Why is it that in the HE sector, coaching for top leaders is seen as strategic – but for everyone else, as an unaffordable luxury?

Really.  What IS this about? In this article, I set out my thoughts on this little-discussed topic.

The Myth of Coaching as an ‘Elite Sport’

There’s the stubborn assumption that coaching is just for the top team or for those aspiring to those positions. And, as a rule, funding for coaching at that level is made available without much concern, barring an imperceptible eyebrow raise from the DoF.

It’s much more difficult for staff in less senior roles to access coaching funding.  Especially in straightened times.   Yet all the evidence shows a significant return on investment when leadership coaching is provided to what I call catalyst leaders.

Catalyst leaders are the people who make things happen. They get things over the line. They connect ideas, people, motivation and energy across the university. Crudely put, they just make stuff happen.  “Middle manager” doesn’t begin to describe the value they create and sustain in complex institutions.

Many catalyst leaders find coaching through their professional bodies or a development programme. Some are offered internal coaching.   But feedback suggests this isn’t always appealing – it is the very externality of coaching that creates the space for genuine growth and change in a demonstrably safe and neutral space.

Luck, Bias and the Double Standard

Time and again, I meet talented and capable leaders in universities – particularly women, and women of colour – who are determinedly self-funding their own development, all the while watching senior colleagues receive institutional coaching as a matter of course.  Pretty inequitable.

And this hits close to home. In my thirty-odd years in university leadership, I benefited enormously from coaching at crucial career moments. But, if I’m honest, most of those opportunities came through luck – being in the right place, knowing the right people, or having a particularly enlightened boss. For many women, especially those from marginalised groups, that luck never materialises.

Let’s be clear: coaching isn’t an elite sport. It’s not a luxury for the ‘higher-ups’. Yet too often, that’s the assumption. The irony is that those catalyst leaders – the ones typically overlooked for or denied coaching support – are the very people who could accelerate institutional change and innovation if given the right support. Coaching is nothing less than an accelerant when it comes to professional growth, insight and leadership impact.

The numbers tell a stark story. Recent research shows that while 68% of senior male leaders in HE receive coaching support, only 34% of women at similar levels do. For women of colour, that figure drops to 22%. We are effectively watching talent drain away because of systemic barriers to development.  If that doesn’t make you angry, it should!

There’s another uncomfortable truth. Coaching is often positioned as a remedial tool for so-called ‘difficult’ or ‘underperforming’ staff – disproportionately men – while high-performing women have to fight to justify it as a development need. It’s a quiet double standard that reinforces the very inequities universities claim to dismantle.

The Real Cost of Missed Opportunity and Talent Loss

“But budgets are tight,” I hear you say. Yes, they are. But consider this: HEIs in the UK lose a minimum of £12,000 in recruitment costs every time a catalyst leader leaves. Add the ‘invisible’ and uncounted loss of institutional knowledge, the disruption to teams, and the cost of delayed projects – suddenly that coaching investment looks like real value for money.

Over the years, I have witnessed a few curious patterns affecting women in HE, particularly those from marginalised groups:

• They step back from requesting development opportunities
• They’re overlooked for stretch projects that could justify coaching support
• They face subtle resistance when seeking institutional backing for development
• They feel pressure to be ‘grateful’ rather than ambitious

The fact is that HEIs with diverse leadership teams consistently outperform their peers. Yet we continue to maintain systems that make it harder for diverse talent to access the development they need to progress. And yes, that includes access to professional leadership coaching.

Success Through Widening Access to Leadership Coaching

In my humble opinion, it’s time to shift things up. Some organisations already are.  Progressive universities  – you know who they are – are already:

• Embedding coaching access in talent development programmes
• Creating transparent and inclusive criteria for access to leadership coaching
• Ring-fencing realistic budgets for underrepresented groups
• Explicitly recognising leadership coaching as an investment, not a cost

Because here’s the bald truth: coaching in our HEIs should never depend on luck, power, privilege, status or personal funds. It should depend on potential, talent, and the successful impact on the institution.

Professional leadership coaching is personally and professionally transformative. It’s the quickest and most sustainable way to turn organisational fortunes around. For the avoidance of doubt, I do not write this as an advert for my own services – I’m pretty much at capacity, which I do know is a privileged place to be. Rather, I am writing this because I know how leadership coaching creates positive change, opens opportunities and builds impact. And I am deeply, unswervingly passionate about spreading the news!

If this rings true for you, perhaps start by asking three simple questions in your own context: who’s getting access to coaching support, who isn’t, and why?

And if you would like to explore this further, do get in touch for a chat. I would be genuinely delighted to explore this with you. red image and the excerpt….we’ll show exactly how to do that.