Lucy White Coaching

The ROI of Leadership Coaching: Three Benefits for Employers

The ROI of Leadership Coaching: Three Benefits for Employers

by | May 10, 2023 | Coaching, Group Coaching, Leadership, Leadership Coaching, Life Coaching, Mental Fitness, positive mindset, Saboteurs, Team Coaching

Great employers know the benefits of investing in their people. Increased productivity, high levels of employee engagement and retention, and increased revenues are three benefits frequently noted when thoughtful employee development programs are put in place. 

Leadership coaching is one of the many options organizations have to invest in the development of their people. Before authorizing leadership coaching in their organizations, prudent decision-makers will have many questions about the benefits and costs related to coaching. Before I jump to the ROI of leadership coaching, let’s first clarify what it is and what it isn’t.

 What is Leadership Coaching?

Leadership training is instruction on the competencies that leaders need to succeed. The purpose of leadership coaching is to enhance the skills, knowledge, and abilities of leaders so they can be more effective in leading and managing their teams. Leadership coaching complements training by providing a space for individuals to explore their personal leadership style, learn to regulate emotional responses, and uncover the recurring patterns and limiting beliefs that block or limit professional success.

Organizations that offer coaching and have built coaching cultures say their top reasons to make coaching a key part of their leadership development strategy are:

  • Improved communication skills
  • Improved teamwork
  • Improved decision making
  • Increased productivity
  • Increased employee engagement

While leadership coaching is often perceived as expensive, the return on investment (ROI) can be significant. A Price Waterhouse Cooper’s survey reported that the average ROI return for companies that invested in coaching was seven times their initial investment and more than 25% of survey respondents reported ROI of 10 to 49 times the initial investment. These are impressive numbers. Let’s look at three ways that the ROI of leadership coaching can be assessed.

  1. Improved Performance

One way to evaluate the ROI of leadership coaching is by measuring the improvement in performance of leaders and their teams. 

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) found that 70% of individuals who received leadership coaching reported improved work performance, while 86% of companies reported recouping their investment in coaching through improved productivity and profitability.

Coaching helps leaders develop emotional intelligence (EQ) and self-knowledge needed to lead their teams effectively. Leaders with high EQ are better able to motivate and manage their teams to higher levels of performance. Communications improve and team conflict may be reduced.

  1. Employee Recruitment and Retention

Another way to evaluate the ROI of leadership coaching is by measuring the impact of coaching on employee recruitment and retention. Organizations that offer coaching demonstrate to current employees and candidates that they are committed to the ongoing training and development of their staff. This improves retention of top and high potential employees and helps to attract the best qualified candidates. 

For example, stress is cited as a key driver of poor performance and employee absenteeism. Positive Intelligence Inc., where I received my coaching credentials, reported that 100% of employees of a US-based health and wellness company managed their stress better after completing a coaching program. 

Research conducted by the ICF found that organizations that provided coaching to their employees had a 21% higher retention rate than those that did not provide coaching. The study also found that coaching was the second most effective tool for retaining employees, behind only salary increases. A study conducted by the Harvard Business Review found that replacing an employee can cost an organization 6-9 months’ salary on average. Reducing turnover leads to significant cost savings.

Coaching can help leaders develop the skills needed to create a positive work environment, which can lead to higher levels of employee engagement and satisfaction. As a result, employees may be more likely to stay with the organization, reducing turnover costs while the organization increases its ability to attract the best candidates.

  1. Increased Revenue

Coaching can also lead to increased revenue for organizations. By improving the performance of leaders and their teams, organizations are able to increase their productivity, efficiency, and profitability. Additionally, coaching can help leaders identify new opportunities for growth and development, leading to increased revenue streams.

For example, a study conducted by the ICF found that coaching led to an average revenue increase of 46% for organizations. The study also found that coaching was the second most effective tool for increasing revenue, behind only strategic planning.

Conclusion

The ROI of leadership coaching can be sizable. Organizations that implement leadership coaching can expect to see benefits such as improved performance, increased employee retention, and increased revenues. While the upfront cost of coaching may be significant, evaluation of the long-term benefits should outweigh the costs, making it a worthwhile investment in an organization’s leadership development. 

If you are curious about how leadership coaching could benefit you or your organization, contact me to explore the value of leadership coaching with you.

Originally published in The Osborne Group Insights Blog

Do you keep your promises to yourself? Two ideas to make it easier.

Do you keep your promises to yourself? Two ideas to make it easier.

by | Apr 19, 2023 | Coaching, Group Coaching, Life Coaching, Mental Fitness, Positive Intelligence, positive mindset, Saboteurs, Sage Powers, Team Coaching, Values

Isn’t this spring crazy busy? I see you and how many conferences, grant applications, launches and openings you’ve got going on. I hope you’re taking time to stop and smell the hyacinths!

In March, I was busy getting ready for the next cohort of Mental Fitness for Nonprofit Leaders.  I did a happy dance on April 1 as the new program got underway. I’m so proud of every person who commits to learning how to overcome stress, negativity, or overwhelm so they can live the unique life they crave for themselves.

Speaking of commitments, I recently made a commitment to myself to up my writing game by sending twice monthly newsletters. Writing can trigger all kinds of saboteur voices trying to hold me back. On the other hand, I really don’t like the disappointment I feel when I let a saboteur voice distract me from emailing you!

Another thing I don’t like? Strawberries in salad. What a waste of a good strawberry. I’m working on improving my health with more veggies and exercise but a person has to draw a line somewhere. But that’s enough negativity about those misguided salads.

Let me share something I do like:  I like keeping my promises to myself!

I like remembering to prep the week’s meals on Sunday, to write thank you notes, and pay my bills on time. In the past, strong Avoider and Restless saboteurs could divert my attention or prevent me from even getting started.

I find that regular PQ Reps* through the day help keep me focused on the important things and stacking my habits means I don’t have to make constant fatiguing decisions.** I now do a few PQ Reps when I first wake up and whenever I plug in the kettle. I’ve recently stacked getting a latte on Saturday morning with going to the gym. No gym, no coffee!

Do you find it hard to stick to the promises that you make to yourself?

What tricks or tips do you have to keep you focussed on your commitments?

*Curious about PQ Reps? Here is a short video of me demonstrating a PQ Rep.

** Decision fatigue is a real thing! Read about decision fatigue here.

Transform Restless to Relaxed in Five Steps

Transform Restless to Relaxed in Five Steps

by | Mar 1, 2023 | Coaching, Group Coaching, Life Coaching, Mental Fitness, Positive Intelligence, positive mindset, Saboteurs, Sage Powers, Team Coaching

I have a foolproof way to know when spring is coming. No, I don’t rely on Groundhog Day or Easter chocolates appearing on store shelves.

It’s the first day that someone in British Columbia posts a photo of daffodils. The collective moaning and kvetching from the rest of Canada is deafening. Everyone else feels grumpy as heck that we’re still up to our knees in snow.

I’m as anxious as anyone for spring to arrive. By early March, I’m feeling intense spring fever. I’m restless for primroses and tulips to appear in gardens, for eliminating a layer or two of clothing, and for a green vegetable that is not frozen peas. I’m ready for the fresh energy that spring heralds.

That spring restlessness that many of us feel can be a good thing; a sign that we are ready to leave winter hibernation behind us. Or it can be saboteur energy that distracts us from what is important, hampers our productivity, and prevents us from working on our priorities. That kind of energy is exhausting not energizing.I’ve noticed that whenever I have an upcoming writing deadline, the Restless Saboteur pulls my focus away from the concentration needed for writing. I’ll suddenly be cleaning my home, cooking elaborate meals, and tidying my workspace.Unchecked, Restless Saboteurs can be the cause of a busy yet unproductive day. The Restless Saboteur will have us multi-tasking and looking for quick hits of dopamine. People with Restless habits can be impatient and will avoid unpleasant feelings or situations by switching focus constantly. They might be driven by a feeling that life is too short and that without constant movement they’ll miss out. FOMO may well have been coined by someone experiencing a Restless Saboteur.

When you suspect you are in Restless mode, try these five steps to transform restless to relaxed:

  1. Notice what kind of energy you are bringing to the busyness. Is it scattered or focused? Nervous or calm?
  2. Whatever you are doing, bring as much focus as you can to the task. If you are dusting, notice the tiny particles of dust as they lay still or move in the air. If you are exercising, notice the pace of your breathing, the feel of a specific muscle as you move. Do some PQ Reps on touch, hearing, or breath.
  3. From this place of attention, ask yourself if this activity is a priority for your day or a distraction? If a distraction, notice any feelings that come up when you think about the priority.
  4. Now bring your focus to that priority activity. Imagine yourself doing that activity in great detail. Imagine how you want to feel as you are doing the task—capable, happy, focused? Next imagine how you want to feel when you complete the task—proud, calm, reliable?
  5. When you are ready, move to your priority activity. If it is a big task, break it down to small parts and tackle one at a time. Repeat the above steps as needed until you are acting from a place of relaxed focus.

Thanks to consistent Mental Fitness practices, I’m gradually gaining self-command over Restlessness. After a short session of PQ Reps, I’m able to transform the high energy and creativity that underlies Restless behaviours into focused action on my work.

The Mental Fitness system gives my clients the tools to transform their insights into new habits and their restlessness into productive relaxed action.
New Year, New Perspectives

New Year, New Perspectives

by | Jan 18, 2023 | Coaching, Life Coaching, Mental Fitness, Perspective, Positive Intelligence, positive mindset

A day or two after New Year’s, my friend Jen posed a question: “Is everyone else having as much trouble getting back to work as I am?“

I was surprised by this question because for the first time in many years, I wasn’t having trouble getting back to work. In fact, I was happily anticipating all the things that I wanted to do in order to launch myself into 2023. I was excited when I thought, “new year, new perspectives!”

There are lots of good reasons to not want to go back to your normal routine. If you found the holiday season particularly busy perhaps you need more rest. You may have been having a wonderful time with friends and family and you don’t want that to end. Conversely, you may have been having a lot of alone time and have really been enjoying all the peace and quiet. These, and many others, are productive and positive reasons to want your time off to continue.

If your reasons feel less than positive, it’s worthwhile to ask yourself what’s going on inside? Are you tired from doing too much with too little? Are you frustrated because your work doesn’t tap into your expertise or creative and intellectual interests? Are you bored because you’re ready for new challenges?

Instead of feeling disempowered and disconnected from your work, try gaining clarity by shifting your perspective on your situation. Try this game that I use with my mental fitness clients.

Stand up if you can. Imagine you are standing in a room with many windows and outside each window is a different perspective on your work. Outside window one is a tree. What does the tree have to say about your work? Now turn slightly for a new point-of-view. Now imagine that outside window two is an animal. What does the animal have to say about your work? Continue to shift your body and imagine different points-of-view such as colour, food, or sound. Try for at least five new perspectives.

Now take a few minutes to integrate what each new perspective had to say. Ask yourself questions like:

  • What was surprising?
  • Did you feel perspectives in your body? In your breath?
  • What do you know now?
  • What action will you take with your new perspective(s)?

You’ll be surprised how effective this can be to deepen your understanding of your own feelings and to refresh your thinking. New year, new perspectives!

The light returns and other happy thoughts

by | Dec 21, 2022 | Coaching, gratitude, Life Coaching, Mental Fitness, Positive Intelligence, positive mindset, Values

The light returns and other happy thoughts

Winter solstice is today and, at last, the light returns!As a dear friend says, one of the benefits of getting older is that winter goes by so much faster than it used to. Still, knowing the sun is on the return has to be one of the year’s happiest thoughts.

Many of us like to mark the turning of the year by taking a pause from every day busyness. We prioritize time with friends and family, quiet activities like reading and listening to music, and enjoying walks, crosswords, and board games.
 
I also love reading all the new best-of lists. I’m going to swipe an idea here from Melissa Kirsch who delights in people’s highly subjective and specific lists with no category being too idiosyncratic. 
 
My best-of list for 2022 has to include:

  • Recipe:  A terrific and easy recipe for squash and sausage pasta (so good!)
  • Gig:  Participating in a multimedia art installation. Mostly my role was buying the late-night Twizzlers but still, what a privilege.
  • Head smack:  Learning that exactly my kind of gym is just across the street(!) and actually going (yay, me!)
  • Leaving my comfort zone:  Recording a podcast for Arts Consultants Canada
  • Travel:  Crossing the Arctic Watershed for the first time. Surprisingly moving.
  • Animal:  Loons, loon calls, loon chicks; on my best-of list every year.
  • Professional development:  Becoming a Certified Mental Fitness Coach
  • Creative:  Finally finishing two socks. I hesitate to call any two things so mismatched a pair
    I was this old:  Winter cocktails! Dark ‘n Stormies Why did no one tell me?
    Person:  My clients, colleagues, friends, and family–definitely an idiosyncratic bunch–scrappy, brave, quirky and funny.

I’d love to hear what is on your best-of list this year! Hit Reply and let me know.
 
With gratitude

It has been a privilege to be in your inbox this year. I’m genuinely thrilled when I see that someone has opened my emails. Inboxes everywhere are too full and I’m so very appreciative of the time and attention you give to my thoughts. Thank you!
 
I wish you warmth, light, and love in the year ahead. 

Guess what happened last summer? (Hint: it wasn’t pretty)

Guess what happened last summer? (Hint: it wasn’t pretty)

by | Dec 6, 2022 | Coaching, Life Coaching, Mental Fitness, Positive Intelligence, positive mindset, Saboteurs

I told everyone, “I’m taking the summer off!” And boy was I excited! I was planning a summer of fun and adventure like I had not had since I started working at 15.

It was going to be epic: two weeks at the family cottage, a gals road trip, a few weeks in town, and two-weeks in Nova Scotia and Saint Pierre/Miquelon. Hotels were booked, places of interest flagged, routes and menus prepared. There would be lobster!

Enter Disaster Number One.

I twisted my left foot on my second week off. I’m a lucky person who hasn’t had many injuries in her life, so I was unprepared for the pain, swelling and doctor’s orders to rest for a few weeks. A few weeks!?!

I doubled down on my Mental Fitness practices and I adjusted my plans. This wasn’t the end of the summer. I would be healed before the trip East in four weeks. I’m resilient! The morning of departure for Nova Scotia, I woke up with an odd scratchy throat.

Enter Disaster Number Two: COVID.

This time I didn’t bounce back with ease. The combination of deep disappointment after several years without travel and social isolation to keep everyone else safe was tough. Along with residual effects of COVID, I was hijacked by my Judge and Victim saboteurs. Thoughts like, “why me?” and “it’s not fair!” would not stop. I also felt embarrassed. I had been so public with my desire to have a perfect summer and then I had failed.

I strongly believe we don’t always know which events are good and which are bad in the moment. I know that there is often a silver lining to disappointments and failures. But I could not find the positive outcome for myself or regain my positive mindset until months later.

I now realize I had under-estimated how physically and mentally weary I was. I was distracted, didn’t take time to rest, and I had not been looking after my fitness. So, my body intervened. If I wouldn’t rest, it would literally force me to.

As for my negative state of mind, I was eventually able to let go of embarrassment, resentment, and disappointment. They were just feelings that I didn’t need to hold on to indefinitely. Although I was hijacked by my saboteurs, the hijacking was over far more quickly than it would have been in the past. I attribute this resilience to help from family and friends, and my Mental Fitness practices.

The silver lining? I’ve got a more substantial self-care plan now which include mental, physical, and emotional strategies. I’m in the gym twice a week and back on the meditation mat every morning. I’m even more committed to Mental Fitness and I’m now enrolled in the Positive Intelligence Coach Mastery program to continue my exploration of what Mental Fitness has to offer. 

And, I’ll get that lobster dinner next summer!