THE LEADERSHIP EDGE Newsletter August 2025
THE LEADERSHIP EDGE
Your Guide to Exceptional Leadership
August 2025 | 963 words = 4.75-minute read
1. The Engagement Freefall – Employee engagement is at its lowest level in a decade, with 31% of employees engaged.
2. Culture vs. Engagement – If 69% of your employees are disengaged, you have a culture problem.
3. The 10X Leadership Multiplier – The formula is clear: Investment in leadership effectiveness + engagement initiatives = improved culture.
THIS MONTH’S FOCUS: The Coaching Opportunity
Hello Leaders! This month, let’s take a closer look at executive coaching and explore the benefits. If you’d like to discuss further, schedule a time on my calendar.
Point #1: Executive Coaching Works
Recent meta-analysis research demonstrates that "a growing number of studies emphasize executive coaching as an effective developmental tool that managers can use to increase their performance in organizational settings." This evidence strongly supports coaching's particular value for aspiring executives seeking to accelerate their leadership development before assuming senior roles.
In my experience coaching several people into new executive positions, I've seen firsthand how valuable it is to have coaching support when approaching a promotion. It provides essential feedback and creates actionable development plans that can significantly accelerate growth.
The research reveals compelling benefits: executive coaching delivers both immediate performance improvements and long-term developmental advantages that are especially valuable for emerging leaders. Most striking is the financial return on investment—multiple studies report that coaching produces a 788% ROI when including all benefits, and 529% ROI even excluding employee retention benefits. The Manchester Review Study found an average ROI of 5.7 times corporations' initial coaching investment.
REFLECTION: Should I hire a coach, or could someone else benefit more from executive coaching?
Point #2: Selection
Most people start by asking peers and friends for coach recommendations, then interview candidates based primarily on chemistry. While personal connection matters, this approach is incomplete without evaluating experience and credentials.
A key decision is whether you need a certified coach or someone with executive experience. Ideally, you'd find both, but if forced to choose, I'd prioritize experience over certification every time.
Match the coach's specific background to your development goals. If you want to think more strategically, seek a coach who has developed that skill themselves and successfully helped clients in this area. Discuss their leadership philosophy and test how rigid their beliefs are—effective coaches understand that leadership involves significant nuance and gray areas.
Ask for specific examples of how they've improved client effectiveness. Good coaches provide both qualitative success stories and quantitative data demonstrating measurable impact. Be wary of coaches who only offer anecdotal evidence.
Two critical considerations: Do they use assessments, and are those tools suited to evaluate the competencies you want to develop? Strong evaluation tools and 360-degree feedback are essential—one of coaching's greatest benefits is enhanced self-awareness through quality feedback.
Finally, determine whether you need a "fix-it" coach or a strength builder. If you're addressing serious performance issues, remedial coaching may be necessary. However, for most people, a strength-based approach proves more effective and motivating. We typically improve more by building on existing strengths than by fixing weaknesses.
REFLECTION: What are the most important attributes I want in a coach?
Point #3: Assess Your Motivation and Set a Goal
The most critical factor in any six or twelve-month coaching engagement is your motivation level. How committed are you to getting better? Without full dedication to learning new skills, changing entrenched habits, and actively seeking feedback, the process will likely disappoint. It's surprisingly easy to lose momentum a few months into coaching.
When you commit to hiring an executive coach, establish clear, measurable goals for the engagement. Without defined objectives, you can't evaluate whether your investment of time and money was worthwhile. Consider using competency evaluations that benchmark your skills against relevant standards—conducting assessments at both the beginning and end of coaching provides concrete evidence of your progress.
Potential goal areas include improved self-efficacy, increased capacity to achieve outcomes through better decision-making and operational changes, enhanced leadership and communication skills, greater self-awareness, stronger interpersonal abilities, and increased confidence.
REFLECTION: What area of my leadership do I desire to improve the most, and why?
Executive coaching offers proven benefits with impressive ROI potential, but success depends on three key factors: understanding the research-backed value, selecting the right coach for your specific needs, and entering the engagement with clear goals and a genuine commitment to growth. The investment in professional coaching can accelerate your leadership development significantly—if you approach it strategically and with the motivation to do the work required.
Consider whether coaching aligns with your current career stage and development needs. For emerging executives or those preparing for senior roles, the combination of objective feedback, skill development, and accountability that coaching provides can be transformational.
Dive Deeper:
1. Research: What CEO’s Really Want from Coaching by Gretchen Gavett, HBR August 2013
2. What is Executive Coaching And Why Should You Engage A Coach? By William Arruda Forbes August 2024
3. Get the Most Out of Executive Coaching by Steven Berglas, HBR August 2013
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