Some leaders stand out from the rest because of their ability to do more than “delegation.”

They don’t just assign tasks, make rules, and enforce deadlines. Instead, they practice the coaching style of leadership. This method allows them to guide, empower, and support team growth and success.

In this guide, you’re going to learn everything about coaching leadership style, including:

• Its definition
• The principles of the coaching style of leadership 
• An example of a coaching style
• 13 effective coaching leadership styles

What is the Coaching Leadership Style?

Coaching leadership style focuses on guiding and developing team members to reach their full potential. 

Using this approach, a leader acts less like the boss and more like a mentor to coach their team and show individual members how important their roles are in achieving the overall goal. 

Instead of just giving orders, leaders use various coaching skills to do the following:

• Ask deep questions
• Listen actively
• Provide support 

This method helps team members enhance their personal and professional growth. It also makes each person feel seen, heard, and valued. 

What are the Principles of Coaching Style of Leadership?

Coaching leadership is built on trust, open communication, and a genuine desire to see others succeed. 

The main principles include:

1. Development

Coaching leaders focus on the long-term growth of their teams rather than just short-term results. 

By investing time in identifying individual potential, strengths, and weaknesses, you can create opportunities for them to develop their skills and knowledge. 

This can be done by providing the resources and support for continuous learning and advancement.

2. Collaboration

Rather than maintaining a strict hierarchy, coaching leaders work closely with their team members. 

They encourage open dialogue, value diverse perspectives, and involve team members in decision-making. 

This collaborative approach builds trust and promotes a sense of shared ownership in the team’s success.

3. Goal-Setting

It’s essential to help team members set and achieve SMART goals that align with both individual aspirations and organizational objectives: 

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

Then, support your team in developing action plans to achieve these goals and check in on progress to enhance their performance.

What is an Example of a Coaching Style?

A great coaching leadership model can be seen in Jenna Kutcher, a renowned digital marketer and business coach.

As a leader, Jenna is big on listening actively to her team members. She welcomes their ideas, regardless of how things have been in the past. 

She has talked about setting up new hires for success through her onboarding process. She honors her team’s passions outside of their work.

Because she wants the same pace and style of life for her team as she does for herself, Jenna coaches and allows them to own their vertical. 

She allows them to find their own solutions rather than dictating what they must do so they can be happier and more productive doing their jobs.  

13 Effective Coaching Leadership Styles

As a leader, you can apply different coaching styles to improve the performance of your team and organization. 

Here are 13 key aspects with relatable coaching leadership style examples:

1. Active listening

This involves giving your full attention to what team members say, understanding their points, and asking questions to ensure clarity. 

Active listening goes beyond just hearing words. You need to observe nonverbal cues, such as the speaker’s expressions, tone, and actions. 

Paying close attention to your team will help you achieve the following:

• Demonstrate respect
• Build trust
• Gain deeper insights into their thoughts, feelings, and needs.

For example, a team member might hesitate to share their ideas during a team meeting. Encourage them to share their thoughts. Be attentive, maintain eye contact with the speaker, and nod encouragingly as they speak. 

This helps them feel heard, valued, and confident enough to contribute more in future discussions.

2. Arranging Team Meetings

Bringing your team members together regularly enhances communication, collaboration, and alignment. 

It provides a platform for members to voice their ideas, address challenges, celebrate wins, and ensure their actions align with the overall goals. It promotes a sense of inclusivity and shared ownership.

For example, you can schedule weekly review meetings where team members share their progress, discuss challenges, and brainstorm solutions together. 

3. Offering Developmental Coaching

Your aim here is to help the long-term growth of team members rather than just immediate performance. 

Developmental coaching helps you identify their individual strengths and weaknesses. 

Then, you can create a tailored plan to help each person develop enhanced capabilities for future challenges and opportunities. 

For example, you can work with a team member to create a three-year career plan. This can include areas for improvement and opportunities to develop new skills, even if they’re not directly related to their current role.

4. Having Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence, or emotional quotient, is the ability to identify, understand, and manage your emotions and those of others. 

It’s a combination of self-awareness, emotion regulation, empathy, and social skills to:

• Handle complex interpersonal situations
• Create a positive work environment
• Achieve the best outcomes in every situation 
• Build strong relationships with their team members

For example, if a major client backs out of a deal, you should acknowledge your disappointment and frustration and the team’s. Then, guide the team in discussing what they can learn from the experience. 

This will help everyone process their emotions constructively.

5. Setting Developmental & Business Goals

In coaching leadership, it’s necessary to work with team members to establish clear, achievable goals that align with their personal growth and organizational success. 

Effective goal-setting includes the following:

• Ensuring goals are SMART
• Breaking down long-term objectives into manageable milestones
• Reviewing and adjusting goals regularly

For example, you and your team can plan the quarterly goals of each department or individual. A marketing specialist can have the goal of mastering a new analytics tool to enhance their skills and improve the company’s data-driven decision-making.

6. Giving Constructive Feedback

This means giving attention to the work of your team members and providing positive and supportive input to improve their performance. 

Constructive feedback should be balanced, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement.

For example, after an employee’s presentation, you can give feedback on their delivery. Highlight what they did well, maybe clear explanations of complex concepts, and suggest areas for improvement, like maintaining more eye contact with the audience.

7. Improving Team Performance

This approach focuses on how the team functions as a group, not just individual contributions.

Coaching leaders who prioritize team performance work on communication patterns, collaborative processes, team alignment, and overall productivity. 

For example, let’s say your team is falling behind on their quarterly goals. Instead of addressing individuals, you can bring the whole unit together to analyze their entire workflow, identify bottlenecks, and develop strategies to improve their efficiency.

8. Defining Coaching Leadership 

Defining coaching leadership is about clearly articulating and demonstrating what the leadership style means within the organization. 

This involves setting expectations for the following:

• How you, as a leader, will interact with your team
• The values that will guide these interactions
• The outcomes you aim to achieve

For example, as a new department head or project coordinator, you can set the tone for positive leadership. 

You can hold a team meeting to explain your coaching approach and highlight your expectations for open communication, mutual support, and continuous learning.

9. Building Employee Trust

Coaching leaders create an environment where team members can do the following:

• Feel safe to take risks
• Share their ideas 
• Be open and vulnerable

When trust is high, your team will be more open to feedback, take on challenges, and contribute their best.

For example, you can encourage your team to share their lapses during weekly check-ins. You can create a culture of trust and continuous improvement by openly discussing mistakes and lessons learned, including your own.  

10. Creating a Balance Between Praise and Criticism

As a coaching leader, you should use a combination of compliments and constructive criticism to motivate and guide team members. 

You celebrate successes and good performance, while also addressing areas that need development. This balanced approach helps maintain morale while still encouraging improvement. 

For example, if a team member creates a report on business finance, review it and commend them for their thorough analysis. Then, suggest ways to make the presentation more impactful and conversational. 

11. Enhancing Employee Experience

Focusing on employee experience means creating a positive work environment that supports employee growth, engagement, and satisfaction. 

This coaching leadership style considers all aspects of an employee’s journey with the organization, including:

• The onboarding process
• Daily work life
• Career development

It involves addressing team members’ needs and motivations of team members by designing policies and practices that enhance their overall work experience.

For example, you can implement a “growth buddies” program where employees are paired up to support each other’s development goals. This initiative enhances both individual growth and team bonding, improving the overall employee experience.

12. Asking Powerful Introspective Questions

Asking thought-provoking, introspective questions is a technique used by coaching leaders to stimulate critical thinking, self-reflection, and deeper understanding. 

They often begin with “what,” “how,” or “why” and are open-ended to encourage thoughtful responses. 

These questions help team members gain clarity, solve problems more effectively, and become more productive.

For example, during a one-on-one meeting, you can ask individual members questions like:

• “Is there an aspect of your job that excites you?”
• “How can we incorporate more of that into your role?” 

This question helps them reflect on their passions and how to align them with work.

13. Giving Support and Encouragement

Provide consistent support and empowerment to help team members feel confident in their abilities to overcome challenges and achieve their goals. 

This support can be verbal or tangible (such as providing resources). Like other leadership styles, this approach helps team members feel supported and grow professionally.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

For example, when a team member expresses doubt about their ability to do something, you, as a supportive coaching leader, can remind them of their past successes and provide resources they’ll need throughout the process. 

Promoting Your Coaching Style of Leadership 

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