Coaching Leadership Style explained: the Basics
Coaching Leadership Style: this article provides a practical explanation of the Coaching Leadership Style. Next to what the definition and theory is, this article also highlights hte characteristics of this leadership style, the relationship with the Situational Leadership Model and the Advantages and disadvantages. Enjoy reading!
What is a Coaching Leadership Style?
The Coaching Leadership Style is a relatively new and guiding leadership style. Instead of making all decisions and delegating tasks yourself, as is the case in the autocratic leadership style, the guiding leader takes the lead to get the best out of his employees or team.
A coaching leader must not be confused with a coach, but does have coaching skills. The leader has these skills when he is able to develop and improve the performance and competences of his employees.
The basis of this style is the dynamic interaction between the leader and the employee. This gives rise to valuable insights and the achieved results are discussed and analysed. This is done by means of providing and receiving feedback, asking questions and conducting motivating conversations.
A good coach encourages the learning process of the coached person and promotes the responsibility and independence of the employees. A coaching attitude of the leader ensures that the employees continue to work autonomously and independently without removing the initiative from them.
A good guiding leader has his employees perform their work independently, but still makes them feel supported and involved in their work. The independent aspect in coaching makes this style excellently suitable for independent teams.
As stated above, the goal of coaching and guiding is to develop qualities and competences. In combination with leadership, the goal is to encourage the employee’s task maturity. A task-mature employee is sufficiently self-reliant, willing and able to perform tasks independently.
Characteristics of Coaching Leadership Style
Because coaching and leading are certainly two different matters, the leader must have a number of additional competences. The guiding leader is closer to his employees than the authoritarian leader and will probably know his employees better.
The guiding leader looks where opportunities exist for employees to improve themselves, but also takes their preferences into account.
By taking this into account, everyone will be working in the right place, which will advance productivity. A requirement is that the leader knows exactly what is happening on the workfloor and what the role of the coached person is.
Social skills and tact. When the leader functions as a coach, the employee can call on him in case of personal problems. In doing so, various privacy-related situations may be discussed, such as financial problems, relationship problems or health problems.
These sensitive matters must be handled with tact and professionalism so as to create a safe climate for the employee. For this reason, it is important that the coaching leader has integrity.
Good communication skills are invaluable in each management style. SMART Goals must be discussed, so everyone is clear on his role. When the team starts working, the leader only has to set the pace occasionally.
Feedback. There must be enough time for feedback and reflection in order to coach effectively.
Feedback must be provided based on concrete points for improvement. This constructive feedback must be purely professional and may not include any personal judgements or attacks.
Feedback is often only half understood and processed and therefore it can be valuable to recheck whether the person receiving the feedback actually understands it.
Asking questions. A good coaching leader only gives limited instructions and lets the employees think for themselves about a possible solution to a problem by asking questions.
In this way, the employees are encouraged to work in a responsible manner and creativity is encouraged as well. Carrying out responsible work ensures that they will remain motivated, and this means there will be less or no compulsory advice or suggestions needed towards the employee.
Good questions to make employees think about task-oriented matters can be drawn up by means of the GROW Model. With the GROW Model, the situation is examined from four different angles: ‘goal’, ‘reality’, ‘options’ and ‘will’.
As in every style, it is important that the leader works in a result-oriented manner. This result-orientation arises from the established objectives.
Because the coaching leader is particularly aimed at developing and improving qualities and talents of the employees, this is oriented more at development. A good balance between these two visions will therefore have a favourable effect.
Coaching leadership in practice: example conversation using the GROW model
A manager notices that an employee regularly gets bogged down by work pressure. Deadlines are barely met, there is a lot of stress, and little time remains for structural improvements. Instead of immediately offering solutions and tips, the manager opts for a coaching conversation based on the GROW model.
The conversation starts with the G for Goal. Together, they explore what the employee wants to achieve. Not just “less pressure,” but a concrete and measurable picture. For example, the manager asks questions such as:
- “If we look back in three months and things are going better, what would a good working week look like?”
- “How will you know that things are going better?”
This is followed by the R for Reality. The manager helps the employee to get a clear picture of what is happening right now, without judgment or blame.
Questions could include:
- “What does an average week look like for you now, from Monday to Friday?”
- “Where do things mainly go wrong: when estimating, planning, saying ‘yes,’ or when unexpected questions arise?”
- “What have you tried in recent months to do things differently?”
Next comes the O for Options. Here, the manager explicitly avoids giving “the solution” right away. The goal is for the employee to think about alternatives themselves.
Possible questions:
- “What ideas do you have for dealing with this differently?”
- “What has worked in the past, even if only a little?”
- “If you were to look at a colleague who does this well, what do they do differently?”
Finally, there is the W for Will (will and action). This is the moment when one or two concrete agreements are made that the employee will take on themselves.
Questions that fit in with this are:
- “What first step are you going to take next week?”
- “What do you need to make that feasible?”
- “How and when will we review this together?”
The coaching element of coaching leadership lies in the attitude: ask lots of questions, listen a lot, say little. The manager does not provide the perfect solution, but helps the employee to gain insight and take ownership. This not only improves performance, but also increases the employee’s self-confidence and problem-solving skills.
Relationship with the Situational Leadership Model (SLM)
The road to task maturity is not equal for everyone and so there are various situations in which certain leadership styles are more effective than others:
Two key questions from the Situational Leadership Model (SLM) of Hersey and Blanchard are:
- Is the employee sufficiently motivated?
- Does the employee possess sufficient expertise?
When a person scores low on one of these two questions, coaching leadership could be an effective style.
When the employee is sufficiently motivated but simply does not have the knowledge or expertise, the leader must adopt a guiding role.
The leader will then show the employee that the required capacities can be learned. He does this by having the employee ask questions and building on the answers to those questions.
If the employee has sufficient expertise, but is not motivated, the leader must adopt an encouraging style. The leader must ensure that the built-up resistance the employee feels is removed by giving him the space to make suggestions or by giving him a say in the activities in some other way.
Tip: Would you like to learn more about how leaders strengthen connection and trust within teams? Then read about connective leadership. This article shows you how you can structurally strengthen relationships, engagement, and collaboration within your organization.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Coaching Leadership Style
Adopting this style can work particularly well, but is not always as effective and desirable. However, natural leaders are able to switch between styles and thus use the right style at the right time. Advantages of a coaching leadership style are:
Advantages
1. Positive organisational culture
This style encourages the sense of responsibility and commitment in employees. This is because these leaders express the feeling towards their employees that they believe in the qualities and competences they possess.
2. Advanced self-development
The guiding leader offers his employees sufficient space and freedom to brainstorm about the tasks that must be carried out. This type of leadership style can be summarised in the words: ‘try this’.
3. Knowledge
The leader is closer to the activities on the workfloor than an external coach and therefore has a better idea of the goings-on in the organisation.
Disadvantages
Yet, there are still disadvantages to a coaching leadership style:
The hierarchical structure within an organisation can make it difficult to strive for equality in a coaching leadership style.
When the employee and leading coach have a functional work relationship, the employee may fear that the coaching meetings influence the results of the assessment interview.
In that case, the coaching process is better conducted by an external coach who knows the organisation well or another manager from a different department.
1. Coaching leadership is pointless with unmotivated employees
Coaching means developing qualities, but when the employees do not feel motivated, they will not invest any effort in self-development.
3. Coaching is not always the key to the better functioning of an employee
Often, coaching is used as an instrument to solve the dysfunctioning of an employee. However, this dysfunctioning can have different causes, such as severe private issues or psychological problems. In these cases, therapy is a better option.
Coaching leadership and psychological safety in teams
Coaching leadership is closely related to psychological safety in teams. Psychological safety is about the shared feeling that it is safe to ask questions, admit mistakes, share ideas, and express doubts without fear of being judged for doing so. In teams where that feeling is lacking, people remain silent, hold back, and problems disappear beneath the surface.
A coaching leader reinforces psychological safety precisely through the way they view and respond to situations. The focus is not on quick judgment, but on curiosity and learning. Instead of immediately correcting or judging a mistake, the leader chooses to ask questions such as: “What happened here?”, “What can we learn from this?” and “What could we do differently next time?”
Some specific behaviors of coaching leadership that increase psychological safety are:
Approaching mistakes as learning opportunities
Instead of asking “Who did this?”, the leader shifts the focus to “How did this happen?” and “What do we need to prevent this from happening again?”
Ask open questions and actively invite input
The leader explicitly invites team members to share their opinions, concerns, and ideas. For example, by asking in meetings: “Who sees this differently?” or “What risks are we still overlooking?”.
Showing vulnerability in the leadership role
By admitting that not everything is certain – “I’m not sure about this yet”, “I was wrong about this” – the leader normalizes not being perfect. This lowers the threshold for others to speak up.
Recognizing honesty
When someone points out a mistake, risk, or bottleneck, the leader responds with appreciation. Not only for the content, but also for the courage to speak up.
Coaching leadership thus acts as an amplifier of psychological safety. The combination of attentive listening, asking questions, giving space, and daring to be sharp about behavior creates a climate in which team members feel safe to learn, experiment, and take responsibility.
Getting started with coaching leadership: a practical step-by-step plan
Coaching leadership often sounds more daunting than it needs to be in practice. It is not about completely reorganizing your leadership style, but about a series of smaller behavioral changes that are consistently maintained. The step-by-step plan below will help you get started in a structured way.
Choose one fixed coaching moment per week
Start small. For example, have a short development meeting (20–30 minutes) with one employee each week. Focus on one specific theme: a goal, a skill, or a recurring issue. This creates rhythm and shows that development is given structural attention.
Shift from telling to asking questions
Agree with yourself that questions will be central to these conversations. Use open questions (“what,” “how,” “why now,” “what else”) and allow for silences. Consciously delay the reflex to give advice immediately. First, clarify what is going on, then think about options.
Make development goals explicit and small
End each coaching conversation with one concrete goal and one next step. Not “better planning,” but for example: “Starting next week, block out 10 minutes every morning for daily planning and briefly evaluate it on Friday.” Small, concrete, and formulated by the employee themselves.
Plan a short follow-up
Coaching leadership only becomes powerful when you look back. So, at the start of the next session, set aside a few minutes to reflect on the previous appointment: what has been done, what worked, what didn’t work, and what is the next adjustment? This creates a continuous learning cycle.
Actively ask for feedback on your own leadership
Coaching leadership also means wanting to learn yourself. A simple question such as “What helps in my way of coaching and what doesn’t?” can yield a lot. By asking for feedback and taking it seriously, you set an example as a learning professional.
Those who consistently apply these steps will find that coaching naturally becomes more part of their daily practice. Conversations shift from solution-oriented communication to development-oriented thinking. Employees take more ownership and teams become more resilient. Ultimately, that is the essence of coaching leadership: helping people to become stronger in their work.
Recommended books and articles on the coaching leadership style
This literature clearly shows how coaching leadership works, what it is based on, and why it is such a powerful leadership style for growth, motivation, and collaboration. A compact mix of theory, research, and practical insights.
- Berg, M. E., & Karlsen, J. T. (2020). Coaching leadership style: A learning process. International Journal of Knowledge and Learning, 13(4), 356–372. → Emphasizes coaching leadership as an ongoing learning process for both leaders and employees.
- Blanchard, K., & Miller, M. (2019). The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler. → Emphasizes key principles such as serving, guiding, and developing, which are directly linked to the core of coaching leadership.
- Clutterbuck, D., & Megginson, D. (2005). Making Coaching Work: Creating a Coaching Culture. London, UK: CIPD Publishing. → Shows how coaching becomes embedded in teams and organizations and provides clear theoretical frameworks for coaching leadership as a culture.
- Colgate, M. (2025). The importance and application of a coaching leadership style: A systematic review (2000–2025). Journal of Organizational Behavior & Leadership. → Provides a broad overview of the proven effects and theoretical foundations of coaching leadership.
- Gavin, C. S. (2018). The impact of leadership development using coaching. Journal of Practical Consulting. → Connects coaching with leadership development and shows how leaders become more effective through coaching.
- Hargrove, R. (2008). Masterful Coaching. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. → Describes the development process of coaching leaders and provides an in-depth theoretical and practical basis for coaching behavior within leadership.
- Huang, S. (2019). The impact of coaching leadership on in-role performance of employees. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 7, 223–237. → Shows how coaching leadership enhances task performance through role clarity and social interactions.
- Hwang, C. Y. (2023). Coaching leadership and creative performance: A serial mediation analysis. Frontiers in Psychology. → Shows how coaching leadership stimulates creativity and active engagement, and which psychological mechanisms explain this.
- Kombarakaran, F. A., Yang, J. A., Baker, M. N., & Fernandes, P. B. (2008). Executive coaching: It works!. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 60(1), 78.
- Mäkelä, L. (2024). Coaching leadership as a link between individual and team strengths. Leadership & Organization Studies. → Links coaching leadership with talent development at the individual and team level.
- Tang, L. et al. (2024). Coaching leadership, organizational self-esteem, and employee engagement. Frontiers in Psychology. → Highlights how coaching leadership strengthens engagement, self-confidence, and motivation.
- Whitmore, J. (2017). Coaching for Performance. London, UK: Nicholas Brealey. → This standard work explains the basic principles of coaching as a leadership style and links them to performance improvement and team development.
How to cite this article:
Janse, B. (2018). Coaching Leadership Style. Retrieved [insert date] from Toolshero: https://www.toolshero.com/leadership/coaching-leadership-style/
Original publication date: 08/12/2018 | Last update: 12/10/2025
Add a link to this page on your website:
<a href=”https://www.toolshero.com/leadership/coaching-leadership-style/”> Toolshero: Coaching Leadership Style</a>
Ben Janse
Ben Janse is a young professional working at ToolsHero as Content Manager. He is also an International Business student at Rotterdam Business School where he focusses on analyzing and developing management models. Thanks to his theoretical and practical knowledge, he knows how to distinguish main- and side issues and to make the essence of each article clearly visible.
Related ARTICLES
Erikson’s Stages of Development theory explained
Dan Siegel biography, quotes, and books
7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey)
5 responses to “Coaching Leadership Style explained: the Basics”
Well article. thanks
Thank you for your feedback Miskuindu. I am glad that you found the article well.
You need to follow a trial and error method to improve your leadership style. Improvement in leadership style is something that occurs over time. There is not a single approach to learning. Multiple fashions of leading are there. Some are more effective than the rest. Your reflection plays a crucial role in making your leadership style modish and admiring. As a leader, you must learn how to listen to your teammates with an open mind and by implementing an open door policy and take the recommendation of a deft leadership coach so that you can improve your leadership style.
Thank you Mikel Nelson! I am preparing for an interview and your comment was actually very helpful and reassuring. I absolutely agree with you. In my very short time as a young administrator I’m starting to learn that this will be a long process of trial and error. Thanks again!
Thank you for your comment, Mikel.