Is coaching the key to effective leadership?

The pace of change is faster.  Teams are more diverse, often dispersed. The challenges leaders face are often less about process and more about people, performance, and complexity.

In this environment, authority alone isn’t enough. What matters more is the ability to connect, to challenge, and to bring out the best in others. That’s where coaching skills come in.

You don’t need to become a coach. But if you lead people, you need to know how to use coaching approaches in real conversations — to unlock thinking, support performance, and build ownership. Coaching is no longer a ‘nice to have.’ It’s one of the most effective tools modern leaders can use.

Coaching in action

When Satya Nadella took over as CEO of Microsoft, he didn’t launch a new product or restructure the business. Instead, he changed the culture.

Nadella introduced a mindset shift: from “know-it-all” to “learn-it-all.” That simple phrase reflected a move away from top-down leadership, towards curiosity, trust, and growth. It gave people permission to explore, fail, and improve. That shift, underpinned by a coaching approach, helped reinvigorate one of the world’s biggest companies.

And while Nadella had scale, the same idea works on a smaller stage. We worked with a finance manager who turned around a struggling team member not by issuing instructions, but by asking questions — helping the person think clearly, reflect, and take responsibility. Performance improved. So did the relationship.

In another organisation, a retail director changed the way she ran one-to-ones. Instead of solving problems for her team, she started creating the space for them to solve problems themselves. The result? Less dependency, stronger ownership, and a noticeable drop in staff turnover within months.

These aren’t grand gestures. They’re small shifts in style. But they make a big difference.

What’s in it for the leader?

The benefits of using coaching skills show up quickly. Leaders often tell us they feel more focused, less reactive, and better able to deal with complexity — not by doing more, but by creating more capability around them.

They build trust more quickly. Conversations become more meaningful. Peer relationships grow stronger. And time is used more wisely, with less micromanagement and more momentum.

Perhaps most importantly, leaders begin to feel lighter. They stop carrying every decision and start building a team that thinks, and acts, with more confidence and ownership.

When coaching isn’t the answer

Coaching is powerful — but like any leadership approach, it needs judgement.

Used uncritically, it can backfire. In a crisis, people need clear direction, not open questions. If someone is brand new, they may need guidance before they’re ready to reflect. And if coaching is used as a way to avoid direct feedback or difficult conversations, it can undermine clarity and trust.

The risk isn't in coaching itself, it's in assuming it’s always the right tool. Effective leaders know when to coach, when to mentor, when to direct, and when to listen.

Coaching complements these other styles. It doesn’t replace them.

So, is coaching the key?

We’d say yes. Coaching is not the only key to effective leadership, but it opens many of the right doors.

It helps leaders stay grounded, build capability, and lead with greater impact. It strengthens performance, deepens relationships, and brings out the best in others — including the leader themselves.

And once you learn how to use coaching skills well, you’ll find yourself reaching for them again and again.

Learn to lead like a coach

At Amicus, we teach leaders how to use coaching skills in real-world settings. Our workshop, Coaching Skills for Leaders and Managers, is practical, energising, and built for people who want to lead with more focus, clarity and impact.

You’ll learn how to:

• Ask better questions
• Balance support with challenge
• Create ownership without stepping back too far
• Build trust, engagement and accountability through everyday conversations

Because effective leadership today isn’t about doing more. It’s about bringing more out of others — and coaching is one of the most powerful ways to do that.