29-05-2025
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.
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