In senior leadership, comfort can be a trap. The higher you climb, the fewer people are willing to challenge your thinking, question your assumptions, or hold up a mirror to your blind spots. That’s where a workplace coach comes in—not as a cheerleader, not as a support person, and certainly not as an employee advocate—but as a trusted partner in your growth. And sometimes, that partnership means hearing things you’d rather not.
What Does a Workplace Coach Actually Do?
A workplace coach works with individuals—often senior leaders—to help them gain clarity, improve self-awareness, and make better decisions. They’re not there to fix you. They’re not there to tell you what to do. They’re there to help you see yourself and your context more clearly.
Coaching is a structured, intentional process. It’s built on trust, confidentiality, and a shared commitment to growth. A coach listens deeply, asks powerful questions, and reflects back what they observe. They help you explore your thinking, challenge your assumptions, and uncover patterns that may be holding you back.
But coaching isn’t just about insight—it’s about impact. The goal is to help you lead more effectively, communicate more clearly, and navigate complexity with greater confidence.
As executive coach Allison Dunn puts it:
“The higher you rise, the less honest feedback you receive. Executive coaching helps you uncover blind spots that are limiting your leadership or strategy.”
Coach vs Support Person vs Advocate: What’s the Difference?
It’s easy to confuse a coach with other roles that offer support in the workplace. But the distinctions matter.
- Support Person: Often provides emotional or practical support, especially in challenging situations. Their role is to stand beside you, offer comfort, and help you feel heard.
- Employee Advocate: Typically represents your interests in workplace matters. They may help you navigate policies, raise concerns, or seek resolution in disputes.
- Workplace Coach: Is focused on your development. They’re not there to take sides, solve problems for you, or shield you from discomfort. Their job is to help you grow—even when that growth is uncomfortable.
A coach is not neutral, but they are objective. They’re not passive, but they are non-directive. They won’t tell you what you want to hear—they’ll tell you what you need to hear.
Tom Landry, a legendary coach, captured this perfectly:
“A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear, who has you see what you don’t want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be.”
The Hard Truths: Why Coaching Can Be Uncomfortable
Here’s the part that many leaders don’t expect… coaching can be confronting.
A good coach will share observations that might make you squirm. They’ll point out behaviours you didn’t realise were problematic. They’ll ask questions that stop you in your tracks. They’ll challenge your narrative, your assumptions, and sometimes your ego.
And they’ll do it with care.
Because here’s the truth: it takes courage for a coach to say the hard thing. To risk your discomfort. To hold up the mirror. But they do it because they’re committed to your growth. They do it because they know that insight often lives on the other side of discomfort.
Jim Yong Kim, former President of the World Bank, said it well:
“One of the most important things about leadership is that you have to have the kind of humility that will allow you to be coached.”
“Once You See It, You Can’t Unsee It”
There’s a moment in coaching that changes everything. It’s the moment when you see something clearly for the first time—about yourself, your leadership, your impact. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
That’s the power of coaching.
It’s not about giving advice. It’s about shifting perspective. When a coach helps you see the world differently, your decisions change. Your relationships change. Your leadership changes.
And that ripple effect can be profound.
Why This Matters for Senior Leaders
As a senior leader, you operate in a complex, high-stakes environment. You’re expected to make tough calls, lead through ambiguity, and model the behaviours you want to see in others. But who helps you see your own blind spots? Who challenges your thinking? Who helps you grow?
That’s the role of a workplace coach.
Not to comfort you, but to stretch you. Not to protect you, but to empower you. Not to agree with you, but to help you lead with greater clarity, courage and impact.
Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, reminds us:
“Good leadership isn’t about advancing yourself. It’s about advancing your team.”
And that starts with advancing yourself—through honest reflection, courageous feedback, and a willingness to be challenged.
Final Thought
If you’re working with a coach and they say something that makes you uncomfortable, pause before you push back. Ask yourself: What might they be seeing that I’m not? What might I learn if I lean into this discomfort?
Because growth doesn’t come from comfort. It comes from courage. And sometimes, the most courageous thing you can do as a leader is to listen—to really listen—to the hard truth that’s being offered with care.
Let’s chat. Reach out to The Workplace Coach today and explore how coaching can elevate your own leadership style and help you be even more effective in your role.
Buy the Workplace Coach a coffee Long Black with a dash of cream please
The Workplace Coach 
Leave a comment