Empowering Healthcare Leaders: Coaching for Leadership Development

Definition

Coaching is a dynamic, evolving field that seeks to unlock individuals’ potential to achieve their personal and professional best. It has gained widespread recognition across various sectors as an effective means of leadership skills development, including in the vital healthcare sector, which requires innovative strategies to build leadership skills that can sustain high-quality services and maintain patient safety. Many healthcare organizations have thus embraced coaching as a valuable tool for leadership development. This review presents the definitions, concepts, methodology, and applications of coaching, and identifies its salient characteristics in relation to other professions. The second section of this study focuses on a literature review, specifically examining coaching in the healthcare industry and its role as a method for leadership development. The outcome from the review offers insights and results from a review of related research, specifically identifying the potential for coaching within healthcare and its effectiveness in leadership development. The information gathered from this study provides valuable guidance to healthcare leaders and organizations seeking to implement coaching practices in their leadership development programs.

1. Introduction

In addition to providing effective biomedical care, healthcare professionals (HCPs) must provide, develop, and use strong leadership skills to effectively manage multidisciplinary teams in modern healthcare organizations [1]. Leadership is a multidimensional role that entails guiding, inspiring, and influencing others toward achieving collective objectives [1]. Leadership skills, however, refer to the specific competencies and actions that enable an individual to fulfill leadership responsibilities effectively [1]. Effective leadership is critical for maximizing organizational efficiency, navigating change, and improving the quality of healthcare [2]. Continuous professional development, including leadership training, is essential for HCPs to enhance their skills, improve organizational efficiency, and increase job satisfaction, while reducing stress, burnout, absenteeism, and other inefficiencies in healthcare [3]. Effective leadership can have a significant impact on employees’ job satisfaction, self-esteem, confidence, and ability to provide quality patient care and support colleagues, leading to a more content and organized workforce with reduced potential for errors [1]. Furthermore, positive attitudes among employees can result in improved patient outcomes (i.e., quality of care) and satisfaction, in addition to increasing the efficiency of organizational resource deployment [1].

Training leaders in organizational strategy and facilitating change can also lead to smooth transitions with minimized impacts on patient care, while offering effective feedback to team members can be used to identify targets and manage coordinated efforts [4]. Leadership skills are particularly critical in healthcare contexts, where HCPs face challenging and high-pressure situations, ranging from clinical emergencies to conflict management [5]. Leadership skills can help diffuse disputes quickly and empower HCPs to make confident decisions in the best interest of patients [1]. Overall, leadership skills development (LSD) is a continuing concern for healthcare organizations and researchers around the world, with coaching being an important approach to enhancing leadership competencies [2].

In recent years, coaching has been identified as an effective method for leadership development among HCPs. Research has shown that coaching can lead to improvements in HCPs’ communication, interpersonal skills, self-awareness, and overall leadership effectiveness [6,7]. Coaching is a personalized and focused approach to leadership development that can be tailored to the specific needs of each HCP. It involves a collaborative relationship between the coach and the HCP, with the coach helping the HCP to know their strengths and areas for development, set goals, and establish an action plan for improvement [8]. However, despite coaching’s potential and even demonstrable benefits when applied to enhance the development of leadership in healthcare, more studies are needed to explain its role to decision-makers, and to translate coaching from theory into organizational practice.

Real organizations need insights into how they can deploy coaching to attain desired results that meet their needs, thereby attaining desired outcomes for both individuals and organizations. Increasing efforts are being made to develop research exploring specific deployments of coaching methods, including in the context of HCPs, and longitudinal research is underway to ascertain the effects of coaching over time on coachees’ leadership skills and net employee efficiency. Such insights can inform specific and efficacious programs for the coaching of HCPs, and the current paper aims to offer insights to build knowledge in these areas (see Supplementary Materials).

2. Background on Coaching

2.1. Definition

Coaching is a process of facilitating self-improvement and personal or professional development through structured conversation and feedback [9]. It is typically conducted by a coach, a trained professional who helps clients identify goals and obstacles and establish strategies for achieving their objectives [10]. There are numerous prevalent definitions of coaching, some of the most common of which are summarized in

Table 1. Common coaching definitions.

Coaching Definition	Study
“Coaching is a process of unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance”	Whitmore [11]
“Coaching is a collaborative, solution-focused, results-orientated and systematic process in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of work performance, life experience, self-directed learning and personal growth of the coachee”	Grant [12]
“Coaching is a partnership that helps clients achieve their goals and improve their quality of life. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life”	International Coach Federation [13]
“Coaching is a human development process that involves structured, focused interaction and the use of appropriate strategies, tools, and techniques to promote desirable and sustainable change for the purpose of improving performance and expanding individual capabilities”	Kampa-Kokesch and Anderson [14]

.

Based on these common definitions, this study derives the following operational definition of coaching in the context of the development of leadership skills:

• “Leadership coaching for healthcare staff is a collaborative process that unlocks individuals’ potential, enhancing their leadership skills and performance in healthcare settings”.

2.2. Purpose

Coaching is a process of facilitating personal and professional development to help individuals to reach their goals and overcome obstacles [11]. Coaching can be used effectively in myriad contexts, most commonly in executive coaching and sports coaching. Its purpose in all contexts is to help individuals improve their performance, develop new skills, and achieve their full potential [10]. This section explores the purpose of coaching in more detail, and highlights some of its key benefits, as supported by the empirical literature.

One of the primary purposes of coaching is to help individuals set and achieve their own individual goals. Coaches work with their clients to establish their goals and establish a plan for achieving them. This typically requires setting “specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound” (SMART) goals that are aligned with the client’s values and aspirations [14]. By working with a coach, individuals can develop a clear sense of purpose and direction, and they can take action towards achieving their goals [15].

Another purpose of coaching is to help individuals overcome obstacles and challenges. Coaches can provide a safe and supportive environment for individuals to explore their challenges and identify solutions. By working with a coach, individuals can develop new perspectives, gain clarity about their situation, and develop strategies for overcoming their challenges [12]. Coaches can also help individuals build resilience and develop the skills they need to navigate difficult situations [16].

Coaching can also be used to help individuals develop new skills and capabilities. Coaches can give feedback and support to help individuals build their competence and confidence in a particular area [14]. For example, an executive coach may help a leader to develop their communication skills or their ability to manage conflict. A sports coach may help an athlete to improve their technique or develop a new skill. By working with a coach, individuals can accelerate their learning and development, and achieve their potential more quickly [15].

Coaching can also be used to promote self-awareness and personal growth [17]. Coaches can help individuals to understand their weaknesses and strengths, their values and beliefs, and their motivations and aspirations. By developing greater self-awareness, individuals can make more informed decisions, build stronger relationships, and lead more fulfilling lives. Coaches can also help individuals to develop their emotional intelligence, which is a critical skill for leadership and personal success [16].

Hence, coaching can be used to promote organizational effectiveness and performance [18]. Executive coaching is increasingly utilized in organizations to help leaders develop their skills and achieve their goals. Coaching can also be used to improve team performance by helping team members to communicate more effectively, build trust, and work collaboratively [15]. By investing in coaching, organizations can develop a culture of continuous learning and improvement and create a more engaged and motivated workforce [10].

Thus, coaching is a powerful tool for personal and professional development that can help individuals attain their goals, overcome obstacles, develop new skills, promote self-awareness, and improve organizational effectiveness [19]. Whether for an executive looking to improve leadership skills, an athlete looking to improve performance, or an individual looking to achieve personal goals, coaching can help individuals to achieve their full potential, which is also generally a desirable goal for their organizations [16].

3. Process, Models, and Methodology

The coaching process itself is well-defined, and typically includes several common elements, including establishing the coaching relationship, assessing the client’s needs, establishing an action plan, implementing the plan, evaluating progress, and terminating the coaching relationship [20,21]. The success of the coaching process depends on the coach’s ability to build a strong and trusting relationship with the client, assess their needs accurately, and develop a plan of action that is tailored to the client’s unique goals and circumstances [20]. By following a structured and systematic approach, coaches can help their clients achieve their full potential and succeed in their professional and personal lives [21].

Coaching models and methodologies are frameworks that provide structure and guidance for the coaching process, many of which have been developed over the years, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. The “Goal, Reality, Options, and Will” (GROW) model was a pioneering system introduced by Sir John Whitmore in the 1980s [11]. It is still widely used due to its simplicity and effectiveness in guiding the coaching process. It is based on the premise that individuals can fundamentally achieve their goals through the process of goal-setting, identifying the reality of their current situation, exploring options to overcome obstacles, and committing to taking action to achieve their desired outcomes. Given its straightforward, goal-oriented structure, the GROW model was selected to explain the coaching process, models, and methodology. While other coaching models also offer valuable frameworks, GROW’s simplicity makes it especially suitable for a broad range of applications, including healthcare leadership development.

The model begins with setting a goal, which is a specific and measurable outcome that the client wants to achieve. The coach then helps the client to explore the reality of their current situation by examining the resources and barriers that are present. Once the reality of the situation is understood, the coach and client can move on to exploring the options that are available to overcome obstacles and achieve the desired outcome. Finally, the coach helps the client to commit to taking action by setting specific and measurable tasks and timelines [11,15]. The GROW model is summarized in Figure 1.

One of the advantages of the GROW model is that it is easy to understand and apply; it provides a clear structure for the coaching process and helps to ensure that the coaching sessions remain focused and goal-oriented [12]. The GROW model can be used in a variety of coaching contexts, including personal development, career development, and leadership development. It is also a beneficial tool for managers who want to coach their workforce to improve their performance [16]. However, while the GROW model has many benefits, and provides a useful framework for coaching that can help clients achieve their goals, coaches should also be aware of its limitations. Specifically, the model may not be suitable for all coaching situations, particularly those that require a more in-depth exploration of the client’s underlying beliefs and values [22]. Additionally, the model assumes that the client has a clear idea of what they want to achieve, which may not always be the case (indeed, an inability to formulate goals may often be a root cause for why people seek coaching services in the first place) [12]. Consequently, coaches should be prepared to adapt their methodology as required, to meet the unique needs of each client [15].

4. Applications

Coaching is a versatile process applied across various contexts, including personal, career, leadership, business, and performance development [23]. Personal development coaching helps individuals achieve goals related to self-awareness, confidence, and self-esteem [24], while career coaching supports career progression through planning, performance improvement, and negotiation skills [25]. Leadership coaching focuses on enhancing skills like communication, decision-making, team-building, and conflict management [24]. Business coaching assists entrepreneurs in reaching goals aligned with profitability and organizational success [26]. Performance coaching aids individuals in improving specific skills, such as those in athletics, music, or professional settings [25].

Regardless of the context—whether personal, career, leadership, business, or performance—the universal aim of coaching is to help individuals and organizations reach their full potential [16].

4.1. Coaching in Healthcare

Coaching offers valuable tools to support leadership development in healthcare. As a result, coaching has gained popularity as a means of improving leadership and management skills, reducing burnout, and enhancing job satisfaction; collectively, these outcomes improve the well-being and effectiveness of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and, in turn, increase health system efficiency [27,28]. A systematic review of coaching interventions in healthcare found that coaching effectively enhances leadership skills, job satisfaction, and staff retention, making it a valuable approach for addressing burnout and building resilience among HCPs [27].

Leadership skills are critical for HCPs who need to manage complex patient care and navigate changing regulations and technological advancements. Coaching can help HCPs develop their leadership skills by providing them with personalized feedback, guidance, and support [24]. By focusing on individualized development, coaching can help HCPs develop the skills they require to succeed in their roles [21].

Burnout is a common problem among HCPs, associated with their typically long working hours and high workload (both of which are associated with chronic understaffing in healthcare organizations worldwide), and the emotionally challenging nature of their work [29]. Coaching has been shown to be an effective approach for addressing burnout and enhancing resilience among HCPs [30]. A coach can work with HCPs to associate the causes of burnout and establish strategies for coping with stress and building resilience [31]. Interrelated with burnout, job satisfaction and staff retention are also critical issues for healthcare organizations.

Burnout is a common cause of presenteeism (i.e., people working with low efficiency), absenteeism, and turnover (people leaving healthcare professions). These phenomena entail massive training and recruitment costs for healthcare organizations, and reduce the efficiency and quality of the services they provide (and, thus, patient safety and satisfaction) [32]. Coaching can help improve job satisfaction by enhancing employee engagement and providing opportunities for growth and development [33].

By providing personalized feedback and support, coaching can help HCPs feel valued and supported in their roles, leading to increased job satisfaction [34]. Coaching can also help improve staff retention by providing opportunities for career development and growth within the organization [35].

4.2. Leadership Development Through Coaching

Leadership development is a key area in which coaching has been applied in healthcare. Coaching has been found to be an effective approach for developing leadership skills among HCPs, including nurses, physicians, and healthcare executives [36,37]. James and Arnold studied coaching’s impacts on nursing leadership development and reported that coaching was effective in enhancing leadership self-efficacy and job satisfaction among nurse leaders [36]. The coaching program they studied was designed to enhance participants’ self-awareness, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategies for achieving their leadership goals. The participants reported that coaching helped them to develop a more positive self-image as leaders, enhanced their communication and conflict resolution skills, and improved their ability to manage change.

Similarly, Dyrbye et al. [38] found that coaching resulted in a substantial decrease in emotional fatigue and the overall manifestation of burnout symptoms, while also leading to enhancements in overall quality of life and resilience. Baron and Morin found that coaching is effective for leadership development skills among healthcare executives in terms of leadership self-efficacy, strategic thinking, and self-awareness [39]. The studied coaching program was designed to help executives develop a greater understanding of their leadership style, identify areas for improvement, and develop strategies for achieving their leadership goals. The participants reported that coaching helped them to develop a more strategic mindset, enhanced their ability to lead change, and improved their overall job satisfaction.

The theoretical implications of this review highlight the need for a paradigm shift in how leadership and employee development are approached in healthcare. Coaching offers a structured, yet flexible framework for personal and professional growth, aligning with leadership theories that emphasize the importance of transformational leadership and emotional intelligence in high-pressure environments. Recent research findings [40] demonstrate that transformational leadership in nursing positively impacts healthcare organizations by enhancing resource management, care quality, and long-term sustainability. Visionary leaders contribute to staff retention, foster innovation and research, and bolster organizational reputation and growth. Through continuous support and training, transformational nurse leaders can increase job satisfaction and engagement among nurses, improve patient satisfaction, achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes, and drive high levels of organizational performance.

From a practical perspective, healthcare organizations should consider incorporating coaching as a routine element of employee development programs, particularly for management roles and positions in which burnout is prevalent. This can be achieved by integrating coaching within existing organizational structures and fostering a culture of continuous professional development that extends beyond the clinical skills typically emphasized in healthcare training.

5. Conclusions

Empirical studies are increasingly demonstrating the tangible benefits of coaching to improve various outcomes for healthcare organizations, including the development of leadership skills, reducing burnout symptoms, enhancing professional satisfaction, and reducing turnover while enhancing employee productivity. The unique expectations placed upon HCPs warrant special services supporting their wellbeing and development, and coaching can empower them to increase their skills and abilities, and render them more positive concerning their role and general wellbeing. Numerous research angles attest that coaching enhances the effectiveness of leadership skills and strategic cognition among various tiers of employees in healthcare organizations, particularly among management and nurse leaders, while reducing burnout symptoms and enhancing HCPs’ wellbeing and the quality of services they can provide (i.e., improving the quality of healthcare delivered to patients).

HCPs are less likely to leave an organization or their profession if they are supported by coaching, which creates a milieu of valuing and supporting individuals and their roles within teams and institutions. This is essential in healthcare working environments, where high dissatisfaction and turnover are endemic problems undermining morale and the quality of care. Applying appropriate and effective strategies of coaching can accrue desired goal attainment, in alignment with organizational and individual aims and objectives.

The ongoing evolution of healthcare organizations warrants the expanded deployment of coaching to empower HCPs with commensurate leadership and personal skills to maximize their own wellbeing and their professional effectiveness, thereby contributing to more sustainable and effective healthcare systems for the future. These objectives are of immense importance for socio-economic development, and achieving them requires the adoption of appropriate and effective coaching strategies, which involve consulting with and actively involving all related stakeholders.