In order to grow a successful business, a strong coaching culture needs to be a role-modelled behaviour. When they don’t see a path for growth, they disengage. When people don’t feel supported by their leaders, they have a higher likelihood of leaving. The biggest factor? The relationship between them and their immediate leader. When this relationship breaks down, everything suffers. From performance and engagement to culture and wellbeing. Adopting a coaching mindset is how you break the cycle. 

Great organisations and high-performing leaders know that leadership isn’t about pure delegation. It’s about unlocking the true potential of individuals. Coaching does just that. It empowers people to be proactive in their role, to think, learn and grow every day. When leaders prioritise a coaching relationship, teams don’t just perform. They thrive. 

Why coaching cultures outperform 

Coaching cultures fuel momentum and growth. It calls for continuous improvement, capability building and connection. In fast-paced environments like retail, hospitality and services, coaching ensures teams adapt quickly and consistently deliver quality, no matter the challenge. In creative and high-growth businesses, coaching speeds up learning cycles, drives innovation and builds resilience through change. 

It’s not just about coaching for performance but coaching for potential. This shifts the focus from short-term output to long-term capability. Instead of giving answers, leaders ask better questions. Instead of delegating, they upskill. Instead of fixing, they empower. 

Coaching starts with leadership accountability 

Organisations with great coaching cultures haven’t been built overnight. They’ve been created intentionally, with the catalyst being the reclarification of leadership expectations. Traditional hierarchical structures like “command and control” leadership inhibits initiative and learning, compared to a coaching-based leadership that builds ownership, engagement and trust. 

To embed coaching, leaders need: 

• Clear expectations that coaching isn’t optional; it’s part of the leadership role. 
• A safe environment that allows people to grow fast, where curiosity, feedback and learning are encouraged. 
• Real accountability where leaders are measured by the growth of their people, not just business outcomes. 
• A default coaching mindset. 

Frameworks like G.R.O.W. can be helpful, but a coaching culture goes deeper than tools. It requires leaders to:

• Stay curious and seek to understand 
• Ask meaningful questions 
• Give honest, constructive feedback 
• Share stories to teach and inspire 
• Adapt communication styles to suit individuals 
• Know when to switch between coach, mentor and trainer 

As a coaching culture embeds itself as a leadership ritual, development is a constant. 

Support for emerging leaders 

Traditionally, coaching is reserved for C-suite and high-level executives of large organisations. Lower-level leaders, especially new and emerging leaders, often miss out on crucial skills at the most crucial time in their careers. This gap costs organisations more in the long run, leading to poor management skills, unhappy teams and individuals, and an inability to effectively lead to inspire and engage. 

On the flip side, new and emerging leaders struggle to coach their teams due to a lack of confidence and capability. Again, these important and invaluable skills can skyrocket the growth of individuals and teams tenfold if they’re given the right support. 

That’s why we created LEAP 

LEAP (Leadership Edge Accelerator Program) is a self-led course teaching new leaders the foundational skills they need to become effective leaders. It helps them build the mindset, habits and skillset of highly capable leaders early in their career for greater reward later down the track. It’s with this support we’ve seen new leaders quickly shift from managing tasks to growing and developing people – accelerating performance across their team and for the organisation. 

Building a coaching culture isn’t just a leadership initiative – it’s an organisational advantage. When coaching becomes part of how people work together, teams lift their performance, individuals feel valued, and organisations begin retaining and attracting top talent, where people want to grow and develop. 

If you’re ready to build a coaching culture in your organisation, from the ground up, talk to us about LEAP and potential leadership development programs. Let’s grow your people, together. 

Learn more about LEAP or chat to our GM of Business Development, Eliza. Book a call here.