Coaching has a branding problem. Somewhere along the way, the word got sliced and diced. Now, everyone's an executive coach, a leadership coach, a performance coach - or worse, a transformational catalyst. What even is that?
Let’s get one thing straight: you’re either coaching, or you’re not. Adding “executive” doesn’t make your questions deeper, your sessions more elite, or your impact more powerful. It just adds ego – and coaching is the last place that needs it.
Coaching, in its purest form, is about creating space – space to think, reflect, feel, and act. Whether you’re the CEO of a £300m business or a newly-promoted manager juggling Slack messages and school runs, the purpose is the same: slow down, take a breath, and gather your thoughts.
And that kind of space? It’s rare. Burnout isn’t a buzzword anymore – it’s a baseline. Leaders are stretched thin. Their calendars are jammed, their decisions are rushed, and their resilience is under constant pressure. And still, we tell them to “be more resilient,” like it’s an app you can just download.
Coaching doesn’t fix burnout with time management tips or productivity hacks. It works because it interrupts the noise. It gives leaders time to hear the things they’ve been too busy – or too afraid – to face:
“This isn’t working.”
“I’m exhausted.”
“I’m faking it.”
It’s not always easy. But it’s honest. And that’s where resilience begins. Not with another motivational seminar or a LinkedIn masterclass – but with silence, space, and someone skilled enough to sit with you in it. Not to fix you, not to judge – but to help you hear yourself.
So, let’s stop pretending coaching is only valuable the closer you get to the C-suite. The need for clarity, courage, and reflection is universal. We coach people, not job titles.
At People Spark, we see this every day. We work with clients from fast-scaling tech firms to public sector leaders navigating complexity and constraint. Some come to us with burnout. Others are facing highstakes transitions or leading teams who’ve never had meaningful development. What connects them isn’t their rank – it’s their reality. The need for space.
If coaching is going to survive the noise and nonsense, it needs to get back to what made it powerful in the first place: trust, insight, and the kind of conversation that changes how you see yourself – and what you do next. Let’s stop overcomplicating it. Let’s make it accessible, grounded, and human again.
peoplesparksolutions.co.uk