Coaching Plan: Improving Leadership Effectiveness
1. Coaching Purpose
Support the client to:
Develop self-awareness as a leader
Improve decision-making under pressure
Strengthen communication and influence
Build trust and psychological safety in teams
Increase accountability and execution
Lead with clarity, confidence, and consistency
Shift from task-management → people-leadership
2. Coaching Scope & Boundaries
Leadership coaching focuses on behaviour, mindset, and effectiveness, not:
Organisational restructuring
HR disciplinary processes
Clinical psychological issues
Technical job-specific training (unless contextual)
The coach:
Does not evaluate performance formally
Does not replace HR or executive supervision
Works on leadership behaviours, patterns, and impact
3. Desired Outcomes
Client may achieve:
Clear leadership identity and style
Improved communication with teams
Stronger delegation and accountability systems
Reduced conflict and confusion
Higher team trust and engagement
Better decision-making clarity
Increased influence without authority struggle
Consistent execution and follow-through
4. Core Leadership Development Model
Phase 1: Leadership Self-Awareness
Focus:
Understand current leadership patterns and impact
Explore:
Leadership style (autocratic, collaborative, avoidant, etc.)
Emotional triggers under pressure
Decision-making habits
Blind spots
Coaching Questions:
“How do you think your team experiences you?”
“What patterns show up when pressure increases?”
“What feedback do you repeatedly receive?”
Tools:
360 reflection (informal)
Leadership impact mapping
Strengths vs derailers analysis
Phase 2: Leadership Identity & Mindset
Focus:
Shift from “doing the work” → “leading people”
Explore:
Control vs delegation
Trust in others
Fear of letting go
Perfectionism or micromanagement
Coaching Questions:
“What kind of leader do you want to be known as?”
“What are you holding onto that your team should own?”
“What would trusting your team more look like?”
Output:
Leadership identity statement
Core leadership values (3–5 principles)
Phase 3: Communication & Influence
Focus:
Clear, consistent, and impactful communication
Core Skills:
Clarity over complexity
Active listening
Setting expectations
Difficult conversations
Feedback delivery
Coaching Framework: CLEAR Communication
Clarify intention
Listen fully
Express impact
Agree on action
Reinforce follow-up
Questions:
“Where does your message get misunderstood?”
“How do you ensure alignment after meetings?”
Phase 4: Delegation & Accountability
Focus:
Move from doing → enabling others
Explore:
Micromanagement tendencies
Trust in team capability
Clarity of roles
Delegation Model:
Define outcome clearly
Assign ownership
Agree on checkpoints
Remove unnecessary control
Hold accountability consistently
Coaching Questions:
“What are you doing that someone else should own?”
“Where are you slowing execution by staying involved?”
Phase 5: Decision-Making Under Pressure
Focus:
Improve clarity and speed in decisions
Explore:
Overthinking
Fear of failure
Data vs intuition balance
Decision Framework: DECIDE
Define problem
Explore options
Consider impact
Identify risks
Decide
Evaluate results
Questions:
“What makes decisions feel difficult for you?”
“Where are you delaying action unnecessarily?”
Phase 6: Team Dynamics & Psychological Safety
Focus:
Build trust and performance in teams
Explore:
Team trust levels
Communication barriers
Conflict avoidance
Engagement levels
Coaching Questions:
“Do your team members feel safe to challenge you?”
“Where is communication breaking down?”
Leadership Behaviours:
Encourage open feedback
Normalize mistakes as learning
Respond calmly under pressure
Recognize contribution consistently
Phase 7: Performance & Accountability Systems
Focus:
Create structure for execution
Systems:
Clear KPIs per team member
Weekly check-ins
Accountability tracking
Outcome-based reporting
Coaching Questions:
“How do you currently track performance?”
“Where does accountability break down?”
Phase 8: Leadership Presence & Emotional Regulation
Focus:
How leader shows up under pressure
Explore:
Emotional reactivity
Stress response
Energy management
Presence in meetings
Skill:
Pause before reacting
Neutral tone under stress
Calm authority
Coaching Question:
“What do people experience when you are under pressure?”
5. Session Structure (6–8 Sessions)
Session 1: Leadership baseline & awareness
Session 2: Leadership identity & mindset
Session 3: Communication effectiveness
Session 4: Delegation & accountability
Session 5: Decision-making clarity
Session 6: Team dynamics & trust
Session 7: Performance systems
Session 8: Integration & leadership roadmap
6. Coaching Tools
Leadership 360 reflection
Delegation audit
Communication feedback loop
Decision-making framework (DECIDE)
Role clarity mapping
Team trust assessment
Weekly leadership reflection journal
7. High-Impact Coaching Questions
Self-awareness
“What impact do you think your leadership has on morale?”
“What do people hesitate to tell you?”
Delegation
“What would happen if you stepped back more?”
“What are you holding onto that limits your team?”
Communication
“Where are your messages unclear or overcomplicated?”
“How do you handle disagreement?”
Influence
“Do people follow you because they must, or because they want to?”
“What builds trust in your leadership style?”
8. Common Leadership Challenges
Micromanagement
Poor delegation
Over-control in uncertainty
Avoiding difficult conversations
Inconsistent expectations
Emotional reactivity under pressure
Lack of clarity in communication
9. Red Flags for Referral (if applicable)
Severe workplace conflict escalation
Bullying or toxic leadership patterns
Burnout requiring medical/psychological intervention
Substance use affecting leadership performance
Trauma responses interfering with functioning
10. Outcome Statement Example
“I lead with clarity, confidence, and emotional control, communicate effectively with my team, delegate appropriately, and create a high-trust, high-performance environment.”