The Rise of Peer Coaching in Leadership Development

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An excellent leadership development experience inspires participants to try new behaviors, but applying them consistently can be challenging—especially when reality hits with back-to-back meetings, urgent deadlines, and ingrained habits that make it difficult to put new approaches into practice. Without ongoing support, even the most transformative learning experiences can fade into just another training that didn’t quite take hold. Research by German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus has long shown that without reinforcement, people forget approximately 70 percent of what they learn within 24 hours. However, peer coaching can provide the support needed to turn that inspiration into action.

An excellent leadership development experience inspires participants to try new behaviors, but applying them consistently can be challenging—especially when reality hits with back-to-back meetings, urgent deadlines, and ingrained habits that make it difficult to put new approaches into practice. Without ongoing support, even the most transformative learning experiences can fade into just another training that didn’t quite take hold. Research by German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus has long shown that without reinforcement, people forget approximately 70 percent of what they learn within 24 hours. However, peer coaching can provide the support needed to turn that inspiration into action.

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Peer coaching circles are small, structured groups where leaders strengthen their coaching capabilities by working on real, current challenges from their day-to-day work. Each participant comes to the session with an issue they’re navigating, such as a performance conversation, team dynamic, or strategic decision, and has dedicated time to be coached by a peer. Throughout the session, leaders rotate through three roles: being coached on their own challenge, actively coaching a peer, and observing others in action to notice what effective coaching looks and sounds like. These confidential, facilitated conversations create space for reflection, build shared accountability, and ensure every leader leaves with practical insights and clear commitments they can immediately put into practice.

Peer coaching circles are small, structured groups where leaders strengthen their coaching capabilities by working on real, current challenges from their day-to-day work. Each participant comes to the session with an issue they’re navigating, such as a performance conversation, team dynamic, or strategic decision, and has dedicated time to be coached by a peer. Throughout the session, leaders rotate through three roles: being coached on their own challenge, actively coaching a peer, and observing others in action to notice what effective coaching looks and sounds like. These confidential, facilitated conversations create space for reflection, build shared accountability, and ensure every leader leaves with practical insights and clear commitments they can immediately put into practice.

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One of the primary benefits of these circles is that peers can coach from a shared understanding of the organization’s cultural context and nuances. This common ground encourages more insightful coaching questions, generates solutions that actually work within your specific context, and prompts commitments to viable next steps. Coaching circles provide a small community that nurtures continuous development beyond the program, ensuring learning sticks and commitments are acted on.

One of the primary benefits of these circles is that peers can coach from a shared understanding of the organization’s cultural context and nuances. This common ground encourages more insightful coaching questions, generates solutions that actually work within your specific context, and prompts commitments to viable next steps. Coaching circles provide a small community that nurtures continuous development beyond the program, ensuring learning sticks and commitments are acted on.

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When implemented effectively, peer coaching circles create powerful outcomes:

When implemented effectively, peer coaching circles create powerful outcomes:

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  Continuous learning: Leaders keep developing between formal programs by regularly reflecting on real work and pressure testing their thinking with peers.

  Continuous learning: Leaders keep developing between formal programs by regularly reflecting on real work and pressure testing their thinking with peers.

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  Stronger coaching capability through repetition and real application: Coaching becomes a practiced leadership skill, built through frequent use on real challenges, not just something learned in theory.

  Stronger coaching capability through repetition and real application: Coaching becomes a practiced leadership skill, built through frequent use on real challenges, not just something learned in theory.

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  Assessing complex challenges from new angles: Peers help surface blind spots and assumptions.

  Assessing complex challenges from new angles: Peers help surface blind spots and assumptions.

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  Deeper trust and connections with peers: Over time, the circle becomes a high-trust space for candid conversation, which strengthens relationships.

  Deeper trust and connections with peers: Over time, the circle becomes a high-trust space for candid conversation, which strengthens relationships.

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  Greater accountability: When you commit to action in front of peers you respect, you're far more likely to follow through. The circle creates positive pressure to honor your commitments

  Greater accountability: When you commit to action in front of peers you respect, you're far more likely to follow through. The circle creates positive pressure to honor your commitments

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  Increased likelihood to act on commitments: Each peer coaching session ends with next steps to ensure that it’s not just a nice conversation.

  Increased likelihood to act on commitments: Each peer coaching session ends with next steps to ensure that it’s not just a nice conversation.

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These benefits sound compelling, but how do you know if peer coaching circles are the right solution for your team? Start by asking yourself:

These benefits sound compelling, but how do you know if peer coaching circles are the right solution for your team? Start by asking yourself:

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Where do leaders need a stronger habit of reflection and acting on commitments?

Where do leaders need a stronger habit of reflection and acting on commitments?

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And if a small group of leaders met regularly to coach each other through real challenges, what might shift in the quality of decisions and conversations?

And if a small group of leaders met regularly to coach each other through real challenges, what might shift in the quality of decisions and conversations?

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What decisions or conversations would move faster if leaders had stronger peer support?

What decisions or conversations would move faster if leaders had stronger peer support?

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At scale, peer coaching circles become a powerful culture lever. Over time, coaching stops being something leaders “do” in a program and starts becoming how leaders think and work together. Leaders build a habit of pausing, asking better questions, challenging assumptions, and turning insight into commitments. Coaching becomes the way leaders develop one another and their teams, and this is when the learning truly sticks.

At scale, peer coaching circles become a powerful culture lever. Over time, coaching stops being something leaders “do” in a program and starts becoming how leaders think and work together. Leaders build a habit of pausing, asking better questions, challenging assumptions, and turning insight into commitments. Coaching becomes the way leaders develop one another and their teams, and this is when the learning truly sticks.

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Want to learn more about the power of coaching? Join us at the ATD Coaching Conference for our session , A Leader's Role in Shaping a Coaching Culture, on February 25, from 2–2:30 p.m. EDT.

Want to learn more about the power of coaching? Join us at the ATD Coaching Conference for our session, A Leader's Role in Shaping a Coaching Culture, on February 25, from 2–2:30 p.m. EDT.