Why Coaching Skills in Leaders Make All the Difference

Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of seeing coaching in action — not just as a buzzword, but as a core leadership capability that truly transforms teams.

At Australia Post, we implemented a Leader as Coach program that spanned over three years. More recently, we’ve spent the past 12 months investing in building coaching capability at Natrio Asia Pacific Limited. In both cases, the impact has been clear: leaders who adopt a coaching mindset help build stronger, more empowered teams and unlock real performance and growth.

So why does coaching matter so much? And why now?

Coaching Is About Unlocking Potential

At its core, coaching is the art of finding the potential in others — not by giving answers, but by creating the space for people to think for themselves. It’s about being curious, not directive. It’s about asking questions that open up new thinking, rather than closing conversations down.

Imagine doing that consistently in your team. Imagine a culture where leaders are not the bottlenecks, but enablers — where they grow the capability of their people rather than solving every problem. It makes perfect sense when you say it out loud, but the reality is, this still isn’t the norm for many leaders. Often, the pressure to deliver, decide, and direct can get in the way of truly empowering others.

That’s why building coaching capability isn’t just a skill-building exercise — it’s a mindset shift.

The Real Impact: Empowerment, Trust, and Growth

When leaders coach, the ripple effects are enormous. You start to see:

• More empowered teams that take ownership of their work
• Greater trust between leaders and team members
• Less reliance on constant direction, freeing up leaders to think more strategically
• Stronger development conversations, where feedback isn’t a once-a-year event but a continuous dialogue
• And a greater sense of care and connection, which is vital in retaining and growing talent

In both Australia Post and Natrio, I’ve seen leaders grow in confidence and capability through this work. The quality of their conversations shifted. They moved from transactional to developmental. They became better at navigating ambiguity, at holding space for others, and at letting go of the need to always have the answers.

And the results followed — not just in engagement scores or performance metrics, but in the everyday moments where leaders showed up differently.

Yes, It Can Feel Clunky — At First

Let’s be honest: coaching isn’t always easy. Especially at the beginning, it can feel inefficient. As a leader, when you’re used to solving problems, it can be uncomfortable to sit in silence, to ask instead of tell, or to let someone wrestle with an idea rather than jumping in.

But those moments — the slightly awkward, slow-burning ones — often lead to the most powerful breakthroughs. When someone feels heard, challenged, and supported in the right way, that’s when they grow. And as a coach, those are the moments that bring real joy.

The good news? Coaching doesn’t have to mean hour-long sessions with a formal structure. It can be embedded into your everyday leadership: in your 1:1s, in team check-ins, in decision-making conversations. With the right skills and mindset, it becomes part of how you lead — not something extra to do.

The Case for a Leader as Coach Program

In today’s fast-paced, high-pressure workplaces, we need leaders who are more than just operationally strong. We need leaders who can develop capability in others, lead through complexity, and create environments of trust, inclusion, and accountability.

That’s exactly what a Leader as Coach program helps build.

It equips leaders with practical tools like deep listening, powerful questioning, and growth-focused feedback. It strengthens emotional intelligence and builds the courage to have more meaningful conversations. And perhaps most importantly, it sends a clear cultural signal: we invest in our people, and we believe in their potential.

Final Thoughts

Coaching isn’t a “nice-to-have.” It’s a leadership essential.

When we teach leaders how to coach — and give them the time and support to build those muscles — we see real change. Teams perform better. People grow faster. Organisations become more adaptive, resilient, and human.

So how are you investing in your leaders?

If you’re curious about what a Leader as Coach program could look like for your organisation, or you just want to understand more, I’d love to chat.