By Sophie Makonnen

Have you ever found yourself in a leadership role thinking, "I should know how to handle this by now," only to feel like you're navigating a maze with invisible walls? You're not alone. That sense of uncertainty is more common than most people admit, especially in demanding and constantly shifting workplaces.

Whether you're leading a small team, managing a complex project, or simply trying to find your voice, it's easy to feel like the systems around you weren't designed for you. Because often, they weren't.

That's where coaching comes in. It's not reserved for senior executives—it's a powerful tool for anyone ready to grow at any level of an organization.

But let's take a moment to clarify: What is leadership coaching, and how is it different from other types of coaching?

Types of Coaching: A Quick Comparison

Type of Coaching	Who It's For	Focus Areas	Typical Context
Leadership Coaching	Mid-level professionals, team leads, project managers	Confidence, communication, visibility, navigating complexity, aligning with values	Career development, leadership identity, preparing for next-level roles
Executive Coaching	Senior leaders (directors, VPs, C-suite)	Strategic decision-making, stakeholder management, executive presence, influence	Organizational leadership, transition into senior roles, performance goals
Life Coaching	Individuals seeking personal clarity or balance	Life purpose, well-being, fulfillment, values alignment	Life transitions, work-life balance, personal growth

Coaching Isn’t a Reward—It’s a Tool for Professional Growth

As the table above shows, coaching exists in different forms—each suited to different stages of your professional and personal journey. However, one of the most persistent myths is that coaching is only for senior executives—those already at the top, managing high-stakes decisions.

In my experience, coaching is most relevant and effective during periods of growth—when you’re taking on new responsibilities, facing more complexity, and realizing that what got you here might not get you where you want to go. It helps you clarify what needs to shift, strengthens how you show up, and supports you in navigating the next stretch with intention—by identifying the strengths you can lean on and the areas that need to grow to meet what’s next.

• It’s about nurturing what’s already in motion.

• It’s an investment in your growth, not a prize for reaching the top.

Often, professionals wait for clarity before taking action. But what if the clarity comes after the first step?

What Coaching Isn’t (And What It Is)

❌ Coaching isn’t therapy.

🧠 It’s not a space to process your past in depth.

❌ It’s also not consulting.

💼 You won’t be told what to do or handed a 10-step formula to success.

❌ It’s also not about “fixing yourself.”

🧩 You are not a problem to solve.

❌ It’s not about advice-giving.

❓ The real power of coaching is in the questions you’ve never been asked—and the permission to answer them without pressure, judgment, or a performance mindset.

✅ Coaching is about exploring the present and the future.

🧭 It’s a space to ask bold questions, challenge assumptions, and access the clarity that often gets buried beneath busy schedules and self-doubt.

✅ Coaching is a collaborative, intentional process

🤝🏽 That helps you bring your strengths forward, quiet the self-doubt, and stop feeling like you must perform to impossible standards—not to become perfect, but to lead in a way that feels both effective and true to you.

What Leadership Coaching Can Offer

Leadership coaching is a structured, intentional space to:

Pause and reflect in a world that rarely lets you.
Reframe assumptions that may be quietly limiting your impact.
Build self-trust and a strategy to move through complexity with more clarity and less second-guessing.

The shifts that matter often don’t happen in the spotlight, but in the quiet, private moments where you take stock and decide how you want to lead.

You don’t need to wait until you’ve “made it.” Leadership coaching is a tool that can support you in finding your way forward.

What It Can Look Like: A Real Coaching Journey

Take Amina (name changed), a mid-level manager in a social impact-focused development agency. On paper, she had everything going for her—a strong academic background, multilingualism, and solid field experience. She was described as “steady” and “team-oriented,” often the one colleagues turned to when things got messy.

But inside? She was frustrated.

Despite consistently exceeding expectations and taking initiative, Amina was repeatedly passed over for promotions. She was told she wasn’t “quite ready”—without much clarity on what that meant. She began questioning whether she was missing something or whether her quiet, competent approach just didn’t “look” like leadership to those in charge.

What we uncovered together was not a lack of ambition but a pattern of self-silencing. In meetings, she rarely asserted her views unless asked directly. She hesitated to name her contributions, worried that it would appear arrogant.

Amina had internalized a belief that many of us carry: that working hard and doing excellent work should be enough. If she stayed focused, delivered results, and supported her team, recognition would follow.

She didn’t seek opportunities to make her work visible, even when the task called for it. She avoided taking credit, preferring to let the outcomes speak for themselves. But silence wasn’t just overlooked in a complex organization—it was probably misread. Some interpreted it as disengagement. Others assumed she was satisfied with where she was. The reality was more complicated: she was committed, capable, and quietly frustrated—but unsure how to shift the narrative without seeming self-promotional.

We didn’t immediately jump to action plans. Coaching gave her space to unpack what she’d been carrying—questions like: What does it mean to lead in a system that doesn’t always see me? Why do I feel I must be twice as prepared to be taken seriously?

It wasn’t about building a new persona. It was about reclaiming the one muted by years of carefulness. She began making intentional shifts—setting more precise boundaries, articulating her role in team outcomes, and expressing interest in stretch opportunities without apologizing.

The organization didn’t transform overnight, and she still faced moments of doubt. But what changed was her sense of agency. She stopped waiting to be chosen and started choosing how she wanted to show up.

That’s what leadership coaching can make space for: not a perfect story arc but a deeper alignment between who you are and how you lead—even when the system isn’t changing fast enough.

When High Performance Becomes a Bottleneck: Another Coaching Journey

Not all coaching clients come in feeling overlooked. Some, like Nathalie (name changed), are seen as the go-to person in their organization—high-performing, indispensable, and always on top of things.

Nathalie was a senior program officer at a global development organization. She was strategic, driven, and genuinely committed to her mission. Her colleagues admired her for always knowing the details, jumping in when a crisis hit, and delivering results.

But in coaching, she admitted what no one else could see: she was tired. Not just from the workload—but from the pressure she felt to carry it all.

Nathalie didn’t lack confidence. What she lacked was ease. Her default mode was over-responsibility. She checked and rechecked her team’s work. She reviewed every slide before presentations. She often rewrote reports late into the night—not because they were wrong, but because they weren’t perfect. And when something didn’t meet her expectations, it felt easier to fix it herself than to ask for revisions or coach someone through a second draft.

The intention behind it? Protect her team. Maintain high standards. Avoid risk.

But the impact? Very different.

Her team had become cautious, hesitant to take initiative. They waited for her input before making decisions. Some felt demoralized. Others quietly resented the lack of trust. One staff member even shared (off the record): “Sometimes I feel like nothing I do is quite good enough for you to let it go.”

Nathalie was stunned. She had always seen herself as supportive. But her support was showing up as control.

In coaching, we didn’t start by asking her to delegate more. We began by getting curious: What was she afraid might happen if she stepped back? What would it mean to let others fail—or succeed—without her edits?

Little by little, she began experimenting with doing less—resisting the urge to overcorrect or over-deliver. She tested what it felt like to let a team member present without her reworking the slides. She paused before jumping in to answer on behalf of others. It was uncomfortable. Sometimes it didn’t go smoothly. But she started to notice when her reflex to take control was about fear, not necessity.

The work wasn’t about suddenly trusting everyone or stepping back completely. It was about developing a different kind of presence that allowed space for others without letting go of her own standards or accountability.

The shift was gradual. But she began to feel small moments of relief: a meeting where she spoke less and the team filled the space, a report she only reviewed once, a team member who surprised her with their insight—because she hadn’t stepped in too soon.

Coaching didn’t remove the pressure. But it gave her a new way to relate to it and the people she was leading.

Mid-Level Doesn’t Mean Small

If you’re a mid-level professional, chances are you’re carrying a great deal of organizational weight—managing people, projects, budgets, and expectations—and sometimes without a clear roadmap or recognition.

Yet, too often, coaching is reserved for senior leaders, leaving a critical gap in support during what is often the most pivotal, high-stakes career phase.

According to a Forbes article, companies that provide coaching for all levels of leadership—not just the top—see stronger engagement, better team performance, and more sustained growth. It’s not just good for the individual. It’s good for the organization.

And if your employer isn’t offering it? It’s been my experience that investing in coaching for yourself isn’t indulgent—it’s a powerful act of leadership.

The Cost of Not Investing

Many professionals internalize stress without support, question their value, and stay silent when it matters most. Here’s what that looks like:

• Hesitating to apply for opportunities.

• Over-functioning to “prove” their worth.

• Downplaying success instead of naming it.

• Waiting for feedback or recognition that never comes.

Leadership coaching doesn’t eliminate structural challenges, but it equips you to navigate them with intention and clarity, to act even when you don’t feel 100% ready, and to root into your own voice instead of trying to fit into an outdated mould.

Professional Growth Looks Different at This Level

Professional growth isn’t just about degrees or certificates. It’s about:

• Asking for what you want—clearly.

• Saying “no” without guilt.

• Managing up, down, and sideways.

• Naming your contributions without shrinking.

These are not small things. These are the muscles you need for sustainable leadership.

The Return on Coaching: Confidence, Clarity, and Career Growth

What do you get from leadership coaching?

✅ A trusted space to think deeply and move with purpose.
✅ Tools to communicate, advocate, and lead with confidence.
✅ Increased clarity on your direction—and how to get there.
✅ The ability to navigate politics without losing your authenticity.
✅ Sustainable strategies for visibility, influence, and well-being.

You Are Worth the Investment

If no one else has told you this, let me say it now:

You don’t have to be “more senior” to get support.
You don’t have to “figure it out first.”
You don’t have to wait for someone else to tap you on the shoulder.

You are already worthy of investing in. Your professional growth is worth prioritizing.

Maybe coaching isn’t about knowing exactly what you want, but about finally having the space to ask.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you're navigating big questions about your work, your leadership, or your next move, leadership coaching might just be the space you didn’t know you needed. If you are interested in learning more about leadership coaching, here are a few ways you can explore next steps:

🔗 Book a free strategy call – a conversation to explore whether coaching aligns with your goals
📬 Sign up for Career Growth Insights – weekly reflections on leadership, purpose, and growth
📄 View my current coaching programs – details on programs and pricing

I appreciate the work you’re doing in the world, and I’m honored to be in your inbox.

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Why Leadership Coaching Isn't a Luxury—It's a Game-Changer