From Expert to Leader – Why Coaching Is the Missing Link
Many organisations promote high-performing technical experts into leadership roles but fail to prepare them for the shift from doing the work to leading people. This blog explores the common disconnect between performance and leadership readiness, and why coaching is a critical tool in helping new leaders transition with confidence.
Coaching provides the space for emerging leaders to develop their voice, navigate uncertainty, and lead in a way that feels authentic. Without this support, they often revert to old habits or struggle silently. The blog argues that real culture change happens in the middle — through frontline leaders who shape the day-to-day employee experience.
The takeaway: promoting someone into leadership is only the first step. If you want leaders who can truly influence culture and performance, you need to invest in their development — not just their promotion.
Are your next Leaders on a lead or a leash?
Is your culture leading potential forward — or quietly keeping it on a leash?
Plenty of organisations say they’re investing in future leaders. Yet many high performers feel more watched than supported.
Succession often rewards performance, not potential.
And too few leaders stop to ask — are we developing the right people for the future we’re building?
We think we know what talent looks like, but we’re often just reinforcing old biases in new clothes.
It’s time to stop pulling future leaders out of a hat.
It’s time to re-evaluate how you’re shaping the next generation of culture carriers.
In my latest blog, I explore what it really takes to lead with intention and how coaching can help create the clarity, alignment, and energy your future leaders need.