As a leader, one of the most impactful roles you play is that of a coach. Great leaders don’t just manage tasks—they help people grow. Your ability to guide, support, and challenge your team members’ skill development directly affects their engagement, growth, and the overall performance of your organization.
Yet coaching employees about performance—especially when it’s not meeting expectations—can be one of the most difficult parts of leadership. It requires a careful balance of empathy, clarity, and accountability. Done well, coaching transforms underperformance into growth and builds a foundation of trust that fuels high-performing teams.
This article explores a leadership-driven approach to coaching employees for performance improvement, with practical strategies rooted in trust, communication, and development. Along the way, we’ll connect these practices to insights from leadership experts, bestselling books, and popular podcasts that reinforce the power of coaching as a core leadership skill.
Why Coaching Matters for Leaders
Coaching is not about micromanaging or enforcing compliance. It’s about empowering employees to take ownership of their performance while equipping them with the tools, feedback, and support they need to succeed.
Research from Gallup shows that employees who receive meaningful feedback are almost four times more likely to be engaged at work. In The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier, the author emphasizes that great coaching is about asking better questions, not giving more directions. Similarly, in the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast, Groeschel frequently highlights that leaders who coach rather than command create stronger, more motivated teams.
High-performing teams rarely happen by accident—they’re the result of intentional leadership. Coaching conversations are the bridge between current performance and future potential.
1. Start with Trust and Intent
The foundation of any successful coaching conversation is trust. Without it, employees are likely to view feedback as criticism rather than support. Before addressing performance issues, set the tone by making your intent clear: your goal is to help them succeed, not to punish or control.
For example, you might begin with:
“I want to talk about an area of your performance where you have the opportunity to improve, and I want to help you be successful in this role.”
Establishing positive intent shifts the dynamic from adversarial to collaborative. In Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek explains that trust is the glue of high-performing teams. When employees believe you’re invested in their growth, they’re far more willing to engage openly and take risks in improving.
Leadership takeaway: Trust is the foundation of skill-building. Coaching starts with relationships, not directives.
2. Be Specific and Objective
Vague feedback like “you need to do better” rarely drives change. Employees need clarity on what behaviors or outcomes are falling short, and why it matters. Anchor your feedback in observable facts rather than general impressions.
For example:
“Over the last month, three reports were submitted past their deadlines, which impacted the team’s ability to meet client expectations.”
Specific, objective feedback eliminates defensiveness and opens the door for problem-solving. Brené Brown, in her book Dare to Lead, reinforces the idea that “clear is kind.” Ambiguity erodes trust, while clarity empowers employees to act.
Leadership takeaway: Replace generalizations with clear, evidence-based examples. Facts drive improvement, vagueness breeds confusion.
3. Listen to Understand
One of the most overlooked elements of coaching is listening. Performance challenges often stem from underlying issues—whether personal struggles, skill gaps, unclear expectations, or insufficient resources. Effective leaders create space for employees to share their perspective.
Ask open-ended questions such as:
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“How are you feeling about your current workload?”
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“What challenges are you running into?”
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“Is there anything making it difficult for you to succeed right now?”
Active listening demonstrates respect and turns a one-sided critique into a two-way conversation. In the Coaching Real Leaders podcast from Harvard Business Review, leadership coach Muriel Wilkins consistently emphasizes listening as the gateway to understanding what really drives behavior and performance.
Leadership takeaway: Coaching is not a lecture. Listen deeply to uncover the root of performance challenges.
4. Align on Expectations and Goals
Once issues are identified, the next step is to realign on what success looks like. Reinforce expectations and define measurable goals. Clarity here prevents misunderstandings later.
For example:
“By next quarter, I’d like to see all project updates submitted by the deadline, and we’ll check in weekly to monitor progress.”
Patrick Lencioni, in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, highlights that lack of clarity and accountability are two of the most common barriers to team performance. By setting clear expectations, you not only help the employee improve—you reinforce standards for the entire team.
Leadership takeaway: Define what good performance looks like in specific, measurable terms. Alignment creates accountability.
5. Offer Support and Development
Coaching isn’t just about pointing out gaps—it’s about providing tools to close them. Once goals are set, identify what support the employee needs to succeed. This might include:
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Training or skill development workshops
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Mentoring or peer support
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Clearer processes or role definitions
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More frequent check-ins
Ask:
“What support would help you perform at the level we’ve outlined?”
Then follow through. When employees see you’re willing to invest in their growth, they’re far more motivated to improve. Carol Dweck’s Mindset reminds us that growth comes when people believe they can develop—and when leaders create environments that encourage learning.
Leadership takeaway: Support is the bridge between current performance and potential. Coaching means resourcing, not just critiquing.
6. Follow Through Consistently
One of the biggest mistakes leaders make is treating coaching as a single event. True coaching is a process, not a one-time conversation. Set regular check-ins to monitor progress, celebrate wins, and recalibrate when needed.
Celebrating even small improvements reinforces momentum and confidence. Consistency builds trust, while inconsistency undermines it.
John C. Maxwell, in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, puts it simply: “Small disciplines repeated with consistency every day lead to great achievements.” The same principle applies to coaching.
Leadership takeaway: Consistent follow-up transforms feedback into growth. Accountability without consistency is ineffective.
7. Know When to Escalate
Not every coaching effort results in improvement. If performance doesn’t change despite clear feedback and support, it may be necessary to escalate formally through performance improvement plans (PIPs) or HR processes.
Approach escalation with fairness and transparency. Make it clear that the goal is still improvement, but that accountability has real consequences.
Kim Scott, in Radical Candor, stresses the importance of balancing “care personally” with “challenge directly.” Escalation isn’t about punishment—it’s about maintaining standards while still valuing the individual.
Leadership takeaway: Escalation should be a last resort—but when necessary, it must be clear, fair, and consistent.
Final Thoughts: Coaching Is Leadership
At its core, coaching isn’t about fixing problems—it’s about developing people. Effective coaching builds a culture of growth, accountability, and respect.
When you, as a leader, approach coaching with trust, clarity, listening, support, and follow-through, you create the conditions for high performance. And when escalation is necessary, you handle it with fairness and transparency.
Most importantly, remember that coaching is about helping—not judging. Emotion and frustration should be left at the door. Coaching conversations should empower employees to manage their own performance and take ownership of their growth.
Leaders who coach effectively don’t just improve results—they build stronger, more resilient teams prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
As Michael Bungay Stanier reminds us in The Coaching Habit: “Say less, ask more. Your people will thank you for it.”
Recommended Resources for Leaders Who Want to Improve Their Coaching Skills
Books:
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The Coaching Habit by Michael Bungay Stanier
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Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
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Radical Candor by Kim Scott
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Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
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Mindset by Carol Dweck
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The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
Podcasts:
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Coaching Real Leaders (Harvard Business Review)
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Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast
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The Look & Sound of Leadership by Tom Henschel
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Lead to Win by Michael Hyatt
By integrating these insights into your leadership practice, you’ll be well on your way to becoming not just a manager of tasks—but a true leader of people.
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