Why Do Successful Leaders Work with a Coach?

by Raffaella Loncao

From strengthening leadership to navigating career transitions and making more confident decisions, executive coaching provides the space to think clearly about where you are, where you want to go and how to get there.

When was the last time you gave yourself an hour to think about what you really want, rather than what everyone else needs from you?

The more senior we become, the more time we spend thinking about our teams, business priorities and responsibilities. Finding the time to reflect on our own direction can become increasingly difficult.

Throughout my 20 years in leadership roles across the luxury industry, I have worked with executives at different stages of their careers. Some were stepping into larger responsibilities, others were navigating organisational change, considering their next career move or looking for ways to become more effective leaders.

What they often had in common was not a lack of experience or capability, but the need for greater clarity.

This is where coaching can make a difference.

What is executive coaching?

Executive coaching is a confidential partnership that helps you gain perspective, challenge your thinking and develop greater clarity and confidence in how you lead, decide and act.

Rather than providing ready-made solutions, a coach helps you examine your assumptions, consider different perspectives and develop your own answers.

The benefits of coaching are supported by research. A 2023 meta-analysis published in Frontiers in Psychology found that workplace coaching had a positive effect on organisational outcomes, consistent with earlier research.

The reasons for seeking coaching vary. You may want to strengthen your leadership, prepare for a new role, navigate a career transition or become more confident in your decisions.

Whatever your starting point, I structure the coaching journey around three steps: find clarity, define your direction and move into action.

01. FIND CLARITY: Where are you today?

Reflect on your current situation, identify your priorities and define the objectives of our work together.

02. DEFINE YOUR DIRECTION: What do you want to achieve?

Clarify your goals, explore opportunities and challenges, and identify what needs to change or develop to move forward.

03. MOVE INTO ACTION: How will you get there?

Turn the clarity gained during our sessions into practical actions and develop a clear plan for your next steps. Together, we agree on specific actions and review progress, adapting the plan as new challenges or opportunities arise.

The first person you lead is yourself

One of the most important lessons I have learned throughout my career is that leadership begins with understanding ourselves. How we think, respond to pressure, make decisions and interact with others influences our effectiveness as leaders and the people around us. Whether you are preparing for a new responsibility, considering a career transition or questioning what comes next, perhaps the most useful place to start is with two questions:

If you could change one thing about your professional life today, what would it be?

And what is stopping you from taking the first step?