International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring (Jun 2022)

Senior leadership transition: how coaching supports challenges to confidence

  • Andrea Kilpatrick

DOI
https://doi.org/10.24384/VAQC-EF26
Journal volume & issue
no. S16
pp. 81 – 96

Abstract

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Research on senior leadership transition acknowledges that it is a challenging process but it does not always look at the impact on the leader’s confidence. Confidence in the coaching literature has been given little attention and yet increased confidence for the coaching client is often a key incidental outcome of the coaching process. Using multi-perspective IPA (Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis), this article explores the experience of the challenge to confidence for senior leaders during leadership transition, and how coaching supports leaders with confidence at this transition point. Three key findings are presented here: a framework of the experiences of confidence and loss of confidence across four inter-connected areas; the role of the organisation in the confidence of the leader; and how coaching supports confidence at this transition point.

Keywords