„Every famous performer, every famous athlete has someone who is a coach“, said Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google and Chairman of Alphabet, in a famous Fortune interview.
In the world of business, we still have some catching up to do when it comes to coaching. However, more and more business leaders are beginning to understand the significant benefits of working with an executive coach. While the effectiveness of executive coaching has been proven in numerous studies [1], not every coaching engagement leads to success.
When executive coaching doesn’t deliver as expected, it can be frustrating for the leader, their coach, and the organization that invests in the coaching. So, here are three common pitfalls to watch out for when starting your executive coaching engagement.
Executive Coaching Pitfall #1: Unclear Expectations and Objectives
When you decide to invest in executive coaching, you are making an important commitment to your leadership development. That’s a great start! But have you clearly defined what you want to achieve from this coaching experience? What would a successful return on investment look like?
- „I want to improve my leadership skills.“
- „Alan needs to manage his team more effectively.“
- „Mary has been identified as a high-potential leader, and we want to ensure we utilize her full leadership capabilities.“
These are common, well-intentioned goals that executive coaches often hear. However, they are not specific enough. A professional executive coach will help you dig deeper to clarify:
- What does „improved leadership skills,“ „effective team management,“ or „fully utilized potential“ really mean in your context?
- How will you know when you have achieved these goals?
It’s completely fine if you don’t have all the answers right away. In fact, part of the purpose of executive coaching can be to help you gain clarity about what you truly want, and to identify your desired outcomes and specific objectives.
Starting your coaching journey with tools like a 360-degree feedback survey, stakeholder interviews, or personality instruments such as Hogan or MBTI® can be highly valuable. These assessments provide insights into your current status and help pinpoint areas for growth and improvement.
However, sometimes people want to shortcut this process of identifying expectations and objectives, hoping for a quick fix. The phrase „I’ll know it when I see it“ is often a signal for a coach to dig deeper. Especially when a „sponsor“ is involved, it’s essential that all parties—coachee, sponsor, and coach—have a shared understanding of what success will look like. Without this clarity, it can set everyone up for disappointment.
Executive Coaching Pitfall #2: Lack of Buy-In and Commitment
Executive coaching is a powerful development tool, not a last-ditch effort to „fix“ problematic behavior. While many leaders appreciate the opportunity to work with a coach, not everyone is immediately excited about the process. Assigning a coach to someone who is not fully committed to the process is a recipe for failure.
Let’s take the example of Tony. Senior management believes he’s a high-potential leader, but they also think he needs to refine his communication skills to take on broader responsibilities. They agree on coaching objectives with the executive coach, Jane, and get started. At first, everything seems fine. However, over time, Jane notices that Tony isn’t very responsive to her emails and keeps postponing sessions. At first, she attributes this to his busy schedule.
Three months later, Jane realizes that Tony isn’t making much progress, and a candid conversation reveals the root cause: Tony never truly believed in coaching. He felt pressured into it by senior management and had no real desire to engage in the process. This situation is frustrating for everyone involved — Tony, Jane, and the company paying for the coaching.
To avoid this pitfall, it’s essential to have an open, honest conversation from the start. Ensure that the leader feels the coaching is their choice and that they are genuinely interested in the process. The coachee should have the opportunity to decline the coaching without any negative consequences. Additionally, it’s important for the leader to be involved in selecting their coach. Executive coaching is highly personal, and chemistry between the coach and coachee is critical. A poor fit can make coaching ineffective, no matter how qualified the coach may be.
Executive Coaching Pitfall #3: Underestimating the Time Required
Leaders often forget that learning and personal development in particular takes time. While children naturally embrace the time it takes to learn something new, like walking, adults are often in a rush to master new skills overnight. Unfortunately, leadership development doesn’t work that way.
Improving as a leader with the help of an executive coach is a process. It requires developing new, productive habits and letting go of unproductive ones. This takes time and consistent effort—more than most people think. Simply knowing what to do does not suffice. You need to practice, practice, practice, and you need to receive candid feedback along the way. You’ll need to reinforce what’s working, and develop new strategies for whatever it might be that’s not working in order to achieve lasting behaviorial change.
Most of my clients are incredibly busy, and I’m sure you are too. Thus, before you embark on an executive coaching journey, ask yourself honestly: Are you willing to invest the time necessary to succeed? Executive coaching cannot be just an afterthought or something you add on top of an already packed schedule. Successful leadership development requires intentional time management and prioritization.
In Summary
For executive coaching to be successful, you need to:
- Be clear on what you expect as a result of the coaching — what does success look like?
- Ensure that the coachee is fully invested in the coaching process and willing to do what it takes to succeed.
- Make sure that everyone involved understands that for most people, change takes more time than they anticipate, and that the necessary time and commitment are in place.
By addressing these key points, you can maximize the impact of executive coaching and drive meaningful growth in leadership capabilities.
Read also „What is Executive Coaching?“
Would you like to explore if executive coaching is right for you? Then, please don’t hesitate to contact me to schedule a complimentary call without any obligations.
References
[1] For studies on the effectiveness of executive coaching and leadership coaching, see, e.g.:
Nicolau, A., Candel, O.S., Constantin, T. and Kleingeld, A. (2023). The effects of executive coaching on behaviors, attitudes, and personal characteristics: A meta-analysis of randomized control trial studies. Frontiers in Psychology, [online] 14. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1089797.
Halliwell, P.R., Mitchell, R. and Boyle, B. (2023). Leadership effectiveness through coaching: Authentic and change-oriented leadership. PLOS ONE, [online] 18(12). doi:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0294953.
Cannon‐Bowers, J.A., Bowers, C.A., Carlson, C., Doherty, S., Evans, J. and Hall, J. (2023). Workplace coaching: a meta-analysis and recommendations for advancing the science of coaching. Frontiers in Psychology, 14(14). doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1204166.
Hafendorfer, T. (2024). Coaching Statistics: The ROI of Coaching in 2024. [online] International Coaching Federation. Available at: https://coachingfederation.org/blog/coaching-roi-2024 [Accessed 1 Apr. 2025].