Why You Need an Executive Transition Coach

Consider:

“For best results, seek a coach who takes a holistic view to your situation and helps you continuously build toward better outcomes.”

Transitioning into a new leadership role is demanding; you must build new or modified relationships with stakeholders, evaluate the gap between organization capabilities and your going-in mandate, manage expectations, and much more.

Any one of these activities is difficult, but you must pursue them all at once. If you falter in one area, challenges can cascade into others.

So, how can you manage this high-stakes journey with confidence and care? Research shows that an executive transition coach can help.

The Experience of Having an Executive Transition Coach

In 2021, May Thao-Schuck published a dissertation based on interviews with 14 new leaders and found that only four had coaches supporting their executive transition. Three had been assigned coaches by the recruiting firm they worked with, and one had hired a coach independently.

These leaders reported their coach’s helpfulness in “developing their strategic plans or being a thought partner.” However, at least one leader noted that the coach lacked sufficient industry knowledge.

Here is what I take away from Thao-Schuck’s research:

• Transition coaching is not common, as only 28% of interviewees had a coach

• Not all executive transition coaches are equally effective, as effectiveness may depend on industry knowledge

• Coaching offers unique benefits, particularly around strategic planning and thought partnership

Other research elaborates on the benefit leaders experience from a transition coach. In 2019, Pamela McGill and colleagues published details from interviews with six leader’s who experienced executive coaching during their role transitions.

One leader described the power of having an executive transition coach:

“I think I’m going to be a poster child for 'coaching is important and valuable'. I really relied on it actually.”

Building on the value Thao-Schuck identified around thought partnership, another leader shared the benefit of having space to think:

“What the coaching did was allow me to have time to really work through the questions in my head… And so it put a level of discipline into it and I suspect if I hadn’t have had that, I’m not sure I would have done that on my own".

In terms of outcomes, one leader reflected on their enhanced ability to manage upward:

“I feel like I’ve made a big enough leap in terms of… I have the confidence to deal with the Board. I have much more confidence to deal with the Ex-Co."

Across these experiences, leaders described the value of having someone to lean on through the demanding, multidimensional, and simultaneous activities that accompany transition into a high-stakes role.

In other words, coaches help leaders make more thoughtful and deliberate moves.

So, if you are transitioning into a new high-stakes role, how should you go about engaging a coach? Research offers guidance here as well.

Ensuring Success When Engaging a Coach

In 2017, Terblanche and colleagues interviewed eight recently promoted senior leaders, five coaches, two HR managers, and one line manager. From this, they identified key recommendations for designing an effective coaching intervention.

1. Start Early and Think Long-Term

Coaching is most effective when it begins as soon as the role is confirmed. Importantly, their research suggests coaching should extend well beyond the first 90 days, often continuing for up to three years, with higher frequency early on (every 2–3 weeks in the first six months) and tapering over time (once every 2-3 months after 6 months in).

This aligns with what many leaders experience: transitions are not short events, but extended periods of adjustment and impact-building.

2. Ensure Coach Fit

You should be given options when selecting an executive transition coach. It is critical to ensure fit, both in terms of style and the coach’s ability to engage with your context.

This directly addresses the limitation surfaced in Thao-Schuck’s work, that coaching without sufficient contextual understanding can fall short.

3. Build Coaching Around the Work

Effective transition coaching is not abstract. It should be anchored in:

• Clear goals aligned with organizational needs

• Ongoing reflection and active experimentation

• Use of frameworks and assessments to build your self-awareness

This keeps the work grounded in the current situation and gives you space to act, reflect, and learn in real-time.

4. Involve the System Around the You

Transitions don’t happen in isolation, so coaching should incorporate input and involvement from:

• Mentors

• Line managers

• The leader’s team

Importantly, it should explicitly support you in building and strengthening your network.

5. Create Distance from the Day-to-Day

Finally, interviewees shared that coaching was most effective when it occurred outside the immediate work environment. Physical and psychological distance enabled more open dialogue and fewer distractions.

To the extent possible, consider where coaching takes place so the right conversations can happen.

Final Words

If you’re entering a new high-stakes role, or are already months into one, the research suggests a transition coach can help. While Terblanche and colleagues recommend engaging a coach before starting the role, the benefits outlined here are not limited to those who begin early.

At any point in a transition, creating cognitive distance from the challenges and opportunities you face can sharpen your thinking and improve your effectiveness.

The research also suggests that who your coach is and how you engage in coaching matters. For best results, seek a coach who takes a holistic view to your situation and helps you continuously build toward better outcomes.

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