Beyond Skills: Coaching to the Core of Leader Effectiveness

What happens when leaders know what to do, but no longer know why they’re doing it?

In a world that prizes speed, scale, and metrics, even the most capable leaders can find themselves saying:

• “I’m delivering results, but I feel disconnected from my team.”

• “I’ve gotten good at fixing problems, but I’m not thinking big anymore.”

• “I’m so busy supporting everyone else, I’ve lost sight of my own priorities.”

• “I get along with everyone, but I’m not driving anything forward.”

These aren’t skill deficits—they’re signs that a leader’s connection to core values, purpose, and authentic presence has slipped. The most effective coaching doesn’t just refine competencies—it roots every decision, every conversation, and every result in a leader’s core identity. In today’s organizations, leadership development often emphasizes external competencies: decision making, communication, delegation, and strategy execution. While these are critical, research and experience show they’re not enough to sustain engagement, performance, and resilience over the long term.

The missing factor? Coaching that helps leaders connect their actions and competency excellence to the core of who they are—their leader identity.

When leaders anchor their growth in a leader-specific identity, they enhance their skills and capacity, leading with greater trust, stability, and adaptability.

Even the data tells the story: Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace shows that 70 percent of team engagement variance comes down to the manager—underscoring just how much a leader’s alignment and authenticity influence the workplace. And based on a survey of more than 30,000 people across 52 countries, Gallup’s Global Leadership Report: What Followers Want found that the top qualities followers want from leaders are hope (56 percent) and trust (33 percent)—qualities that stem from identity, not just competence. These numbers make a compelling case for coaching that strengthens a leader’s connection to who they are as much as what they can do.

Here are four coaching shifts that can help talent development (TD) leaders move beyond skills to the deeper, identity-based work that transforms leader effectiveness.

1. Start With Who, Not Just What

Traditional coaching engagements often begin with performance goals or skills gaps. Instead, start by exploring the leader’s internal compass:

• What are the principles you won’t compromise?

• When do you feel most like yourself in leadership?

• What kind of impact do you want to have—not just on results, but on people?

This approach uncovers the “authentic operating system” that drives consistent, values-aligned decisions, especially in complex or high-pressure situations.

2. Align Strengths to Leadership Identity

Skills-training teaches what to do; strengths-based identity coaching reinforces how leaders naturally operate at their best. Using tools like Gallup CliftonStrengths, VIA Character Strengths, or the Hogan Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI) helps leaders:

• Identify projects, contexts, and roles that energize them.

• Recognize when strengths go into overdrive under stress.

• Intentionally match strengths to leadership priorities and strategy.

When leaders see their strengths as a foundational part of their identity—not just tools in a toolbox—they lead with greater confidence and coherence.

3. Reframe Challenges as Identity Tension

Many coaching conversations focus on solving immediate problems. But those challenges are often symptoms of deeper tensions between a leader’s actions and who they believe themselves to be.

Coaches can encourage reframes when they hear examples like:

• “I need to delegate more,” and try instead, “What’s my belief about control, trust, or worth that makes delegation difficult?”

• “I need to be more strategic,” and try instead, “How does my natural way of thinking already contribute to long-term vision—and where does it get blocked?”

Coaching at this level builds sustainable change because it addresses root causes, not just surface behaviors.

These practices help leaders stay grounded, adaptable, and connected to their authentic leadership presence—even in the face of shifting priorities.

From Skill-Building to Identity-Building

Coaching to the core of leader effectiveness isn’t about abandoning skill development—but instead giving it a deeper foundation. When skills grow out of a leader’s clarified identity, they’re applied with more consistency, integrity, and impact.

For TD leaders, this means shifting the coaching lens from What should this leader be doing? to Who is this leader becoming? The result is stronger performance today and a leadership presence that can weather change, inspire teams, and shape the culture for years to come.