Coaching has come a long way. Once seen as either a remedial intervention for struggling executives or an exclusive perk for the privileged few, it’s now woven into the fabric of leadership development. Today, many leaders at every level have access to a trusted sounding board—a confidante, a critical friend, a guide through complexity. And that’s a good thing. Coaching has helped countless leaders find courage in uncertainty, rediscover their resilience, and deepen their authenticity in their roles.
But what if we’ve been thinking too small? What if coaching is capable of so much more than just helping leaders perform better in their current roles? What if the true value of coaching lies not just in improving performance, but in unlocking purpose?
In the world of coaching, we often pride ourselves on being neutral, non-directive, creating the conditions for leaders to uncover their own insights. This approach has served us well. But what if, by staying neutral, we’re missing something?
What if the most important questions—questions about a leader’s fundamental purpose, their deeper calling, their true contribution—are going unasked, simply because they are outside the narrow scope of ‘performance goals’?
I have coached leaders at the highest levels—CEOs, executives, those at the pinnacle of their industries. Many of them come with tangible objectives: improving decision-making, navigating difficult team dynamics, stepping into bigger roles. These are important, but they are not the whole picture. Time and time again, I have seen a deeper tension just beneath the surface—an unspoken ‘dis-ease’, an awareness that something essential is missing from the conversation.
There are conversations that leaders don’t even know they need to have. They live just beyond reach, obscured by organisational pressures, societal scripts, and personal blind spots. These are the conversations about who they are, not just what they do.
These are not indulgent or esoteric questions. They are fundamental. Because leadership isn’t just about guiding organisations—it’s about shaping the world, whether we acknowledge it or not. The leaders who do this best are those who have taken the time to understand their own essence. The ones who have stopped performing leadership and started being leaders.
Physics teaches us that potential energy is energy waiting to be converted into action. A ball at the top of a hill. A stretched rubber band. A leader who feels a deep but unarticulated calling to something greater.
Coaching is the release. It is the catalytic moment where potential transforms into kinetic energy. Where leaders stop thinking in terms of narrow ‘performance outcomes’ and start thinking about the real impact they can have—not just in their organisations, but in the world.
This doesn’t always mean grand, world-changing acts. It could be a CEO deciding to prioritise human connection over rigid efficiency metrics. It could be a leader shifting their perspective from what they need to achieve to who they need to become. It could be as simple—and profound—as rediscovering a lost passion, an old dream, and choosing to breathe life into it again.
At Leaderbeing, we believe leadership isn’t just about what you do. It’s about who you are. And coaching, at its best, is not just about helping leaders operate more effectively within existing systems. It’s about calling them to something greater.
In a world facing complexity, uncertainty, and urgent challenges, we can’t afford to keep having the same, safe, surface-level leadership conversations. As coaches, our job is not just to reflect back what is seen—but to help leaders glimpse what is possible. Sometimes that means disrupting. Sometimes it means sitting in silence. And sometimes, it means asking the question that changes everything.
Because the real value of coaching isn’t in helping leaders perform better—it’s in helping them become more. And when leaders step into that space, the ripple effect is profound.
So here’s the real question: What conversation is waiting to be had?
