Coaching is typically reserved for managers and high-level executives — but employees at all levels can benefit from the personalized support coaching provides. Coaching offers employees insight into their strengths and skills gaps, and delivers the personalized support needed to navigate real-world challenges. The “ICF Defining New Coaching Cultures” report by the International Coaching Federation found that employees at every level appreciate coaching, with high approval from both senior executives (78%) and employees (73%).
That said, many organizations are hesitant to scale their coaching efforts. Doing so can be time and resource intensive, and the business benefits may not be immediately clear. Foram Sheth, chief coaching officer at Ama La Vida, says that over the past 30 years, while coaching has remained popular, it’s still primarily delivered to those at the top levels of the business. Learning leaders looking to scale coaching programs are often “met with a lot of resistance” from stakeholders for a few reasons: a resistance to change, scalability concerns regarding internal infrastructure and logistics, high costs and uncertainty about return on investment (ROI).
Chapin Brinegar, CPTM, senior director of instructional design and learning strategy at Encompass Communications and Learning, says that many organizations limit coaching to first-line managers, believing they have the most direct impact on day-to-day operations. This focus often stems from misconceptions that coaching is resource intensive or that its benefits will naturally “trickle down” to other employees. This “is not really true,” Brinegar says, as few organizations have a true “coaching culture” that encourages 360-degree feedback. As a result, employees who don’t receive coaching miss out on development opportunities that could improve their performance.
Here, we’ll explore different strategies for scaling coaching programs without exhausting valuable time and resources. First, let’s consider the business, and individual, benefits of coaching in more detail.
Benefits of Coaching at All Levels
Making coaching available across the business offers unique benefits for both individual employees and the organization. As Brinegar puts it, “When you have that coaching happening everywhere, it’s driving individual success and then it’s contributing ultimately to organizational success.”
A few notable benefits of providing coaching at all levels include:
1. Empowered employees who improve their skills.
Coaching “really empowers people to take ownership of their development,” Brinegar says. Having a coach can encourage employees to recognize their skills gaps and seek the development they need to grow. This process also improves employees’ ability to give and receive feedback, which are necessary skills in a shifting work environment.
2. Strengthened relationships.
Another benefit of coaching is its ability to strengthen relationships, Brinegar says. For instance, when managers act as coaches, it can improve relationships with their employees, and peer-to-peer coaching can enhance connections among colleagues.
3. A pipeline of future leaders.
Scaling coaching programs is also a way to identify and shape future leaders in your organization.
“One thing I love about making coaching available to all employees, and something that we see time and time again, is you get to shape leaders in a way that you want,” Sheth explains. For example, if a company plans to break into a new global market, coaching can help build employees’ cultural competence, adaptability and communication skills, which are crucial for navigating new markets effectively.
By coaching high-potential employees early on, companies can gauge their leadership skills and ability, creating more effective succession plans.
4. Improved engagement and retention.
Making coaching widely available can help improve employee engagement and retention, which remain a challenge for many businesses, by providing employees with career development in house.
In fact, LinkedIn Learning’s 2025 Workplace Learning Report found that 88% of organizations are concerned about employee retention, and providing learning opportunities is survey respondents’ No. 1 retention strategy.
It’s worth noting that, in the past, coaching was seen as a remedial tool, but now it’s more about developing high-potential employees, says Madeleine Homan Blanchard, chief coaching architect at Blanchard. That said, there’s still resistance in some organizations where employees view coaching as a corrective measure tied to performance issues.
To shift this mindset, learning leaders can actively position coaching as a proactive development offering for all employees by integrating it into broader training programs and highlighting success stories. Managers can help by having candid conversations with team members about their own coaching experiences and how they have impacted their career growth.
4 Strategies for Success
Now that we’ve covered the benefits of delivering coaching at scale, let’s explore practical strategies for expanding coaching programs.
1. Use a variety of formats.
Using a variety of formats can help organizations extend their coaching efforts while maintaining impact.
Workshops are a great starting point, providing a shared foundation and ensuring that everyone operates from the same framework and expectations, says Sheth. However, to be truly effective, coaching must include ongoing accountability and reinforcement from managers.
Group coaching allows employees to collectively reflect, share best practices and refine key frameworks introduced in workshops. It can also help build accountability and can be scaled efficiently since it reaches multiple participants at once.
Lastly, while it may not be feasible to offer one-on-one coaching to every employee on a regular basis, organizations can prioritize individual coaching during high-impact moments — such as onboarding, leadership transitions or during a major workforce shift, like a merger or acquisition — where personalized support is most valuable.
“This combination of workshops and group coaching and one-on-one [coaching] to me is what optimizes a lot of coaching programs that can scale and is something that can be long lasting,” Sheth says.
2. Train managers to act as coaches.
A Harvard Business Review article explains that traditional “command-and-control” management practices are not enough to drive performance and support employees through rapid change. Thus, the role of managers today is evolving to become “that of a coach.”
To act as coaches, managers need training on key coaching skills, such as self-awareness, empathy, active listening, communication, feedback, goal-setting, motivation and more. Skills development can be factored into broader leadership training efforts.
3. Find the right fit.
If using external coaches to scale your efforts, having qualified coaches is essential, but remember: Just because someone has impressive credentials doesn’t mean they will be a good fit for an organization, Blanchard says. Ensure coaches are aligned with your company’s culture and values and look for coaches who understand key business challenges. You can also seek referrals through your professional network.
4. Consider artificial intelligence (AI) and digital coaching options.
There are many digital and AI-powered coaching tools on the market, with more rolling out as the technology advances. These tools are a great way to scale coaching, Sheth says, bringing employees learning and feedback in their moment of need. As AI-driven coaching tools are typically less costly than human coaches, they’re a good option for learning and development (L&D) departments with leaner budgets.
While current AI tools can analyze skills like sales pitches or presentations, they still have limitations, particularly when it comes to compliance in regulated industries, Brinegar explains. Looking ahead, Brinegar expects that AI-driven coaching platforms will become more accessible, cost-effective and accurate over time.
Ultimately, human coaching is still a valuable investment for companies focused on developing their talent. Although AI can’t replace human coaches, it can help supplement their efforts. Many of these tools also include measurement features, which can help L&D professionals prove coaching’s impact to stakeholders.
Conclusion
At the outset, scaling coaching efforts can seem like a major lift for already busy training professionals. Clearly outlining the business benefits — from retention and engagement to succession planning and improved relationships — can help you gain buy-in from key stakeholders.
By using a variety of formats, building managers’ coaching skills, finding the right fit and implementing digital and AI-powered tools as needed, you can scale your efforts and provide more employees with access to coaching that can drive sustained performance improvement.
