In exploring the long-term impact of leadership coaching, I came across a powerful analogy from New Age Leadership that illustrates how small, consistent improvements can lead to extraordinary outcomes.
Imagine I offer you a salary increase, and you get to choose which option:
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Option 1: $10/week, increasing by 10% weekly
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Option 2: A flat $5,000/month.
Initially, Option 1 feels like a loss. But after 16 months, it catches up. After 24 months, it explodes to $2.2 million, while Option 2 remains at $120K. That’s the compound effect at work.
Now, apply this to leadership coaching.
Leadership coaching follows a similar path. Using an evidence-based framework, we start by setting goals and making small, consistent shifts in mindset, behaviour, and leadership style. These internal changes often go unnoticed in the first 6–12 months, as actions take time to align. But by months 12, 18, and 24 — that’s when mindset and behaviour fully sync, and performance transformation becomes visible and can accelerate.
But here’s where it gets even more interesting:
If you coach not just one leader but an entire leadership team of 6, the collective impact multiplies:
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6 leaders × $2.2M = $13.2M
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Add peer influence and direct reports (say 5 each):
$13.2M × 6 × 5 = $396M
Let’s strip out the dollars and talk productivity:
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Status quo: 72%
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With coaching: 396%
Even halved, that’s still a 198% lift.
Even capturing just 10% of that outcome delivers outsized impact — and the financial investment to achieve it? Around 5%.
What are others saying about the ROI of Leadership Coaching
Pricing is only one side of the equation—the return on investment (ROI) of executive coaching is what truly matters. Studies report that executive coaching leads to significant improvements in leadership effectiveness, decision-making, and organisational performance.
- A MetrixGlobal LLC study found that companies investing in executive coaching saw an average ROI of 788%, considering factors such as increased productivity and employee retention.
- According to an ICF Global Coaching Client Study, 86% of organisations reported recouping their investment in coaching, with a substantial percentage seeing an even higher return.
- A report from FMI Consulting revealed that 87% of surveyed organisations believe executive coaching delivers high ROI.
If you’re serious about performance, culture, and sustainable change — let’s talk.
Margie Ireland Leadership Psychologist (MAPS) (COPS)
