In addition to the statistics related to engagement, performance, and retention, one study conducted in 2023 found that in 752 professionals responsible for leadership development in the US, UK, and Canada, there was an average $7 ROI for every $1 spent on coaching and training, which seemed to result from increased revenue and sales after commencement of leadership development programs, as well as reductions in costs related to increased engagement, ie, lower employee turnover and recruiting costs. 

Much of the coaching process is based in the science of Positive Psychology. Coaching exercises and active listening help clients to find clarity of mindset which allows for the integration of the brain, reducing feelings of overwhelm and other negative emotions. Coaching also addresses executive functioning in the process of breaking down action steps towards goals.

Industry research suggests that the first step in leadership abilities is developing self-awareness of one’s positive and potentially unhelpful patterns, which can have a cascading effect where it comes to actual behavior and mindset change which can then be applied in the day to day improvement of employee engagement, leadership skills, wellbeing, social connection, and performance. 

Neuroplasticity research shows that the neural networks within the brain are plastic and develop not just in childhood, but into adulthood and beyond. Contrary to popular knowledge that it takes 21 days to make a habit, research shows that on average it actually takes closer to 66 days!

Working with a coach over a period of months increases the likelihood that a coachee will be able to follow through on habit and system formation and create long lasting behavior and mindset changes. If you consider the impact of implementing healthy habits and systems in your life and organization now compared with 5, 10, or 20 years from now, the impact on your organization and people can be exponential.

EI measures have been studied as a predictor of job and leadership performance for over 30 years and used globally in organizations for training purposes. High EI has been connected to increased managerial effectiveness, team performance, resilience, entrepreneurship, leadership behaviors, and career commitment, and recently even company stock prices!

Further, increased emotional intelligence in leaders as a result of investing in training has been shown to be perceived as increased organizational support and improved competencies have shown a trickle down effect leading to returns on investment especially in regards to organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and employee retention.

Similar to our health, our corporate health and leadership development is also always good to manage proactively, but many organizations choose to hire coaches at times of great organizational change, transitions, such as at time of promotions, or mergers and acquisitions, or for the purpose of improving engagement, wellbeing, or developing a culture of sustainable performance to improve unsustainable existing corporate cultures that have already gotten out of hand.

Through leadership coaching programs, anonymous data from participants can also be collected to understand at a high level what participants focused on in their sessions and consider future organizational initiatives or development programs at a level that isn’t always be possible through internal initiatives.