The ROI of Leadership Coaching: Why L&D Managers Should Invest in Group Leadership Coaching
According to the International Coaching Federation, 87 percent of businesses who engage in group leadership coaching see a significant return on investment. In fact, for every dollar an organization spends on upskilling its leaders, they see an ROI that ranges from USD$3 to $11 (or an average ROI of $7).
But why exactly is facilitator-led group leadership coaching important? Why is it one of the best quantifiable investment opportunities for organizations of every size? And how does it support your organization in developing better leaders and building stronger teams?
Here’s how the benefits of group leadership coaching can qualitatively manifest within your workplace.
QUICK DEFINITION
What exactly is group leadership coaching?
Group leadership coaching offers a tangible, hands-on learning format that provides real-world leadership skills-building for new and seasoned managers alike.
Laying the foundation: New managers require reskilling in an age of accelerating change
Without a doubt, we’re experiencing an era of unprecedented workplace change. AI innovations are transforming the very nature of leadership every day, and in many industries, including technology, manufacturing, healthcare and finance, new innovations and evolving job roles are creating a demand for skills that are not always readily available.
Some may even be shocked to learn that research suggests some employees have more confidence in AI than in their actual human bosses when it comes to leadership.
It’s no surprise to hear, then, that the World Economic Forum reports that 85 percent of employers plan to prioritize reskilling their workforce through 2025 and beyond. The status quo is no longer enough.
A big part of this reskilling is teaching new managers how to adapt to constant, accelerating change while continuing to create a safe, equitable workplace for everyone, and also while giving them the skills to teach their own teams to adapt. This is not an easy feat! Leadership training and skills development like this are particularly salient as new generations step into leadership positions.
In fact, right now there is a growing movement around coaching Gen Z employees on navigating workplace etiquette. Like most new generations, sometimes help is required when developing the necessary soft skills and inter-generational communication strategies to thrive at the office or remotely, and Gen Z employees often lack experience or confidence in several areas of their jobs, from networking to conflict resolution.
But it’s not just Gen Z employees who can benefit from group leadership coaching. According to Resume Builder’s recently updated survey of over 1,500 leaders, more than 60 percent of US companies will enlist the help of etiquette training to teach their employees how to dress appropriately for the office, interact with clients and respect shared spaces. But, only 10 percent of those companies are planning to offer this training specifically for Gen Z and fresh-faced grads.
Ultimately, soft skill development is quickly becoming a workplace necessity as the rate of change across the workforce accelerates, and today’s managers need targeted support to lead with confidence and create inclusive, future-ready teams.
The benefits of group leadership coaching
Coaching has a proven track record of improving retention and engagement of high-potential leaders: a LinkedIn Learning poll found that 94 percent of employees are more likely to stay at a company that actively invests in their learning and development.
Leadership coaching benefits all levels of the organization, too: a report by GoodHire suggests that up to 82 percent of employees have considered quitting their jobs as a result of poor management.
And perhaps the most well-known (and staggering) stat about management? 70 percent of the variance in team engagement is directly tied to the manager. With that kind of impact, why wouldn’t you invest in giving your managers the skills and training they need to lead effectively?
Some key benefits of group leadership coaching include:
Shared learning and perspective: Leaders learn not only from a professionally trained and experienced coach, but also from each other’s real-world experiences, challenges and insights. This creates a richer, more diverse learning environment while building a shared sense of reliability and camaraderie at the same time.
Improved collaboration and trust: Coaching groups often build stronger relationships across departments or teams, leading to more open communication and increased trust, the most important behavior of a functional and healthy team.
Accountability and motivation: Regular group sessions help keep participants accountable for their goals while fostering a motivating environment where progress is celebrated and setbacks are normalized.
Help with decision-making: A coach can help a team make better decisions by clarifying roles, decision-making authority, and using simple frameworks that reduce confusion and speed up alignment. Over time, a coach builds the team’s ability to reflect on outcomes, learn from past decisions, and improve how they decide together moving forward.
Facilitate difficult conversations: Navigating conflict is difficult for a lot of people. And it can feel awkward to play mediator when you are deep in the weeds. A coach is an unbiased third party who can help create space for healthy debate and encourage diverse perspectives to create productive conflict which results in the objective pursuit of trust for the team, while keeping respect and safety at the highest level.
Cost-effective development: Group coaching delivers many of the benefits of 1:1 coaching at a lower cost per person, making leadership development more accessible across an organization.
Safe space for skill building: Group coaching creates a psychologically safe space to practice new leadership behaviors, like giving feedback or navigating conflict.
Stronger organizational alignment: When multiple leaders are coached together, they tend to align more closely on values, shared vision, and communication norms, which creates a more unified leadership culture.
Overall, group leadership coaching can drive stronger communication and decision-making across leadership teams, which supports growth in cross-functional collaboration and productivity, and contributes to healthy and happy workplaces.
4 things to think about when deciding on a group leadership coach
When you’re ready to invest in a group leadership coach, the following criteria can help set you up for maximum ROI:
1. Experience and fit
When it comes to selecting your coach or facilitator, the vetting and selection process is often underrated. A coach’s experience is often just as important as their expertise. While you’ll want to explore how they’re qualified and who they’ve worked with, you’ll also want to assess cultural fit as much as when hiring in-house employees.
Some teams prefer coaches with deep industry knowledge or past leadership experience in a specific function. Others prioritize emotional intelligence, facilitation style, or an outside perspective.
Decide what matters most to your team, then ask questions like:
A. Have they worked with teams like ours (in terms of size, industry, or stage)?
B. Do they have experience with challenges we’re facing (e.g., rapid growth, conflict, accountability)?
C. Will they offer feedback, summaries, or insights between sessions? Is that something we want?
D. What systems do they have in place to help us stay accountable?
2. Be clear on the outcomes you want
You’ll generate a greater ROI if you begin your group leadership coaching journey with a clear structure and measurable goals.
Ask yourself: What does success look like for our team?
Let’s say your leadership team is strong on emotional intelligence and culture, but lacks systems for accountability. In that case, you might seek a coach who’s helped other teams build those structures—through tools, mindset shifts, and behavior change. When you know what you’re looking for, it’s much easier to spot the coach who can help you get there.
3. Training, tools and credibility
Coaching is an unregulated industry, so credibility matters. We may be biased but we recommend looking for coaches who are certified through reputable frameworks or professional bodies — especially if your team wants to work with a specific tool like Gallup’s CliftonStrengths framework, the Enneagram, or DiSC.
A bonus? Working with a coach trained by a body like the ICF (International Coaching Federation) or ECC ensures they follow ethical guidelines, confidentiality standards, and best practices.
They’re not there to sell you add-ons — they’re trained to help your team grow. Be cautious of coaches without formal training, a clear methodology, or references from reputable organizations.
4. Logistics
Consider how best to roll out training or scheduled workshops to your team. Think about how your team works and what kind of coaching setup will support them best.
Do you need to account for a hybrid or remote work environment? The right coach won’t just deliver great content, they’ll work with you to design a format that fits your people, your schedule, and your goals.
A thoughtful rollout plan will make sure the coaching sticks.
It pays to invest in leadership development
Group leadership coaching is a smart, scalable investment that builds stronger leaders and drives measurable business results. If you’re an L&D leader, you can feel confident advocating for group coaching as a high-impact pillar of your organization’s learning strategy.
If you want to begin exploring workshop opportunities for your team, take a look at what we offer here at Reframed Coaching!