⏱ 4 min read
In a rush? Here is the quick overview.
The issue
- Strong leaders are hard to hire, and many organizations do not have enough bench strength to keep up with growth, change, and succession needs.
- When leadership capacity is thin, succession planning becomes reactive, teams lose momentum, and leaders spend too much time firefighting.
Best practices for you as the leader
- Prioritize leadership coaching before there is a crisis or an open role to fill.
- Schedule development conversations in advance so coaching does not disappear when calendars get full.
- Connect coaching to each leader’s long-term career goals, then reinforce growth through small, consistent coaching moments.
Key takeaway
Strong leadership pipelines are not built through last-minute hiring. They are built through consistent, intentional coaching.
The Problem at Hand
No two ways about it: Strong Leaders Are Hard to Hire.
Organizations today face a persistent leadership shortage. Strong leaders are hard to find, and most companies lack a succession plan robust enough to keep pace with growth and change.
This isn’t speculation. In a recent study, more than half of CEOs identified attracting and retaining top talent as their number-one concern over the next five years.
Frankly, I didn’t need a study to tell me that.
During my 20 years as a senior leader, leadership capacity was almost always one of my biggest concerns. There were short windows when my leadership team felt stable, strong, and ready for what was next.
But those windows never lasted forever.
A resignation. A promotion. A reorganization. A new growth target. Suddenly, the leadership bench was thin again.
And when leadership capacity is thin, growth stalls.
The Cost of a Leadership Gap
When organizations lack leadership bench strength:
- Hiring slows or stalls.
- Leaders stop developing themselves and their teams.
- Succession planning becomes reactive instead of strategic.
- Long-term planning gives way to constant firefighting.
The result is predictable: higher turnover, slower growth, and burned-out leaders.
The LeDev Advice
The solution is not to hope stronger leaders appear when you need them.
The solution is to build them before the gap exists.
Organizations must prioritize leadership coaching at every level.
Consistent coaching and leadership development improves retention. Higher retention builds bench strength. And strong bench strength creates stability and growth.
According to the 2025 Global Leadership Forecast¹, high-potential leaders and individual contributors are significantly more likely to leave without intentional, high-quality coaching:
- 3.7× more likely to leave within a year if their manager doesn’t provide regular growth and development opportunities
- 3.1× more likely to leave if they don’t feel they’re progressing at an acceptable pace
- 2.7× more likely to leave if their manager is not an effective coach
By now, you may be thinking:
“I understand the value—but I don’t have time to coach. And neither do my leaders.”
My answer to that is simple:
You don’t have time not to coach.
When I say coaching is difficult to execute, I don’t mean it’s complex. It’s hard because it requires protecting time in an already overloaded schedule.
I struggled with this too. I wasn’t perfect—but with consistent, practical systems, I improved retention, strengthened my leadership pipeline, and reduced recurring leadership gaps.
Three Practical Ways to Make Leadership Coaching Happen
1. Schedule Coaching in Advance—WAY in advance
For every leader I directly managed, I scheduled coaching and development conversations well ahead of time—before calendars filled up.
My process was consistent:
- At the six-month mark in a role, we held a development planning session
- We identified competencies, focus areas, and documented a development plan
- Immediately afterward, I scheduled follow-up development sessions for the next 12 months
Why this works: Leaders often deprioritize their own development. Scheduling early signals commitment and creates accountability.
2. Anchor Coaching to a 3–5-Year Career Plan
For the leaders I managed, I made it a priority to understand their three-to-five-year career aspirations. I kept those goals in mind when assigning work, offering feedback, and discussing development—and I repeated them back periodically.
Why this works: Many leaders in the trenches don’t regularly think that far ahead. Time passes quickly, and suddenly they feel behind—or they develop unrealistic expectations about growth. Having the conversation early creates clarity, sets boundaries, and allows you to actively help them progress.
More importantly, showing long-term commitment to their growth sets you up for a lasting relationship, allowing you to become more than a short-term mentor.
3. Coach the Small Moments Daily
Coaching doesn’t need to be a formal event.
Instead of relying solely on scheduled sessions, I focused on
- Quick calls, emails, or messages when I saw something done well—or an opportunity to improve
- A deliberate ratio of roughly two positive moments for every one improvement opportunity
- A simple, consistent feedback model to keep coaching actionable
Why this works: Daily coaching builds confidence, accelerates learning, and keeps development active—even when formal sessions are spaced out.
You may believe experienced leaders do not need consistent reinforcement. They do.
They need to know what is working, where they are growing, and where you expect them to keep stretching.
None of these practices require a complicated system. But they do require intention, consistency, and a willingness to protect development time before the business feels urgent.
¹https://www.ddi.com/research/global-leadership-forecast-2025
Summary
Strong leaders are rarely found by chance, and they are not always ready-made when you need them. They are developed through consistent, intentional leadership coaching.
Organizations that commit to coaching do more than retain talent. They build stronger leaders, create more stable teams, and develop the leadership pipeline needed for long-term results.