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The Real ROI of Executive Coaching

Coaching
October 18, 2025•8 min read

The Real ROI for Ambitious Leaders (And Why You Shouldn't Bother If You're Not Ready for Change)

Let me be blunt: if you're comfortable where you are, if you like your current trajectory, and if the thought of genuine change makes you squirm, don't hire an executive coach. Save your money, save our time, and stick with what you know.

But if you're ready for something different, if you're willing to get uncomfortable in service of becoming the leader you actually want to be, then we need to talk about why executive coaching might be the smartest investment you'll make this decade.

The Numbers Don't Lie: Executive Coaching Delivers Serious ROI

I'm not going to dance around this. The research is overwhelming, and the financial returns are frankly ridiculous when you look at them objectively.

The International Coach Federation's global survey found that companies achieve an average 7:1 return on investment from executive coaching. That's £7 back for every £1 invested. MetrixGlobal's study of Fortune 500 companies showed a 529% ROI, and when they factored in employee retention benefits, that figure jumped to 788%.

But here's what really caught my attention: 86% of companies recoup their coaching investment and more. Think about that for a moment. When was the last time you saw those kinds of success rates on any business initiative?

Individual performance increases by 70% on average. Team performance jumps by 50%. Employee retention improves by 13%. These aren't feel-good metrics, they're bottom-line impacts that show up in quarterly reports.

The Tangible Benefits That Transform Your Leadership

Decision-Making That Actually Matters

Executive coaching doesn't just help you make better decisions, it helps you make decisions that align with who you want to be as a leader. You'll develop frameworks for cutting through noise, weighing complex scenarios, and making choices that serve your long-term vision rather than just putting out the next fire.

Performance That Compounds Over Time

One client, a director at a professional services firm, saw their team's efficiency increase. Not because they worked longer hours, but because they learned to delegate effectively, communicate expectations clearly, and trust their team's capabilities.

The Retention Factor That Saves You Fortune

Something most leaders don't consider: the hidden cost of their own leadership gaps. Poor leadership is expensive. It shows up in turnover, in projects that drag on unnecessarily, in talented people who leave because they're not being developed or inspired.

When leaders invest in coaching, their teams stick around. And retention isn't just about avoiding recruitment costs, it's about maintaining institutional knowledge, building on relationships, and creating the psychological safety that lets people do their best work.

The Intangible Shifts That Change Everything

Numbers tell one story, but the real transformation happens in spaces that are harder to quantify. After working with hundreds of executives, I've seen patterns emerge, shifts that create ripple effects throughout entire organisations.

Clarity replaces confusion. You'll stop second-guessing every decision and start leading from a place of genuine confidence. Not the bravado kind of confidence that masks insecurity, but the quiet assurance that comes from knowing who you are and what you stand for.

Authenticity replaces performance. Most senior leaders are exhausted from playing a role that doesn't quite fit. Coaching helps you find your natural leadership style, the one that doesn't require you to pretend to be someone else eight hours a day.

Purpose replaces going through the motions. This is where my own story becomes relevant.

When Success Feels Like Prison: My Journey Out of Corporate

Three years ago, I had everything I thought I wanted. Six-figure salary, boardroom title, respect from peers. I was successful by every external measure that mattered. I was also burnt out, depressed, and felt completely owned by something else. Every Sunday evening, I'd feel this crushing sense of dread about the week ahead. I'd wake up already tired, already disconnected from any sense of purpose. The money was good. The title was impressive. The work was slowly killing who I actually was.

My coach didn't tell me to leave my job. She didn't give me a pep talk about following my dreams. Instead, she asked questions that forced me to confront the gap between who I was becoming and who I actually wanted to be.

What would you do if money weren't a factor?
When do you feel most energised at work?
What would have to change for you to look forward to Monday mornings?

The coaching process revealed something I'd been avoiding: I wasn't just successful, I was successfully misaligned. And misalignment, no matter how well-compensated, is unsustainable.

That clarity led me here, to One Feather Coaching, to work that feels like an extension of who I am rather than a compromise I make to pay the bills. The financial transition wasn't easy, but the alignment? Priceless.

The Uncomfortable Truth: When Coaching Is a Waste of Money

Here's what the coaching industry won't tell you: not everyone should hire a coach. And honestly, I'd rather turn away the wrong clients than waste their money and my time.

If you want someone to validate your current approach, coaching isn't for you. We're not cheerleaders (in that sense). We're not going to tell you that your leadership style is perfect and everyone else just needs to adjust.

If you're looking for quick fixes without behavioural change, save your money. Real transformation requires doing things differently, thinking differently, and showing up differently. If that sounds exhausting rather than exciting, you're not ready.

If you've been "voluntold" to get a coach because your CEO loves theirs, but you're thinking "who has time for this?", you lack the capacity and engagement needed to make coaching worthwhile.

If you get defensive when people point out blind spots, coaching will be frustrating for both of us. The whole point is identifying and working through the patterns that aren't serving you. If you're not open to feedback, we're starting from the wrong place.

The FEATHER Framework

FEATHER coaching framework

At One Feather Coaching, we use our FEATHER Framework, a seven-stage model that transforms reflection into action and insight into sustainable results:

Focus on what matters most, not just what's urgent, but what's actually important for your long-term leadership vision.

Elevate self-awareness through honest reflection, 360-degree feedback, and tools that help you understand your real impact on others.

Activate new behaviours by turning awareness into action, practising, testing, and learning in real-world situations.

Trust yourself and others by building genuine confidence and creating psychological safety for your team.

Harmonise people, purpose, and performance by connecting your personal values to your organisation's goals.

Embed what works by refining and sustaining the habits that drive success rather than letting good intentions fade away.

Reflect and Evaluate to keep growing by measuring what's changed, celebrating progress, and planning what's next.

This isn't theoretical. It's practical, human-centred development that leads to measurable results.

How to Know If You're Ready

The right time to invest in coaching isn't when everything is falling apart. It's when you're successful enough to have options but self-aware enough to know you could be operating at a higher level. You're ready if you can honestly say yes to most of these:

  • You're willing to examine your own behaviour and patterns

  • You want to grow, even if growth feels uncomfortable

  • You're curious about your blind spots rather than defensive about them

  • You have the capacity to implement changes, not just talk about them

  • You're tired of feeling like you're performing a version of leadership rather than leading authentically

If that sounds like you, then coaching could be transformative. If it doesn't, then you're probably not ready yet: and that's perfectly fine.

"Louisa has been a complete game changer for me and I would recommend her coaching/mentorship to everyone. This isn't an off the shelf programme, it's relevant, bespoke and designed to get the absolute best out of you. If you can find a single human who can return better ROI than this lady I'd be very surprised. One of the best decisions I've made commercially, a great investment." '— C Green, Director.

The Investment Decision That Changes Everything

Executive coaching isn't about fixing what's broken. It's about unleashing what's possible. The return on investment is measurable: 7:1 average ROI, 70% performance increases, dramatically improved retention. But the real return is harder to quantify: the satisfaction of leading authentically, the energy that comes from alignment, the impact you'll have on the people you lead.

The question isn't whether coaching works. The research proves it does, dramatically and consistently. The question is whether you're ready to do the work that makes it work. If you are, the returns, both financial and developmental, can be extraordinary. If you're not, that's valuable information too. At least you'll save yourself the time, money, and frustration of investing in change you're not actually prepared to embrace. The choice, as always, is yours. Choose wisely.

References

coaching ROIexecutive coaching valuebusiness investmentleadership returnsorganizational performancemeasuring coaching
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