To Be An Indispensable Coach, Start With Leadership Accountability
Dr. Vince Molinaro, CEO of Leadership Contract Inc., is a NY Times best-selling author, board adviser & expert in leading strategic shifts.
The executive coaching industry is at an inflection point.
On the surface, it's thriving—with an estimated revenue of $4.5 billion and over 100,000 practitioners. But beneath the growth, many coaches are feeling the pressure: rising competition, AI-powered coaching platforms and clients expecting more strategic value from their investments.
To stay relevant, executive coaches must move beyond support and self-awareness. I believe the future of executive coaching lies in helping leaders operationalize leadership accountability—a lever that consistently drives business impact, culture change and transformation at scale.
As someone who works with senior leaders and executive teams navigating mergers, business model shifts and culture transformations, I've seen firsthand that leadership accountability is the deciding factor between success and failure.
It's also something many leaders lack. Organizations don't just need leaders who are competent. They need leaders who take ownership, who align actions with strategy and who create cultures where follow-through is the norm.
When leaders dodge tough conversations, shift blame or operate in silos, even the best strategy falls apart. Based on discussions with many of my customers, they admit that unfortunately, many executive coaching engagements fall short because they don't address this head-on.
If you're an executive coach today, you're working in a very different context than even five years ago. Three forces are converging:
1. Market saturation: Certification programs have exploded. While this has democratized access to coaching, it's also diluted the field. Many buyers struggle to distinguish experienced, credible coaches from weekend-certified influencers with polished LinkedIn bios.
2. AI and technology: AI coaching platforms can offer diagnostics, personalized nudges and scalable insights at a fraction of the cost. While they may never replace human connection, they are raising the bar for what human coaches must deliver.
3. Rising executive expectations: Today's leaders are overwhelmed—not by one challenge, but by many. According to research I conducted with more than 3,000 senior leaders over a period in 2022 to 2024 for my book, Community of Leaders, they're navigating an average of 3.2 simultaneous strategic priorities: shifting customer demands, digital transformation, CEO transitions, geopolitical pressures, hybrid workforces and more. These aren't ordinary challenges. They require extraordinary leadership—and extraordinary coaching.
If you want to be an indispensable coach, I suggest you help leaders build accountability at every level. In my work, I've developed a framework around the four commitments every leader must make to lead with intention and impact. It's about a foundational mindset of leading with accountability:
1. Making the decision to lead: Great leadership starts with intention. Coaches should aim to help clients move from passive role occupants to fully committed decision-makers.
2. Stepping up to the obligations of leadership: Leaders owe something to their teams, organizations and society. Coaches can help bring this sense of duty to life and help leaders see the bigger picture.
3. Getting tough: Real leadership is messy. It requires resilience, difficult conversations and making unpopular but necessary decisions. Coaches should provide the backbone of support—and challenge—to lead through adversity.
4. Connecting with your community: No leader succeeds in isolation or in a vacuum. Coaches should help clients build stronger peer relationships, break down silos and foster mutual accountability.
But mindset is just the foundation. Leadership accountability must also be practiced across four levels:
1. Individual accountability: This is about how a leader personally shows up. Do they take ownership of their role, lead with integrity and model the right behaviors? Executive coaches can help leaders clarify expectations, build self-awareness and strengthen their leadership mindset.
2. Team accountability: Leaders must also create a culture of accountability within their teams by setting clear goals, addressing performance, fostering collaboration and modeling follow-through. Coaches can support leaders in improving team dynamics and managing difficult conversations.
3. Shared accountability: This level focuses on how leaders work with peers across the organization. It's about leading with a one-company mindset and holding each other to high standards. Coaches can help leaders break down silos, build trust with peers and strengthen the leadership community.
4. Collective accountability: This involves upholding a unified leadership culture to lead strategic shifts and drive strategy execution. Leaders work together across functions with a one-company mindset to create a culture of accountability. Coaches can help leaders strengthen peer relationships, build cross-functional trust and create the courage to call out unproductive behavior.
When executive coaches bring this model into their work, they can go from offering support to enabling transformation.
I've found leadership accountability coaching creates the most value in key leadership moments:
• Stepping into a new executive role
• Leading post-merger integration
• Driving a strategic shift or leadership culture transformation
• Moving from functional to enterprise-wide leadership
• Following 360 feedback or a leadership culture diagnostic
• Preparing for succession or C-suite transitions
These are the moments where expectations rise—and leaders must grow quickly. Accountability coaching bridges that gap.
Coaching isn't just about helping leaders feel better. It's about helping them lead better. That means challenging them to make clear commitments, to own their influence and to follow through at scale. It means moving beyond generic development and stepping into the role of strategic thinking partner. That is the leadership accountability advantage. And for executive coaches ready to embrace it, that is the opportunity to become indispensable.
Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Schwinn's Business Venture After Nomination to Ed Dept. Could Raise Questions
Just one month after President Donald Trump tapped her to be the second in command at the U.S. Department of Education, Penny Schwinn registered a new educational consulting business in Florida with a longtime friend and business colleague, according to state documents reviewed by The 74. The business venture never got off the ground, but the arrangement could raise ethical issues for Schwinn as she heads before the Senate education committee for confirmation Thursday. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter The colleague with whom she co-founded the business, Donald Fennoy, told The 74 in an interview that the enterprise, named New Horizon BluePrint Group, was intended to combine their expertise as education leaders. Fennoy, the former superintendent of the Palm Beach County School District, was to consult with districts, while Schwinn, who has experience in Delaware, Texas and most recently as Tennessee's education commissioner, would focus on state leadership. The pair have known each other for a decade, Fennoy said, meeting when they were part of the 2015-16 class of the Broad Academy, an education leadership program. But the business does not appear among financial ties outlined in mandatory disclosure documents Schwinn submitted to the Office of Government Ethics on March 24. One reason could be that three weeks earlier, Schwinn's sister, Katherine Sully, replaced her as manager of the business, according to state documents. Sully, whose LinkedIn profile identifies her as an assistant principal at a Texas charter school, has far less educational experience than Schwinn or Fennoy. On Friday, as The 74 began asking Schwinn and the department questions about the venture, Fennoy dissolved the company, documents show, listing 'business never started' as the reason. 'Right when we were securing the name, she got a phone call,' Fennoy told The 74, referring to the nomination. The plan, he said, was to bring in at least one more leader with district experience and build a team to do work 'nationally and internationally.' On Jan. 18, Trump announced his pick of Schwinn to be the department's deputy secretary, citing her 'strong record of delivering results for children and families.' The LLC wasn't registered until Feb. 18. But pressed for details about why Schwinn registered the business after her nomination, Fennoy appeared confused about the timeline. 'This is on what day?' he asked in response to a reporter's question. He did not respond to additional questions sent by email. Contacted by The 74, Schwinn referred the matter to the Education Department. Madison Bidermann, a department spokesman, declined to address why Schwinn moved forward with a business venture after her nomination and said the nominee 'worked with the relevant ethics officials and resolved any conflicts.' Sully did not respond to attempts to contact her over email. The Florida LLC would have been just one of Schwinn's many business interests, detailed in the disclosure filed with the federal government. She stated in May that if confirmed, she would divest or resign her positions at multiple companies. Historically, potential business conflicts could raise red flags for senators vetting a potential nominee. As deputy secretary, Schwinn would be tasked with overseeing federal policy and a vast network of K-12 programs — the same policy and programs that districts might seek help from a consulting firm to navigate. She would also enter the department at a crisis point, as Education Secretary Linda McMahon drastically cuts staff and cancels funding to reach Trump's goal of eliminating the department. The proposed 2026 budget slashes over $4 billion from K-12 programs, raising concerns that officials won't be able to carry out their congressionally mandated duties The period between nomination and confirmation is typically a time when candidates distance themselves from financial entanglements and potential conflicts of interest. 'Once you're nominated, the typical rule of thumb would be that you kind of slow down,' said Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette, interim vice president for policy and government affairs at the Project On Government Oversight, a nonprofit focused on government accountability. 'You probably wouldn't establish a new LLC, for example' But Schwinn is not a typical nominee, and this is not a typical administration. Trump reportedly held an exclusive dinner on May 22 for investors in his meme coin, a form of cryptocurrency. As president, he maintains control of his business empire. In the midst of negotiations with Vietnam over punishing U.S. tariffs, for example, the country approved the development of Trump hotels and golf courses. Previous reporting revealed that FBI Director Kash Patel refused to divest from a Chinese 'fast fashion' company, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's wife owned stock in companies that contract with that department. It's not unusual for administrations to run into trouble with officials who have close ties to the industries they oversee, Hedtler-Gaudette said. In 2022, his group filed a complaint about a Biden administration official in charge of digital services who had investments in the tech industry. 'But this administration is unique,' he said, 'and just doesn't seem to take any of that into consideration.' Schwinn is also an unusual choice. She has fans among GOP moderates and Democrats. The former charter school founder and Teach for America alum earned respect for directing COVID relief funds toward academic recovery in Tennessee and implementing far-reaching reforms in reading instruction. For a Trump nominee, she has also faced a high degree of conservative ire. Some of that is due to her past support for the kind of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives the Trump administration wants to eliminate from schools, like hiring more teachers of color. But accusations of conflicts of interest and other ethical lapses have followed her for years. They include a $4.4 million no-bid contract that the Texas Education Agency signed in 2017 with SPEDx, a Georgia software startup, despite what a state audit called Schwinn's 'professional relationship' with a subcontractor for the company. At the time, she was a deputy superintendent of the state agency. Critics also point to an $8 million deal in 2021 that the Tennessee Department of Education signed with TNTP, a teacher training organization where her husband Paul Schwinn was employed at the time. The state's procurement office approved the contract and Schwinn agreed to distance herself from the project, but some lawmakers still considered the deal a 'huge conflict.' ' 'Drain the swamp' is a phrase coined by President Trump, signifying the removal of corruption and special interests from government,' said J.C. Bowman, executive director of Professional Educators of Tennessee, a non-union association. 'Many conservatives oppose Penny Schwinn's nomination as deputy secretary of education, believing she embodies the interests they want to eliminate from the agency.' Related Others say she left the state better off. She pushed requirements that districts screen students for reading difficulties and use a phonics-based curriculum. After the state passed a literacy law in 2021, roughly 30,000 teachers received summer training in the science of reading. The investments paid off. Tennessee was among the first to see test scores bounce back after the pandemic. Results from 2023-24 show students continue to make gains. To many education advocates, she represents the best chance to shift the national department's focus away from culture war issues and toward bipartisan priorities like improving literacy and maintaining accountability. 'I certainly wholeheartedly hope she gets approved, and think members on both sides would be gratified by her performance in office,' said Rick Hess, director of education policy studies at the conservative American Enterprise Institute. Yet dozens of conservative groups and individuals have sent senators letters outlining why they think she's wrong for the job. They list, for example, her affiliation with Chiefs for Change, made up of left-leaning district and state officials, and cite complaints about her support for a reading curriculum they say has elements of critical race theory, which holds that racism in America is systemic. Several were offended that Ruby Bridges' children's book about being the first Black child to integrate a white elementary school referenced 'a large crowd of angry white people.' Others thought a first grade book about seahorses was inappropriate because it explains how males carry the eggs. While never implemented, her plan to conduct 'well-being' home visits during the pandemic still angers parents who consider it an example of government overreach. If the committee advances Schwinn's nomination, Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Republican who is running for governor, is expected to vote against her, multiple sources told The 74. 'She's a Democrat, through and through,' said Elizabeth Story, legislative chair for the Tennessee chapter of Moms for Liberty, the conservative advocacy group that opposes progressive ideas in school about race, sex and gender. 'We need President Trump to withdraw her.' Just after her nomination, she met with anti-DEI activist Chris Rufo in an apparent effort to reassure the Trump administration she would be a good fit. According to his Jan. 21 post on X, she promised to 'shut down the terrible programs at the Department of Education, fight critical race theory, gender cultism, and DEI in America's schools, and support new initiatives on school choice and classical education.' If she loses the support of some conservatives, she may have to lean on Democrats to secure her nomination. Related To Leslie Finger, an assistant political science professor at the University of North Texas, that would be an appropriate finale to a nomination that has veered far from the typical Trump playbook. 'In many ways, she seems opposed to the Trump administration's education agenda,' she said. 'One might think it was meant to show that they want to reach across the aisle on education issues, since she would be supported by bipartisan education reform types. But when has the Trump administration taken actions to signal bipartisanship?' Since leaving her post as Tennessee commissioner, Schwinn has invested in and been involved with companies at the forefront of education, her disclosure forms show. Those include Amira, an AI reading curriculum program; Odyssey, a vendor that manages education savings accounts in multiple states; and Edmentum, an online curriculum and assessment company. She's also a board member for Really Great Reading, a literacy program used in at least five states, and a consultant for BHA Strategy, a lobbying firm. Blake Harris, former communications director for Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, a Republican, founded BHA, where Schwinn served as chief operating officer until February. Two other LLCs she owns would cease operations, she wrote in a letter to the Education Department. John Pelissero, a government ethics expert at Santa Clara University in California, said her financial ties deserve a closer look. 'What she puts down on her disclosure form for her confirmation is always kind of an important starting point for how transparent she will be,' he said. 'Scrutiny should be given to whether she has the capacity to demonstrate that she'll act in the public interest.' Related Schwinn isn't the first Trump nominee to face opposition from Republicans. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former majority leader from Kentucky, voted against Hegseth and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But those objections focused more on the nominees' qualifications, said Jonathan Collins, an assistant professor of education and political science at Teachers College, Columbia University. Conservatives' concerns about Schwinn, 'seem like more of a test — or critique — of her loyalty to the new Republican culture war coalition,' he said. 'She's as moderate as it gets. She's a pragmatist who in no way pushes far-left progressive policies.' Under McMahon, the department required states to sign a certification saying they wouldn't implement DEI programs. The Office for Civil Rights has also prioritized investigations into state and district policies allowing transgender students to compete against girls in school sports. Not all parental rights advocates are opposed to her nomination. Moms for America, founded in 2004, is a conservative, Christian organization that shares many of the same values as Moms for Liberty. Last year, the group presented Trump with its Man of the Century Award. The organization, however, said Schwinn would make 'an excellent choice' for deputy secretary, citing her 'extensive experience as an educator, innovator and state leader.' As the department's number two, she would oversee K-12 initiatives, which McMahon has said will prioritize the science of reading, school choice and giving states more control over education. 'She has a proven ability to improve student outcomes, champion school choice, and navigate crises like the pandemic,' the organization said in a statement to The 74. 'We stand by her candidacy for nomination as deputy education secretary and wish her the best in that role.' Disclosure: According to financial disclosure documents filed with the Office of Government Ethics, Penny Schwinn earned $250,000 as a consultant and adviser to the Walton Family Foundation. The foundation provides financial support to The 74.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
TechCrunch Sessions: AI begins tomorrow — today's your last chance to save on tickets
Tomorrow, the doors open at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall. What happens next isn't just another AI conference — it's the one you need to be at. gathers the most influential builders, investors, and researchers in artificial intelligence for a day of clarity in an industry clouded by hype. If you're leading a company, allocating capital, or building with code, this is where you need to be. Today's your last chance to lock in low rates. Save $300 on your ticket, and score a second one for half off. Or, test your AI knowledge for a shot at winning 2-for-1 passes. After today, only full-price tickets will be available at the door. We're not interested in AI tourism. We've invited the people shaping policy, deploying real systems, and funding the frontier. Hao Sang, Startups Lead, OpenAI, will explore how startups can gain an edge by partnering with OpenAI — offering insights, tools, and influence straight from the source. Iliana Quinonez, Director, Google Cloud — Infrastructure deep dives for AI startups. Jared Kaplan, co-founder of Anthropic, joins for a fireside on frontier model safety and scaling. Kanu Gulati, partner at Khosla Ventures, lays out what the next fundable moment looks like. Ion Stoica, Databricks co-founder and UC Berkeley professor, explains what's actually required to build infrastructure at AI scale. They'll be joined by executives from Google DeepMind, Accel, Amazon, Cohere, SAP, CapitalG, and many more — each with a perspective you won't find on your LinkedIn feed. Explore the full agenda — and see why you need to be in the room. At the event, set up 1:1 or small-group Braindate meetings to make meaningful connections. Head to the networking lounge for deep-dive conversations that could spark your next move — or your next big idea. This is where the real connections happen. And when the day winds down, the conversations keep going. As the sun sets over Berkeley, Side Events hosted by some of the sharpest operators in AI offer a chance to go even deeper: Toyota Ventures: How early-stage startups can survive and thrive through the AI hype cycle Tanka: Beyond tools: How AI becomes your digital employee MyHomie: Homeownership and property search in the AI Age Prices jump the moment TC Sessions: AI starts. Today is your final opportunity to: Save $300+ on your pass. Add a second ticket for 50% off. Try your luck in our AI Trivia Countdown challenge to score a pass for $200 and get a second ticket free. You're almost out of time — but not out of options. Get in while it still counts. Secure your pass at TC Sessions: AI with pre-door rates — less than 24 hours left. This article originally appeared on TechCrunch at Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
LinkedIn CEO to take over Office, more AI duties in Microsoft executive shuffle
By Stephen Nellis SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -The CEO of LinkedIn will take additional responsibility for Microsoft's (MSFT) Office products, while an executive responsible for one of the company's leading business-to-business artificial intelligence products will start reporting to head of the company's Windows unit, according to a memo from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella viewed by Reuters. Ryan Roslansky, who oversees the business-focused social network owned by Microsoft, will remain CEO of LinkedIn but also oversee products such as Word and Excel and also "Copilot," Microsoft's leading AI product, within the company's productivity software suite, the memo said. Roslansky will report to Rajesh Jha, who oversees Microsoft Windows and Teams, among other duties. The memo said existing Office leaders Sumit Chauhan and Gaurav Sareen will report to Jha as well. Also moving to report to Jha will be Charles Lamanna, who leads "Copilot" for business and industrial users, the memo said.
