective. This can involve highlighting phrases that stand out or using silence strategically to encourage deeper reflection.
3. Using Client Language to Enhance Connection: Mirroring the leader’s language and metaphors can significantly deepen the coaching relationship. It shows understanding and acceptance, providing a safe space for the leader to explore their thoughts and emotions freely.
4. Observing and Exploring Emotions: Emotions are a powerful indicator of underlying beliefs and values. By observing and gently probing these emotions, coaches can help leaders understand their emotional responses and how these affect their decision-making and leadership style.
5. Building Rapport Through Empathy and Intuition: A strong coaching relationship is built on trust and rapport. Utilizing empathy and intuition allows coaches to connect on a deeper level, creating a supportive environment where leaders feel understood and valued.
These strategies, when employed skillfully, can lead to profound changes in how leaders approach their roles within an agile environment. They foster a culture of continuous learning, adaptability, and emotional intelligence, essential components of successful agile leadership. For coaches who want to deepen these skills themselves, Cherie’s piece on the five essential skills every aspiring coach must master provides a practical foundation.
In today’s fast-paced organizational environment, leadership and executive teams face unique challenges. For the full arc of how individual and team coaching connect, the comprehensive guide to executive coaching provides the structural context. For the investment side of team engagements, see the breakdown of executive coaching cost by scope and credential. that require more than just traditional management skills. As a coach specializing in agile and team dynamics, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative power of effective coaching on leadership teams. Here are five essential coaching strategies that can significantly enhance the effectiveness of executive teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, innovation, and resilience.
1. Cultivating Emotional Intelligence: Emotional intelligence is the cornerstone of effective leadership. Coaches can help leaders develop self-awareness, empathy, and the ability to manage their emotions and relationships. By facilitating reflective practices and providing feedback, coaches empower leaders to navigate complex interpersonal dynamics, enhancing team cohesion and performance. The executive coaching tools used to assess individual team members before group work begins are what make these interventions data-driven.
2. Creating Spaces for Reflection and Silence: In a world that values constant activity, the power of silence and reflection in coaching conversations is often underestimated. Encouraging leaders to pause and reflect can lead to profound insights and breakthroughs. As coaches, creating a safe space for silence allows leaders to process their thoughts and feelings, leading to more thoughtful decision-making and increased self-awareness.
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3. Leveraging the Power of Storytelling: Stories are a powerful tool for building connection and conveying complex ideas in a relatable way. Coaches can guide leaders in crafting and sharing their personal stories, which can strengthen team bonds, foster a shared vision, and enhance the team’s collective identity. Storytelling can also be a powerful method for modeling vulnerability, encouraging others to open up and share their experiences.
4. Enhancing Team Dynamics through Feedback: Feedback is essential for growth, yet it can be challenging to give and receive constructively. Coaches can play a crucial role in developing a feedback-rich culture within leadership teams. By teaching effective feedback techniques and facilitating feedback sessions, coaches help leaders and their teams build trust, improve communication, and accelerate their development.
5. Promoting Agility and Flexibility: In an ever-changing business landscape, agility and flexibility are key to a team’s success. Coaches can introduce agile practices and mindsets, helping leadership teams adapt to change, foster innovation, and maintain competitiveness. Whether it’s through scrum methodologies or simply encouraging a mindset of continuous improvement, coaching can equip leaders with the tools they need to thrive in uncertainty.
In conclusion, the role of a coach in enhancing the effectiveness of leadershipand executive teams cannot be overstated. By focusing on emotional intelligence, the power of silence, storytelling, constructive feedback, and agility, coaches can empower leaders to lead with confidence and resilience.
The 700% ROI figure appears on nine out of ten executive coaching pages. It comes from a 2009 ICF/PricewaterhouseCoopers study of 2,165 coaching clients who self-reported the value they received. People who already decided coaching was worth the money said it was worth the money. That is directional evidence, not the number a VP of People should present to the CFO when requesting $200,000 for a coaching initiative.
The more useful question is not “what percentage return does coaching produce?” It is: what specific outcomes does coaching produce, how do you measure them before and after, and under what conditions does it fail? When you have answered those questions, the list of best executive coaches gives you credential-grounded options to evaluate. Those answers are less tidy. They are also more honest.
Key Takeaways
The three most-cited coaching ROI studies share an attribution problem: they cannot isolate coaching’s contribution from other variables affecting executive performance.
Coaching outcomes fall into three distinct categories (satisfaction, behavioral, and organizational), and most providers only measure the easiest one.
The largest financial return from coaching is often the senior departure that did not happen, an outcome no ROI study captures. For CMOs specifically, where role scope and AI disruption compound that retention risk, the CMO coaching guide addresses the specific ROI drivers.
Five identifiable conditions predict coaching failure. Naming them before an engagement saves six figures and a year of misdirected effort. For the affirmative side of that ledger, the benefits of leadership coaching documents what well-structured engagements consistently produce. Once you decide to proceed, knowing how to measure leadership development gives you the before-and-after data that turns self-reported ROI into defensible evidence.
The Research: What the Studies Actually Say
Three studies get cited in nearly every coaching ROI discussion. Each has value. Each has limits that the citations usually omit.
Manchester Inc. (2001) studied 100 executives at a single Fortune 100 company. Findings: 5.7x return on investment, with an average financial return of $100,000 per executive coached. The study combined self-reported outcomes with organizational performance data, making it stronger than pure self-report. The limitation: one company, one program, one moment in time. Generalizing from a single Fortune 100 firm to all executive coaching is a stretch the study itself does not make.
MetrixGlobal (2001/2004) studied 43 executives at one Fortune 500 firm and reported two figures: 529% ROI on tangible outcomes and 788% when intangible benefits like job satisfaction and organizational commitment were assigned dollar values. The 788% figure is the one that gets cited. The 529% figure (tangible outcomes only) is more defensible. Assigning a monetary value to “organizational commitment” introduces estimation error significant enough that the number should carry a disclaimer every time it appears. It rarely does.
ICF/PricewaterhouseCoopers (2009) surveyed 2,165 coaching clients and found a median self-reported ROI of 700%. This is the study behind the headline figure. It is also the weakest form of outcome evidence: a survey asking people who chose coaching whether they think coaching was valuable. Selection bias and perception bias are baked into the methodology.
The problem these studies share is not that the numbers are fabricated. The problem is attribution. Executive coaching rarely operates in isolation. It runs alongside role transitions, organizational changes, market shifts, team dynamics, and the executive’s own maturation. Isolating coaching’s contribution when it is one variable among a dozen is methodologically fraught. The numbers should be read as directional. Coaching probably produces meaningful returns for most executives who meet the right conditions, but the numbers are not precise accounting — and that return calculation shifts considerably when the executive is navigating the pressures documented in AI transformation of executive careers and strategic positioning for leadership roles.
Three Types of Outcomes Coaching Produces
The word “ROI” collapses three distinct categories of coaching outcomes into a single number. Distinguishing between them changes how you evaluate any coaching proposal.
Outcome Category
How Measured
What It Tells You
Limitation
Satisfaction
Post-engagement surveys, NPS ratings, self-report
The executive valued the experience
Does not indicate whether anything changed in the organization
The executive changed specific behaviors others can observe
Does not confirm whether behavioral changes translated to organizational performance
Organizational
Direct-report retention, team engagement, decision velocity, initiative completion
The system around the executive changed, not just the executive
Almost impossible to isolate coaching from other organizational factors
Coaching outcome categories progress from satisfaction (easiest to measure) to organizational impact (hardest to isolate but highest value).
Team coaching ROI follows the same logic but compounds across the leadership group — the five executive team coaching strategies show how that multiplier works in practice. Most coaching firms measure satisfaction. It is the easiest data to collect and the least useful for building a business case. Behavioral measurement requires a pre/post assessment framework built into the engagement from the start, which means the measurement decision must be made before coaching begins, not after.
Organizational outcomes are the gold standard, but honest practitioners acknowledge that coaching contributes to these results alongside other factors. The claim is contribution, not sole causation.
When a prospect asks us what the ROI of coaching is, we ask which category they mean. For ADHD executives, emotional regulation improvements produce organizational results that cut across all three outcome categories — ADHD and emotional intelligence in leadership coaching maps how that mechanism works. Most have never been asked that question. The category they choose tells us more about what they actually want from coaching than any intake questionnaire. It also shapes how we design the engagement’s measurement framework from the first session. For more on setting measurable leadership development goals that connect to these outcome categories, see our executive coaching guide.
What the Research Misses: The Practitioner Counter
Published research measures what can be surveyed. Two of the most significant coaching outcomes resist quantification.
One underappreciated ROI driver is attention quality: leaders who stop context-switching make better decisions and develop reports faster. The context switching cost solutions for executives quantifies that cost in terms coaching buyers can use. The departure that did not happen. A VP who leaves over a fixable leadership challenge costs the organization 1–2x their annual salary in replacement costs plus 6–12 months of institutional knowledge loss. Coaching that retains one senior leader for two more productive years does not appear in the ROI studies. This is partly why the C-suite transition is the highest-ROI coaching moment — the cost of a failed transition dwarfs any engagement fee. After coaching 200+ executives, the pattern is consistent: the largest financial return is not the improvement. It is the departure that did not happen.
Cherie saw this firsthand with an organizational leader who had deep industry knowledge and a loyal following among employees. The board was dissatisfied with certain aspects of the executive’s approach; the executive was frustrated with the board. No succession plan existed, and the board did not have the competency to hire for a role they did not fully understand. If that executive had left, the entire company would have been in a difficult position. Coaching helped both parties find ways to communicate more productively and move forward. The organization stayed intact. That outcome does not fit into a percentage, but it was worth more than any ROI figure the engagement could have generated.
The organizational ripple. Individual coaching changes one person. When the goal is to shift team dynamics rather than one leader’s behavior, leadership team development addresses that scope directly. The signature shift happens when that change alters a team dynamic. The VP who learns to pause before reacting changes how the entire product team handles disagreement. The director who stops solving every problem changes how ten direct reports develop judgment. This is what separates coaching from training: training teaches skills to the individual; coaching changes how the individual interacts with the system. For the organizational case for the broader investment, see the overview of benefits of leadership development programs.
After coaching 200+ executives, the pattern is consistent: the largest financial return is not the improvement. It is the departure that did not happen.
What Tandem Actually Measures
Rather than citing industry statistics, here is the measurement framework we build into every engagement through our ASPIRE process.
At intake (Assess phase): Four assessments before the first coaching session. ProfileXT maps behavioral tendencies across 20 dimensions. Genos Emotional Intelligence measures six domains. 360-degree feedback collects stakeholder perspectives from direct reports, peers, and the executive’s manager. LEAD NOW! assesses leadership competency across four quadrants. Combined, these instruments identify the 3–4 development dimensions where the gap between current behavior and role requirements is largest.
At midpoint (Reflect phase): Targeted pulse checks with 3–5 key stakeholders. Not a full 360. Focused questions on the specific dimensions identified at intake. Behavioral shift tracking against the development plan.
At close (Evolve phase): Repeat 360-degree feedback on targeted dimensions only. Stakeholder interviews asking one question: what has changed in how this leader operates? Direct-report retention data at 12 months.
We do not claim to isolate coaching’s contribution from every other factor affecting performance. What we track is whether the specific dimensions we targeted at intake shifted in a direction stakeholders can observe. When measurement includes understanding what formation-aware coaching looks like, the depth of change accelerates. That is a more modest claim than 700% ROI, and it is a more honest one.
Most executives score high on analytical drive and low on interpersonal attunement on the ProfileXT. The coaching conversation about what that gap costs them in stakeholder alignment is usually the first time they have connected those two data points.
When Executive Coaching Is NOT Worth the Investment
Coaching fails under specific, identifiable conditions. When the presenting challenge is interpersonal rather than organizational, relationship coaching may be the more precise intervention. Five of them come up repeatedly. Naming them is more useful than pretending they do not exist.
1. The leader lacks genuine authority to act. If organizational constraints prevent the executive from changing how they operate, coaching creates awareness without an outlet. The result is frustration, not growth.
2. The organization is the problem, not the individual. A toxic culture, misaligned incentive structures, or a dysfunctional board cannot be fixed by coaching one person. When coaching is used as a substitute for organizational intervention, it fails, and the leader is often blamed for the failure.
3. The presenting issue is clinical, not developmental. Clinical anxiety, depression, or trauma responses require therapy, not coaching. Skilled coaches recognize this boundary. The market rarely discusses it because it conflicts with the narrative that coaching solves everything. For more on the distinction, see how executive coaching compares to life coaching and other modalities.
4. The political environment makes change impossible. If the executive’s development would threaten power dynamics the organization is unwilling to address, coaching becomes performative: safe development that does not challenge the status quo.
5. The executive is not willing to be challenged. Coaching requires hearing things you have been avoiding. When an executive uses coaching as validation rather than development, the engagement produces comfortable conversations and nothing else.
We say this in discovery conversations. If one of these five conditions is present, we recommend an alternative. For the extended discussion, see situations where coaching is not the answer.
When coaching is used as a substitute for organizational intervention, it fails. The leader is often blamed for the failure.
How to Build a Business Case for Executive Coaching
If the conditions above are not present, the next question is how to get organizational buy-in. Four elements make a defensible business case.
Define the problem, not the solution. The business case starts with the leadership gap, not “we want to buy coaching.” Frame it: “Our VP of Product has lost two direct reports this year. Replacement cost is $180K per departure. The 360 data shows a specific pattern. We need a targeted intervention.”
Specify measurement before the engagement. Require any coaching provider to name what they will measure and how, before the first session. If they cannot articulate a pre/post assessment framework, the engagement is accountability-free.
Benchmark the cost against alternatives. Executive education programs ($15K–$50K) rarely produce individual behavioral change. Replacement hiring at the VP level costs $180K–$300K. Coaching is the targeted intervention between “do nothing” and “replace the person.” For specific pricing ranges by credential level and engagement type, see our executive coaching cost breakdown.
Set a decision point at 90 days. At three months, there should be enough stakeholder feedback and behavioral observation data to determine whether the trajectory justifies continuing the engagement. Do not commit to a full 12-month engagement without building in a checkpoint where both sides assess progress against the original goals.
When three conditions are met (the leader has genuine authority to act, the organization supports the change, and the leader is willing to be challenged), coaching produces measurable behavioral change in the majority of engagements. When any of those conditions is absent, it produces expensive conversations.
Published studies report 529%–788% (MetrixGlobal, 2001/2004) and 700% (ICF/PwC, 2009). These figures are based on self-reported data and should be treated as directional, not precise. The methodology context matters as much as the number.
How do you measure executive coaching effectiveness?
Three categories: satisfaction outcomes (post-engagement surveys), behavioral outcomes (360-degree feedback shifts), and organizational outcomes (retention, engagement, performance metrics). The category you measure determines the quality of the answer you get.
How long before executive coaching shows results?
Behavioral shifts are typically observable within 3–4 months. Organizational outcomes require 6–12 months. Satisfaction data is available immediately but is the least useful measure of coaching effectiveness.
When is executive coaching not worth it?
When the leader lacks authority to change, the organization is the actual problem, the issue is clinical rather than developmental, the political environment blocks change, or the executive is not willing to be challenged. Any of these conditions makes coaching unlikely to produce meaningful results.
Before you decide whether coaching is the right investment, consider a different question: what is the cost of the current pattern continuing for another twelve months? The NLP techniques used in leadership coaching are one lens on how coaches identify and interrupt those patterns efficiently. Not in abstract terms. In the specific terms that matter to your organization: the decisions deferred, the talent lost, the strategic opportunities that went to a competitor because the leadership team could not align quickly enough. That number usually clarifies the investment question faster than any ROI study.
ICF does not call it active listening. They call it listens actively. The distinction is deliberate. Active listening, as most people understand it, is a communication technique: maintain eye contact, nod, paraphrase back what you heard. Useful in management meetings. Not what ICF is assessing in coaching. Listens actively is a professional competency with specific behavioral markers that assessors evaluate in recorded coaching sessions. It is one of eight ICF core competencies, and it is the one most coaches overestimate in themselves.
After reviewing hundreds of coaching recordings for ACC and PCC assessment, I can tell you that most coaches think they listen better than they do. The gap between what a coach believes about their listening and what an assessor hears in a recording is consistently one of the largest in the competency framework.
Key Takeaways
ICF renamed active listening to “listens actively” to signal a shift from communication technique to professional competency.
Three listening levels define coaching quality: Level 1 (internal), Level 2 (focused on client), Level 3 (global awareness beyond words).
Level 3 listening separates PCC from ACC in assessment recordings. It picks up energy shifts, avoidance patterns, and what is not being said.
Listening and presence always rise or fall together. When presence drops, listening is the first competency that degrades.
Listening improves through observed practice, not through reading about techniques or communication skills workshops.
What ICF Means by Listens Actively
ICF defines Competency 6 as the ability to focus on what the client is and is not saying to fully understand what is being communicated in the context of the client’s systems and to support client self-expression. That definition contains three elements most coaches underweight: what the client is not saying, the context of the client’s systems, and supporting self-expression rather than extracting information.
The behavioral markers that assessors evaluate include:
Considering the client’s context, identity, environment, experiences, values, and beliefs to enhance understanding
Reflecting or summarizing what the client communicated to ensure clarity
Recognizing and inquiring when there is more to what the client is communicating
Noticing, acknowledging, and exploring emotions, energy shifts, non-verbal cues, and other behaviors
Integrating the client’s words, tone of voice, and body language to determine the full meaning
The difference between this and generic active listening is scope. Generic active listening focuses on receiving the message accurately. ICF’s competency focuses on understanding the person behind the message within their full context, then using that understanding to support the client in seeing themselves more clearly.
The Three Levels of Listening
Coaching literature identifies three levels of listening. These are not abstract categories. They describe observable differences in how a coach engages during a session.
Level 1: Internal listening. The coach hears the client’s words but filters them through their own experience, opinions, and agenda. At Level 1, the coach is thinking about what to say next, judging whether the client’s approach is right or wrong, or connecting the client’s story to their own experience. Every coach operates at Level 1 occasionally. When it becomes the default, coaching quality drops. In assessment recordings, Level 1 sounds like a coach who asks questions that serve the coach’s curiosity rather than the client’s exploration.
Level 2: Focused listening. The coach’s full attention is on the client. They hear the words, register the emotions, and track the narrative without inserting their own perspective. At Level 2, the coach can accurately paraphrase what the client said and reflect the emotional tone behind it. Most competent coaches operate at Level 2 consistently. It is the minimum standard for effective coaching and what most ACC-level coaches demonstrate.
Level 3: Global listening. The coach is aware of everything happening in the coaching relationship, not just what the client is explicitly saying. At Level 3, the coach notices energy shifts that do not match the client’s words, hears the topics the client is avoiding, senses when the client has moved from genuine exploration to performing insight. Level 3 is what an assessor hears in strong PCC recordings. The coach at this level asks questions that the client did not know they needed because the coach picked up something the client had not yet articulated.
When I review recordings, weak listening sounds like a coach waiting for their turn to ask a question. Strong listening sounds like a coach who forgot they had questions prepared.
The progression from Level 2 to Level 3 is not about trying harder. It is about letting go of the need to manage the conversation and becoming available to what is actually happening in the room.
What Strong Listening Sounds Like in a Session
In PCC assessment recordings, strong listening has observable qualities that distinguish it from competent but limited listening.
Space after the client speaks. The coach pauses before responding. Not because they are formulating a question, but because they are processing the full message. In weak recordings, the coach responds almost immediately, creating a tennis-match rhythm that prevents depth.
Questions that build on the whole message.A strong listener’s questions connect to themes across the session, not just the client’s last sentence. They might say: “You mentioned earlier that you value autonomy, and now you are describing a situation where you gave that up. What do you make of that?” That connection only happens when the coach is genuinely tracking the full conversation.
Reflecting what was not said. Strong listeners notice gaps and absences. When a client describes a difficult decision but never mentions how they feel about it, the listening coach names that absence. When a client talks about everyone else’s perspective but not their own, the coach catches it.
Listening during contracting. The quality of listening shows up from the very first minutes of a session. How a coach listens during the coaching agreements established through listening reveals whether they are truly following the client’s agenda or imposing structure. Assessors notice this immediately.
Listening is the behavioral expression of coaching presence as the foundation for listening. When presence drops, listening is the first competency that degrades. The coach starts listening for their next opportunity instead of listening to understand. They begin planning ahead instead of staying with what the client is saying right now.
In PCC recordings, weak listening and weak presence always appear together. A coach who is not fully present cannot sustain Level 3 listening because Level 3 requires the coach to be available to signals they are not consciously looking for. That availability is a function of presence, not effort.
This is also why listening cannot be improved by technique alone. A coach can learn paraphrasing frameworks, memorize types of powerful questions, and practice reflecting back emotions. All of those are Level 2 skills. To move into Level 3, the coach needs to develop the quality of attention that presence provides. The two competencies develop together or not at all.
The practical implication: if your mentor coach tells you that your listening needs work, the issue is almost certainly not your technique. It is your presence. You are managing the conversation instead of being in it.
Developing Your Listening
Listening develops through observed practice with qualified feedback. Record your coaching sessions and listen back, paying attention to the gaps between your questions and the client’s responses. Notice where you responded to the last sentence instead of the full message. Notice where you filled a silence the client needed.
A mentor coach can hear what you cannot hear in your own recordings. They notice the moments where your listening shifted from following the client to leading the conversation. That feedback is specific, immediate, and impossible to replicate through self-study.
The threshold most coaches need to cross is simple to name and difficult to achieve: stop waiting for your turn and start genuinely following the client. When that shift happens, your listening transforms from a skill you perform into a quality of attention you bring.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between active listening and ICF’s listens actively?
Active listening is a general communication skill focused on accurately receiving messages. ICF’s listens actively is a professional coaching competency that includes understanding the client within their full context, noticing what is not being said, tracking energy shifts and non-verbal cues, and supporting client self-expression. The ICF competency is broader and deeper than the communication technique.
What are the three levels of listening in coaching?
Level 1 is internal listening where the coach filters through their own experience. Level 2 is focused listening with full attention on the client. Level 3 is global listening where the coach picks up energy shifts, avoidance patterns, and meaning beyond the words. Most ACC coaches operate at Level 2. PCC assessment looks for consistent Level 3.
How is listening assessed in PCC credentialing?
Assessors review recorded coaching sessions for specific behavioral markers: space after the client speaks, questions that build on the whole message rather than the last sentence, recognition of what the client is not saying, and integration of words, tone, and energy. The assessment is based on observable listening behaviors, not self-reported descriptions.
Can you improve listening without a mentor coach?
You can build awareness by recording your sessions and listening for patterns. But the most impactful improvements come from having a qualified mentor coach identify specific moments where your listening shifted. They hear things you cannot hear in your own recordings because they are not inside your thought process during the session.
Hi, Cherie here! In the world of executive coaching, defining clear and actionable goals is crucial for success.
Let’s delve into the concept of well-formed outcomes, a pivotal strategy from Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) that turns broad aspirations into tangible achievements. This methodology isn’t just about setting goals; it’s about crafting a roadmap for leaders to follow, ensuring their journey is as impactful as their destination.
Here are five keys to unlocking the power of well-formed outcomes in executive coaching:
Key Takeaways
Specificity transforms a general desire into a clear goal, making it easier to develop actionable steps.
A well-formed outcome should be something the leader can initiate and maintain control over, fostering motivation.
Sensory-based evidence creates a vivid mental picture of success and provides clear indicators of progress.
Goals should harmonize with all areas of the leader’s life, ensuring sustainability and preventing conflicts.
Identifying necessary resources upfront ensures leaders are prepared and equipped for their journey.
1. Specificity is Your Best Friend
The more specific an outcome, the clearer the target. Encourage leaders to articulate what they want to achieve in precise terms. This includes who, what, where, and when. Specificity transforms a general desire into a clear goal, making it easier to develop actionable steps toward achievement.
Specificity is Your Best Friend
2. The Outcome Must Be Initiated and Maintained by the Individual
Empowerment comes from within. A well-formed outcome should be something the leader can initiate and maintain control over. This autonomy is vital for motivation and ensures that the individual takes responsibility for their progress and success.
3. Sensory-Based Evidence
What will you see, hear, or feel once the goal is achieved? Identifying sensory-based evidence creates a vivid mental picture of success, making the outcome more tangible and realizable. It also provides a clear indicator of progress and accomplishment.
Empowerment comes from within
4. Ecological for All Areas of Life
Goals should harmonize with all areas of the leader’s life, ensuring they are sustainable and beneficial on a personal, professional, and relational level. This balance prevents conflicts and promotes a holistic approach to achievement, contributing to overall well-being and satisfaction.
5. Resources Identified
Understanding what resources are needed to achieve an outcome is crucial. This could be skills, knowledge, support networks, or physical tools. Identifying these resources upfront ensures that leaders are prepared and equipped for the journey ahead.
By integrating these keys into your coaching practice, you can help leaders craft well-defined, achievable goals that pave the way for meaningful change and success. These principles not only guide the goal-setting process but also enrich the coaching experience, fostering a deeper sense of purpose, clarity, and direction in the leaders you work with.
Until next time, Cherie 💚
Becoming a certified life coach is a journey that can transform not only your life but also the lives of those you aim to help. This article delves into the best life coach certification programs of 2024, offering an in-depth look into how you can become a certified professional life coach. With a myriad of options available, choosing the right certification training program is crucial for your success in the coaching field. Whether you’re looking to enrich your coaching skills, launch a coaching business, or transition into a fulfilling life coaching career, this guide provides the essential information you need. Read on to discover how these programs can equip you with the necessary tools and credentials to make a significant impact in the coaching world.
Life coach certification is a formal process that acknowledges an individual’s competency, ethical understanding, and proficiency in coaching techniques, enabling them to guide clients towards achieving their personal and professional objectives. This certification is not just a title; it’s a testament to a coach’s commitment to excellence, continuous improvement, and adherence to a set of standards and ethical guidelines established by globally recognized bodies like the International Coach Federation (ICF).
Becoming a life coach
The essence of becoming a certified life coach lies in the journey of transformation — not only for the coach but also for the clients they will serve. It involves rigorous training, extensive practice, and a deep understanding of human behavior, motivation, and the dynamics of change. Certification programs, particularly those accredited by the ICF, such as the Tandem Coaching Academy’s ICF ACC training program, offer a structured pathway to acquiring these skills and knowledge. These programs ensure that aspiring coaches are well-versed in core competencies like active listening, powerful questioning, and creating an environment conducive to growth and self-discovery.
Certification is more than an educational endeavor; it’s a pledge to uphold the integrity and professionalism of the coaching profession. By choosing an accredited program, aspiring coaches signal their dedication to high standards. The Tandem Coaching Academy’s program, for example, not only aligns with ICF’s rigorous standards but also provides a comprehensive curriculum that covers the ethical guidelines, coaching techniques, and practical experience needed to excel as a life coach. Through a combination of theoretical learning and practical application, participants are prepared to navigate the complexities of human change and development effectively.
Moreover, life coach certification serves as a foundation upon which coaches build their practice. It equips them with the tools to facilitate meaningful conversations, inspire action, and contribute to the transformative journeys of their clients. Certification also opens doors to a community of professionals committed to personal and professional growth, offering opportunities for networking, mentorship, and continuous learning.
In addition to formal training and knowledge acquisition, certification programs emphasize the importance of developing a coaching mindset — one that is curious, non-judgmental, and focused on empowering clients to uncover their own answers. This mindset is critical for fostering a coaching relationship based on trust and mutual respect, where clients feel supported in exploring their potential and pursuing their goals.
The Tandem Coaching Academy’s ICF ACC training program exemplifies the comprehensive approach required to achieve certification. By integrating ICF’s core competencies with practical coaching experience, it offers a holistic path to becoming a certified life coach. While the program indeed prepares participants for certification, its true value lies in the transformation it ignites within them — transforming not only into certified coaches but into catalysts for change, equipped to make a profound impact in the lives of others.
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Why Do You Need a Certification and a Coach Training Program to Become a Life Coach?
Transformative journey of becoming a certified life coach, inspired by the artistic style of Leonardo da Vinci.
In the burgeoning field of life coaching, where the landscape is as diverse as the individuals it aims to serve, certification emerges as a critical step in distinguishing oneself as a credible and competent professional. The need for certification in becoming a life coach cannot be overstated; it represents a commitment to professional development, adherence to ethical standards, and a deep understanding of coaching methodologies that can profoundly impact clients’ lives. Among the variety of certification programs available, Tandem Coaching Academy stands out for its comprehensive approach to training and certification, tailored to aspiring life coaches seeking to make a significant mark in their professional life.
The Tandem Coaching Academy offers an ICF-accredited coach training program that encapsulates the essence of becoming a certified life coach. This program is designed not just to impart knowledge but to transform participants into adept coach practitioners capable of facilitating change and fostering growth in others. With a focus on coaching techniques, ethical practice, and the core competencies as defined by the ICF, Tandem’s program is a beacon for those aiming to excel in the coaching field. The academy’s commitment to excellence is evident in its rigorous curriculum, experienced faculty, and the supportive community it fosters, making it one of the best coaching programs of 2024 for those looking to embark on a coaching journey.
Beyond the merits of any single institution, the process of earning your certification is an invaluable part of your development as a coach. It’s a journey that challenges you to refine your coaching techniques, deepen your understanding of human behavior, and cultivate a coaching mindset. Certification is not merely an academic endeavor; it’s a transformative experience that prepares you for the realities of coaching diverse clients. From wellness coaching to relationship coaching, certification equips you with the tools to support clients across various areas of life, helping them to achieve their ideal version of their life.
Certification also serves as a bridge between the theoretical foundations of coaching and its practical application. Programs like those offered by Tandem Coaching Academy provide hands-on coaching practice, ensuring that by the time you earn your certification, you’re not just knowledgeable but also skilled in applying what you’ve learned. This blend of theory and practice is essential for building a successful coaching practice that can truly transform lives.
In an unregulated industry, certification from an ICF-accredited program sets a standard for quality and professionalism. It reassures clients of your competence and dedication to continuous improvement, making it an essential milestone for anyone serious about launching their life coaching career. Whether you aim to specialize in a specific niche like health coach or executive coaching, or you see yourself as a generalist helping clients navigate various challenges, certification provides the foundation upon which you can build a rewarding and impactful career.
In essence, the certification process is about more than just acquiring a title; it’s about becoming the best version of yourself as a coach. It’s about adopting an approach to life that is centered around growth, learning, and the empowerment of others. With programs available that cater to a wide range of interests and specializations, including Tandem’s ICF-accredited coach training, aspiring life coaches have an unprecedented opportunity to embark on a career that is not only professionally fulfilling but also personally transformative.
How to Choose the Best Life Coach Certification Program?
Selecting the best life coach certification program is a pivotal decision in an aspiring coach’s career, crucial for gaining the skills, credibility, and network needed to thrive. Amidst the myriad of coaching programs available, it’s essential to identify one that not only aligns with your career aspirations but also adheres to the highest standards of the coaching profession. The Tandem Coaching Academy offers an ICF-accredited coach training course, recognized for its comprehensive curriculum that covers all facets of coaching from foundational skills to advanced techniques and business development. Its blend of online life coach training and live, interactive sessions ensures accessibility and engagement, making it a prime choice for those serious about making a lasting impact in the coaching field.
When choosing a certification course, consider programs that emphasize real-world application, such as those offering specialist certification tracks or focusing on niches like relationship coach training or wellness coaching. Programs accredited by the ICF, like Tandem’s, guarantee a curriculum that meets global standards for professional excellence in coaching. They delve into coaching concepts, ICF core competencies, and ethical guidelines, preparing you to become a certified life coach equipped to handle the complexities of coaching diverse clients.
The journey toward becoming a certified life coach involves more than just learning; it’s about transforming your life and the lives of those you will coach. Look for programs that facilitate this transformation through a mix of theoretical knowledge, practical experience, and personal development. Online training options have made it easier than ever to access quality education, allowing you to balance your certification journey with other life commitments.
Life coaching involves relationship building at its core, a concept that should be woven into the fabric of the certification program you choose. Engaging with a community of like-minded individuals, such as the network provided by Tandem Coaching Academy, can enhance your learning experience and offer valuable connections that extend beyond the classroom.
Certification programs may vary widely in their approach, focus, and outcomes. As such, seeking life coach training from a certified life coach institute accredited by the international coaching community, such as the ICF, ensures you’re on the right path. These programs often include coaching practice with feedback, which is essential for honing your coaching style and techniques.
Ultimately, earning a certification from a reputable program like Tandem Coaching Academy’s coach training course is one of the best ways to launch your life coaching career. It signifies a commitment to professional excellence, ethical practice, and continuous learning—qualities that define the most successful coaches in the industry. As the coaching field evolves, being equipped with a solid foundation, a global network, and a recognized certification will set you apart, enabling you to make a meaningful difference in the lives of your clients and society at large.
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The Process of Becoming a Certified Life Coach
Transformative journey of becoming a certified life coach.
Embarking on the process of becoming a certified life coach is a transformative journey that requires dedication, self-reflection, and a commitment to professional excellence. It’s a path that leads not only to personal growth but also to the opportunity to make a significant impact on others’ lives. Within this journey, selecting a program that aligns with your values and professional goals is crucial. Tandem Coaching Academy’s ICF-accredited life coach training program stands out for its comprehensive approach to developing skilled, ethical, and successful coaches. By integrating ICF core competencies with practical coaching experience, Tandem prepares its participants for the multifaceted role of a life coach, ensuring they are ready to meet the challenges and rewards of the coaching profession.
The process of becoming certified involves several key steps, beginning with selecting an ICF-accredited program that ensures adherence to the highest standards of the coaching industry. Accreditation by the ICF is a hallmark of quality, signifying that the program meets rigorous educational and ethical requirements. Tandem Coaching Academy’s focus on ICF accreditation underscores its commitment to providing a training program that is both comprehensive and globally recognized.
After choosing a suitable program, the next step is to immerse yourself in the learning and training process. This involves engaging with a wide range of topics, from the foundational principles of coaching to the nuances of building a coaching practice. Life coaches can make a profound difference in various areas of life, necessitating a broad understanding of human behavior, motivation, and change mechanisms. Programs like Tandem’s offer an in-depth exploration of these topics, alongside practical coaching exercises that allow you to apply what you’ve learned in real-world scenarios.
Certification also requires accumulating a specified number of coaching hours, providing services under the guidance of experienced mentors. This practical experience is invaluable, offering insights into the dynamics of the coach-client relationship and the practical application of coaching techniques. It’s an opportunity to refine your coaching style, receive feedback, and gain the confidence needed to navigate the coaching profession effectively.
The journey towards certification concludes with a comprehensive evaluation, including both written and practical assessments designed to test your understanding and application of coaching principles. Successfully passing these assessments earns you the designation of a certified life coach, a milestone that marks your readiness to begin or enhance your professional coaching career.
Becoming a certified life coach through an ICF-accredited program like Tandem’s is more than just an educational achievement; it’s a commitment to upholding the standards of the coaching profession and making a positive impact on the world. Despite coaching being an unregulated industry, certification sets you apart, demonstrating your dedication to your craft and your clients. It opens the door to joining a global community of professionals committed to fostering change and development, including specialized networks like the Association of Professional Recovery Coaches.
Moreover, the financial aspect of a coaching career is a consideration for many aspiring coaches. With certification, life coaches can command higher fees, reflecting their accredited training and the value they provide to their clients. The average fee for life coaches varies widely, influenced by factors such as specialization, experience, and geographical location, but certification undoubtedly enhances a coach’s earning potential.
The Role of the International Coach Federation (ICF) in Certification
The International Coach Federation (ICF) plays a pivotal role in the life coaching industry, setting the global standard for certification programs, ethical guidelines, and professional excellence. As the coaching field continues to grow and evolve, the ICF’s accreditation serves as a beacon of quality and reliability for both coaches and clients alike. Within this framework, Tandem Coaching Academy’s ICF-accredited life coach training program stands as a testament to the highest standards of coaching education, ensuring that its graduates are well-prepared to embark on their coaching journeys with confidence and competence.
The ICF accreditation process is rigorous, requiring programs like Tandem’s to adhere to stringent educational and ethical standards. This ensures that certified coaches possess a deep understanding of coaching methodologies, ethics, and the core competencies necessary for effective practice. ICF-accredited programs are designed to equip aspiring coaches with the skills to foster meaningful change in their clients’ lives, distinguishing them in an industry where professionalism and results are paramount.
In addition to setting educational standards, the ICF also contributes to the professional development of coaches through its global coaching study, certification pathways, and continuous learning opportunities. These initiatives provide valuable insights into the coaching profession, helping coaches stay abreast of the latest trends, techniques, and best practices. For those interested in becoming a life coach, engaging with ICF-accredited programs and resources is an invaluable step toward achieving professional recognition and success.
The distinction between a life coach and a therapist is an important consideration within the ICF framework. While both professions aim to support individuals in achieving greater fulfillment and well-being, their methodologies and areas of focus differ significantly. The ICF’s standards ensure that life coaches are trained to facilitate personal and professional growth rather than addressing mental health issues, which are the domain of licensed therapists. This clear delineation helps maintain the integrity of the coaching profession and guides coaches in their practice.
Life coaches certified through ICF-accredited programs, such as the one offered by Tandem Coaching Academy, are recognized for their commitment to excellence and adherence to the highest professional standards. This recognition is not only a mark of quality but also enhances the coach’s credibility and marketability, potentially leading to greater earning opportunities. The average fee for life coaches can vary, but those with ICF credentials often command higher rates due to their proven expertise and the trust they inspire in clients.
Furthermore, the ICF supports specialized coaching practices, such as those focused on recovery or prevention, through its endorsement of programs that offer specialized training. This fosters a diverse coaching ecosystem where professionals can find their niche and contribute to specific areas of need, enhancing the overall impact of coaching on society.
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In a field as dynamic and unregulated as coaching, ICF accreditation provides a much-needed framework for quality control and professional integrity. Programs like Tandem Coaching Academy’s not only prepare individuals to become certified life coaches but also to join a global community of professionals dedicated to making a positive difference in the world. Through its rigorous standards, continuous learning opportunities, and commitment to excellence, the ICF ensures that the coaching profession remains a respected and valuable resource for individuals seeking to transform their lives and careers.
Specialization in Life Coaching: What to Look for?
The field of life coaching is rich and varied, offering numerous pathways for coaches to specialize and excel in areas aligned with their interests and the needs of their clientele. Specializing in a specific niche allows coaches to tailor their practice to serve particular groups more effectively, whether it’s in health and wellness, career development, relationships, or personal growth. The Tandem Coaching Academy’s ICF-accredited life coach program recognizes the importance of specialization, providing a robust foundation in core coaching competencies while also encouraging coaches to explore and develop their unique coaching niches.
Specialization in life coaching as a journey through a Botticelli-inspired landscape.
Choosing to specialize requires a deep understanding of the specific challenges and opportunities within that niche, as well as the ability to apply coaching techniques in a way that resonates with the target clientele. Specializations can range from wellness coaching, aimed at improving physical and mental health, to executive coaching, focused on leadership and professional development. The Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), for example, offers iPEC’s coach training that prepares coaches for the diverse demands of these specialized fields, underscoring the value of a focused approach.
Becoming certified as a life coach with a specialization involves not only mastering the ICF core competencies but also gaining specific knowledge and skills relevant to your chosen area. This might include understanding the unique dynamics of relationship coaching or acquiring the tools to support clients in achieving specific career goals. Specialized training programs, such as those offered by the Institute for Life Coach Training, equip coaches with the expertise needed to make a meaningful impact in their chosen niche.
The global coaching study conducted by the ICF provides insights into the growing demand for specialized coaching services, highlighting the increasing recognition of coaching’s value across various aspects of life and business. This demand underscores the importance of choosing a certification program that offers both a solid foundation in general coaching principles and the flexibility to pursue specialized training.
For coaches interested in areas like health and wellness or prevention, certifications like the Certified Prevention Professional can add another layer of credibility and expertise to their practice. These certifications acknowledge the coach’s specialized knowledge and commitment to their niche, enhancing their ability to support clients effectively.
Navigating the many programs available for life coach certification and specialization can be daunting. However, selecting an ICF-accredited program, known for its commitment to excellence and professional standards, provides a reliable starting point. Through comprehensive training and specialized pathways, programs like Tandem Coaching Academy’s ensure that coaches are well-prepared to meet the diverse needs of their clients, whether they’re helping individuals navigate personal challenges or supporting professionals in achieving their career objectives.
Building Your Coaching Business as a Certified Life Coach
Once you’ve navigated the path to becoming a certified life coach, with a specialty that fuels your passion and aligns with your expertise, the next pivotal step is to build a coaching business that not only survives but thrives. Establishing a successful coaching practice requires more than just coaching skills; it demands entrepreneurial acumen, strategic marketing, and a deep commitment to ongoing professional development. Tandem Coaching Academy’s ICF-accredited life coaching program not only equips you with the foundational skills necessary for effective coaching but also provides insights into the business aspects of coaching, preparing you to launch and sustain a successful coaching practice.
Building your coaching business starts with understanding the marketplace and identifying your ideal client. This involves clarifying who you can serve best with your unique blend of skills and specialization, and tailoring your marketing and communication strategies to engage this audience. The business of coaching is as much about connecting with people who need your services as it is about delivering transformative coaching experiences.
A critical component of building a successful coaching business is leveraging your certification, particularly when it’s from an ICF-accredited program. Such accreditation not only enhances your credibility but also assures potential clients of your commitment to high ethical and professional standards. Highlighting your ICF accreditation in your marketing materials and client conversations can significantly impact your business’s growth and sustainability.
Furthermore, engaging with global and local coaching communities, as suggested by findings from the ICF Global Coaching Study, can provide invaluable networking opportunities, insights into industry trends, and potential collaborations. These communities often serve as ecosystems that support coaches through knowledge sharing, referrals, and collective advocacy efforts, contributing to the overall growth of your coaching practice.
Adapting your business model to include life’s various aspects, such as offering virtual coaching services or creating specialized programs that address specific client needs, can also enhance your practice’s appeal. The flexibility and adaptability of your business model are crucial in today’s dynamic market, where clients seek personalized and convenient coaching solutions.
Lastly, committing to continuous learning and professional development is essential for keeping your coaching practice relevant and impactful. Participating in advanced training programs, attending coaching conferences, and staying updated with the latest research and methodologies in the field can provide you with fresh insights and strategies to help your clients achieve their goals more effectively.
In building a coaching business, the journey from obtaining your certification, such as through Tandem Coaching Academy’s program, to establishing a thriving practice is marked by continuous growth, learning, and adaptation. By leveraging your ICF accreditation, connecting with the coaching community, and staying committed to excellence and innovation in your practice, you can create a coaching business that not only fulfills your professional aspirations but also makes a lasting difference in the lives of those you serve.
Life Coaching vs. Therapy: Understanding the Difference
Life Coaching vs Therapy
Distinguishing between life coaching and therapy is crucial for anyone entering the coaching field, especially for those aspiring to become a certified professional coach. This distinction not only helps in defining the scope of practice but also clarifies the expectations clients might have from engaging with a life coach. For individuals pursuing a career in life coaching through an ICF-accredited program like Tandem Coaching Academy, understanding these differences is part of the foundational knowledge required to build a successful life coaching practice.
Life coaching, particularly when pursued through an ICF-accredited life coaching program, focuses on helping clients achieve specific goals, overcome obstacles, and make changes or shifts in their lives. The process is action-oriented and future-focused, with the coach serving as a facilitator of change, encouraging and supporting the client in their pursuit of a better quality of life. This approach is distinct from therapy, which often deals with healing emotional pain, dysfunction, and conflict within an individual or in relationships. Therapists work from a healthcare perspective, diagnosing and treating mental health issues, while life coaches, including those certified through programs from coach training institutions like Tandem, work on goal setting, personal growth, and lifestyle improvement.
Becoming a certified professional coach through an ICF-accredited program equips individuals with the skills and knowledge to create effective coaching strategies that promote client growth and development. This certification ensures that coaches understand their role in guiding clients toward achieving their personal and professional goals, without stepping into the realm of mental health care. The emphasis is on building a coaching relationship that inspires clients to maximize their personal and professional potential.
Incorporating life coaching into one’s practice involves a clear commitment to focusing on the future, setting actionable goals, and working alongside the client as they embark on a journey of self-improvement and discovery. This contrasts with therapy’s often retrospective analysis to resolve past issues. The get certified process through an ICF-accredited program ensures that coaches are well-prepared to navigate this distinction, offering clarity and direction in their coaching engagements.
The role of a life coach is to empower clients to make, meet, and exceed goals in both their personal and professional lives, distinguishing it from the therapeutic focus on healing. Programs from coach training providers like Tandem Coaching Academy emphasize this distinction, preparing participants to foster environments where clients can explore their potential and enact significant changes in their lives, without delving into the therapeutic territories of diagnosing or treating psychological issues.
Key Takeaways: The Path to Becoming a Certified Life Coach with Tandem Coaching Academy
The journey to becoming a certified life coach is filled with learning, growth, and the opportunity to make a profound difference in the lives of others. Here are the key takeaways from our exploration of this rewarding career path, emphasizing why the Tandem Coaching Academy’s ICF ACC program stands out as the premier choice for aspiring life coaches.
Understanding Life Coach Certification: Certification is crucial for establishing credibility and expertise in the coaching field. Tandem Coaching Academy offers an ICF-accredited program that meets the highest standards for coaching education, ensuring graduates are well-prepared for their coaching careers.
The Importance of Certification: Becoming certified through an ICF-accredited program like Tandem’s demonstrates a commitment to professional excellence and ethical practice, setting you apart in the coaching industry.
Choosing the Best Certification Program: Tandem’s ICF-accredited program offers a comprehensive curriculum, experienced faculty, and a supportive community, making it an ideal choice for those seeking to become certified life coaches.
The Process of Becoming Certified: Tandem Coaching Academy guides aspiring coaches through the entire certification process, from foundational training to practical coaching experience, ensuring a deep understanding of coaching principles and methodologies.
The Role of ICF in Certification: The ICF’s accreditation of Tandem’s program signifies its adherence to the highest educational and ethical standards, providing a solid foundation for a successful coaching practice.
Specializing in Life Coaching: Tandem encourages specialization, allowing coaches to tailor their practice to areas they are passionate about, enhancing their effectiveness and marketability.
Building a Successful Coaching Business: With its focus on both coaching skills and business acumen, Tandem’s program prepares graduates to launch and grow their coaching practices in a competitive market.
Life Coaching vs. Therapy: Tandem’s program clearly delineates the differences between life coaching and therapy, ensuring coaches understand their scope of practice and can effectively support their clients’ goals.
Why Tandem Coaching Academy’s ICF Accredited ACC Program is the Best Option:
ICF Accreditation: Tandem’s program meets the rigorous standards of the International Coach Federation, the leading global organization for coaching professionals.
Comprehensive Curriculum: Covering all essential aspects of coaching, from core competencies to business development, Tandem prepares coaches for every aspect of their future careers.
Practical Experience: Tandem emphasizes hands-on coaching practice, allowing students to apply their learning in real-world settings under the guidance of experienced coaches.
Flexibility and Support: Offering flexible learning options and a supportive community, Tandem ensures that every student can successfully navigate their certification journey.
Specialization Opportunities: Recognizing the value of niche coaching, Tandem offers pathways for coaches to specialize, increasing their appeal to potential clients.
Choosing Tandem Coaching Academy for your life coach certification means opting for a program that not only prepares you for certification but also sets you up for a successful, fulfilling career in life coaching. With its comprehensive, ICF-accredited curriculum, experienced faculty, and focus on practical experience, Tandem stands out as a leading choice for those committed to making a difference in the lives of others through coaching.
