Five key lessons for embedding coaching into organisational culture

With workplaces transforming at breakneck speed, the ability to foster a coaching culture has emerged as a non-negotiable for organisations seeking sustainable growth. This was the key takeaway from January’s Business Culture Connected event, where industry leaders explored the evolving role of coaching as a driver of engagement, innovation and strategic alignment.

Through a mix of insightful panels, case studies and fireside chats, five overarching lessons emerged to guide organisations in embedding coaching into their cultural DNA. From the role of technology to the power of data and the importance of a cohesive strategy, these lessons resonate far beyond the event.

Lesson 1: Commercial growth needs cultural alignment

“Commercial and cultural growth have to be in unison,”?said Nick Baker, Founder of Stick + Twist. By following this principle the marketing agency has seen a direct link between increased investment in a coaching culture and a boost in business performance. Revenue has climbed alongside development spend while metrics like zero resignations and high referral rates reinforce the value. Self-managing teams have also launched revenue-generating products, proving the ROI of a growth-focused culture.

Baker argued that organisations must prioritise cultural health as much as financial results. This sentiment was echoed throughout the day, with speakers stressing that commercial and cultural growth are inseparable. Victoria Lewis, Co-Founder of Odyssey Consulting noted that without cultural “scaffolding” strategic execution fails. The power of aligning personal values with workplace goals was also seen in global creative agency VML’s Thrive platform, which helped managers facilitate meaningful career conversations while supporting business outcomes.

Tips:

• Align coaching with your organisational values and strategic goals to build a shared sense of purpose.
• Focus on leadership behaviours that model and reinforce cultural health, such as authenticity and resilience.
• Use coaching to empower managers to bridge the gap between business priorities and employee aspirations.

Lesson 2: No evidence, no buy-in

"Coaching’s value is well-known in HR but convincing senior stakeholders remains a challenge, said Jo Moffatt from?Engage for Success . “The audience is constantly changing. There’s a passing parade of people who need to be convinced and reinforced.”

The ability to measure coaching effectiveness is the “million-dollar question,” noted?@Premal Patel, Former UK MD at?Catalina. “Somebody at the top is always going to look at the numbers.” While measuring coaching’s impact is a work in progress, leaders are seeing results.?Helen Hilton, Head of Resource and Capacity Development at?Cambridge University Press & Assessment, cited metrics like 100% of participants recommending coaching. Similarly,?Liz Pannaman, Organisational Development Lead at?TfL, reported 98% of participants in group coaching would recommend it, with 100% noting better conversations afterward.

For senior buy-in, connecting coaching to financial outcomes is critical.?Jonathan Stanford, Head of People Experience at?London EV Company (LEVC), highlighted this: “In HR you have to play the numbers.” Turnover costs of ￡5 million in his first year led him to show how coaching improves retention, directly capturing the c-suite’s attention. Behavioural changes from self-evaluations at LEVC showed 14–40% improvement, aligning these results with financial metrics strengthened leadership support.

Dr?Rebecca Newton, CEO at CoachAdviser?and faculty at the London School of Economics, reinforced coaching’s importance, citing research that suggests 50% of the difference between average and highly effective leaders is due to versatility – the ability to adapt leadership styles. Coaching, she explained, is one core leadership tool that is often under-utilised. Leaders increase their effectiveness as they commit to a flexible approach and develop their skills such as coaching.

The day demonstrated that while there are various coaching models and frameworks, the key is to?choose something and measure it consistently.?It’s less about the specific methodology and more about the outcomes and alignment with organisational goals. And once you have your evidence it’s not just about patting yourself on the back. Your metrics need to help you decide what to do next.

Tips:

• Collect robust data on coaching outcomes, such as retention rates, employee engagement or behavioural change.
• Use a mix of financial metrics and behavioural metrics, like 360-degree feedback, to appeal to different stakeholders.
• Regularly revisit metrics to ensure they reflect both business priorities and coaching impact.

Lesson 3: One-and-done just doesn’t work

Odyssey Consulting’s Co-Founder, Richard Thompson, highlighted the challenge of "stickability" – how one-off training often fails as leaders revert to old habits under pressure. To combat this the consultancy?promotes the ‘push, pull, percolation and practice’ model for leadership development:

• Push: Workshops and seminars to build foundational knowledge.
• Pull: Coaching and reflective practices to encourage active engagement.
• Percolation: Time for peer conversations and reflection to deepen learning.
• Practice: Safe environments to test skills, make mistakes and receive feedback.

“If you don’t embed learning through application and practice, leaders won’t have the adaptability or anticipatory behaviours needed when faced with unexpected challenges,” said Thompson.

TLF’s Pannaman? shared how cost-effective group coaching is creating lasting change, with leaders developing coaching skills while being coached themselves, spreading impact across the organisation. Meanwhile Olivia Reid, Head of Learning and Development at?VML, described how its?Career Hack Day?combines live programming with regular coaching touchpoints, giving managers the time and space to integrate learning into their work.

Tips:

• Design coaching programmes with multiple touchpoints, including workshops, peer learning and follow-ups.
• Encourage managers to practise coaching in real-world scenarios, reflecting on their successes and challenges.
• Build time into workflows for ongoing reflection and application to deepen behavioural shifts.

Lesson 4: Embracing technology without losing the human touch

Technology emerged as a double-edged sword. While AI platforms demonstrate the scalability of coaching, speakers like LEVC’s Stanford expressed caution. “I am a big believer that it's difficult to show empathy through a screen and, being a coach, you need that level of empathy,” he said. But he conceded that AI may be normal in the future: “If you come back to what's the basis of coaching, it's about raising the level of self-awareness. It's about helping someone to move towards their goal. It's about making performance and behavioural change. Well, we've got to be open to thinking, surely AI could do that?”

VML’s Thrive app found the right balance by embedding AI into an existing culture of coaching. Features like AI-generated conversation prompts and Nadia, an AI coach, provide managers with practical support while reinforcing core coaching principles. Together with other coaching interventions Thrive has made significant savings for the agency. The overall message is that technology should enhance, not dilute, coaching.

Tips:

• Use AI to scale coaching while maintaining human-centred elements like empathy and trust.
• Integrate technology into existing workflows to make coaching accessible without overwhelming employees.
• Provide training for managers to use digital tools effectively while maintaining meaningful connections.

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Lesson 5: Coaching cultures create systemic impact, but must be inclusive

A true coaching culture goes beyond leadership, embedding coaching principles across all levels of an organisation. It’s about ensuring everyone has access to coaching while leaders adopt a coaching style in everyday conversations, fostering connections throughout the workforce.

CoachAdviser’s Newton?described coaching’s potential for “collective uplift,” where shared practices and consistent behaviours align leadership teams for greater cohesion and performance.?TFL’s Pannaman?stressed the need to dismantle “learned helplessness” in hierarchical organisations, where staff wait for direction. By empowering employees through coaching, organisations can replace dependency with autonomy, unlocking potential across all levels.

Coretta Hine?and?Dr Benita Mayhead, President and Director for Coaching Practice at EMCC UK took this a step further, exploring the nuances of inclusion and exclusion within coaching and culture. Hine shared a powerful metaphor to illustrate exclusion: being invited to a banquet but given bread and water while others enjoy a feast. This ‘perceived inclusion’ leaves individuals feeling undervalued and silenced. For organisations aiming to build inclusivity it’s crucial to consider how coaching programmes are structured, from matching processes to conversational approaches, ensuring that no-one feels like an outsider at the table.

Mayhead emphasised the need for authenticity in coaching, recounting a case where a coach with a vastly different lived experience gave prescriptive advice, which alienated the coachee. To prevent such harm coaches must prioritise empathy, understanding and thoughtful questioning, rather than assuming they know what’s best for the individual.

Finally, Hine urged leaders to reflect on their own values and biases, shifting from a “fixing” mindset to one of listening and learning. As Mayhead pointed out: “We are only the type of leader that others experience us as being.” True inclusion requires recognising exclusion, reframing processes and creating spaces where everyone can thrive.

Tips:

• Ensure coaches are thoughtfully matched with coachees to avoid alienation or misunderstanding.
• As leaders, role model stepping out of a "fixing" mindset and adopt a coaching approach that prioritises listening, understanding, and empathy.
• Build structures to address exclusionary behaviours, such as coaching supervision and brave conversations on power dynamics and lived experiences.

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