Executive Coaching Impact: What’s Changed and How Do We Know It Mattered?
- Sophie
- Oct 28
- 4 min read
f you’ve ever been asked to quantify the impact of executive coaching, you’ll know it can feel a bit like measuring the ROI of trust, or the revenue uplift from better listening. We intuitively know that coaching work, leaders grow, teams shift, culture evolves but put a finance lens on it, and things get murky.
So let’s shine a light into that murk.
In this issue, we’re exploring how to measure executive coaching meaningfully not just with spreadsheets and satisfaction scores, but with the psychological depth the work truly demands.
Beyond ROI: Are We Asking the Wrong Question?
When organisations invest in executive coaching, the first question is often: What’s the return on investment?
It’s a fair ask but a limited one.
As Megan Reitz and John Higgins point out in their INSEAD article, focusing purely on financial return misses the nuanced, often transformative shifts coaching can spark: increased self-awareness, greater emotional intelligence, more intentional leadership.
These changes may not immediately show up on a balance sheet, but they lay the foundation for long-term performance. And they ripple outward through teams, culture, and ultimately, results.
Coaching Is a Psychological Intervention — So Let’s Treat It Like One
Here’s the thing: executive coaching isn’t just about better KPIs or shinier strategies. At its core, it’s a psychological intervention. It works by helping leaders think differently, challenge long-held assumptions, navigate uncertainty, and engage more meaningfully with others.
That’s exactly why, at The Work Psychologists, our executive coaches are psychologists or therapists first with real-world credibility from having held senior leadership roles. We know the territory because we’ve walked it ourselves and we bring evidence-based psychological insight to every coaching conversation.
When coaching is grounded in both clinical rigour and commercial understanding, it moves beyond “feel-good” development. It becomes a catalyst for sustainable, behavioural change and that’s what makes it measurable.
Rethinking How We Measure Change: The “Post-Then-Pre” Approach
Traditionally, coaching outcomes have been measured with before-and-after self-assessments. But there’s a flaw: leaders often overestimate their starting point, thanks to good old-fashioned Dunning-Kruger. You don’t know what you don’t know until you do.
That’s where the post-then-pre method comes in, as outlined by Dr. Kenneth Nowack in his 2019 research. Instead of asking clients to rate themselves at the start, you ask them after the coaching engagement to assess both where they are now, and where they realise they were back then.
This approach captures growth more accurately, reduces bias, and reflects the developmental journey in a psychologically realistic way. It also respects the nature of coaching: transformation isn’t always obvious while it’s happening.
What Are We Actually Measuring?
According to Nowack’s earlier work on coaching evaluation, effective measurement involves four interconnected layers:
Reaction – Did the client find the coaching relevant, timely, and useful?
Learning – What new insights or perspectives were gained?
Behavioural Change – How have the leader’s actions or interpersonal patterns shifted?
Business Results – What downstream impacts can be observed in performance, team dynamics, or culture?
Some of these can be measured directly (think 360 feedback, leadership assessments, or engagement data). Others like improved presence, clarity, or decision-making confidence might require more reflective, narrative-based tools.
Either way, the goal isn’t to turn coaching into a tick-box exercise. It’s to understand impact in context with the same level of sophistication we’d apply to any other strategic investment.
The Art and Science of Impact
At The Work Psychologists, we often describe coaching as the intersection of psychology, strategy, and leadership a space where data and dialogue meet. Our clients aren’t just looking for better performance; they want clarity, confidence, and capacity. They want to lead themselves as well as their teams.
That’s why our coaching approach blends:
Post-then-pre measurement models for capturing meaningful growth
360 feedback and behavioural observation to ground the work in lived experience
Psychological insight to help leaders understand not just what they’re doing but why
We also encourage clients to align coaching goals with measurable outcomes before the first session and revisit those goals regularly. Whether it’s improving delegation, navigating complexity, or building resilience, impact becomes clearer when there’s intentionality behind the process.
Coaching that Actually Changes Things
When coaching is done well and measured wisely it can shift more than behaviour. It can reshape identity, unlock potential, and enable leaders to step into roles they didn’t think they were ready for.
But that’s not magic. That’s applied psychology, delivered by coaches who understand both the inner world of the client and the outer world of their organisation.
So no, the real impact of coaching doesn’t always fit neatly into a PowerPoint slide. But with the right frameworks and the right practitioners it can be seen, felt, and sustained.
🔗 Further Reading & Resources
Final Thought: The Right Question
Maybe the question isn’t, “What’s the ROI of executive coaching?”
Maybe it’s this:
“What has changed — and how do we know it mattered?”
If you’re asking that, you’re already measuring what counts.
How do you assess the impact of coaching in your organisation? Have you used psychological models or post-then-pre assessments? Let’s open the dialogue — share your thoughts below or tag someone who’s wrestling with this right now.
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