Coaching Isn’t an Afterthought — It’s the Job

At some point, most leaders have an uncomfortable realization:

The work keeps coming, but their capacity doesn’t magically expand.

That’s usually when “developing the team” slides to the bottom of the list — not because it isn’t important, but because it feels optional when everything else feels urgent. Deadlines loom. Emails pile up. The "quickest" path forward is often to just do the thing yourself.

The quiet truth of leadership is this: success isn’t measured by how much you accomplish yourself, but by what your team is able to accomplish because of you.

And yet, unintentionally, coaching becomes an afterthought.

When team development is treated as optional, leaders eventually become the bottleneck — no matter how capable, committed or well-intentioned they are.

Why coaching is so easy to deprioritize

Coaching feels slower than doing.

The payoff isn’t immediate.

It requires patience, trust, and letting go of control. And yes, initially, it often takes more time than just doing it yourself.

There’s also a common assumption baked into how we think about development — that growth means preparing someone for the next role, the next rung on the ladder, the next promotion.

But in many local governments and small associations, staff structures are flat. Teams are lean. Roles are specialized. There often isn’t a clear “next step up.”

If growth only equals advancement, development can start to feel impractical — or worse, disingenuous.

Growth doesn’t have to mean a bigger title

Development isn’t just about preparing someone to leave their current role.

It’s about helping them grow within it.

That growth might look like deeper expertise, stronger judgment, clearer decision-making, greater confidence, or increased ownership — not a new title. In small organizations especially, growth often happens sideways, inward, or outward, not upward.

Just as importantly, development is also how leaders identify and address gaps — the skills, confidence or clarity someone needs to do their work well, not just more independently.

When leaders name this explicitly, growth stops feeling performative. And people stop feeling stagnant just because their business card stays the same.

The cost of treating development as optional

When coaching is treated like an “extra,” a few predictable things happen:

• Leaders stay overloaded

• Delegation doesn’t stick

• The same feedback keeps repeating

• Continuity remains fragile

Not because people aren’t capable — but because they were never developed to operate independently or effectively.

The leaders who feel this most are often the most competent ones. Their ability becomes the safety net everyone relies on.

That’s not a failure.

It’s a development gap.

What to do differently — starting tomorrow

For many leaders, the challenge isn’t buying into development. It’s knowing how to spot meaningful opportunities and weave them into the flow of everyday work.

Try shifting your thinking from, “Who’s ready for the next role?” To, “Where is there room for growth — or a gap to close — inside the work we’re already doing?”

A few places to look:

Notice decisions, not just tasks.

Where are you still making the calls because it feels faster or safer? Those moments are often growth opportunities to help your team members develop their decision-making skills by asking:

• What options do you see here?

• What tradeoffs should we consider?

• How would you move this forward if I weren’t here?

And then, most importantly, giving their answers weight and guiding them to test out their thinking.

Pay attention to capable people who are under-stretched — or unevenly stretched.

Growth might mean leading a meeting, owning a process, being the point person for a stakeholder or strengthening a skill that’s holding them back.

Listen for friction.

When something isn’t going smoothly, resist the urge to fix it immediately:

• What part of this feels hardest right now?

• What would help you feel more confident next time?

Struggle is often the doorway to development — if you don’t rush past it.

The conversations that matter

You don’t need long, formal coaching sessions to start. Small, future-focused questions woven into regular conversations can shift a lot:

• What’s something you’d like to get better at in this role?

• Where do you want more ownership — and where do you want more support?

• What kind of stretch feels energizing right now, not overwhelming?

Those questions send a clear signal:

Your growth matters — even if your title isn’t changing.

A question worth sitting with

If you’re leading in a small or flat organization, try this:

Where am I still doing work for my team that I could be developing them to do — and do well — with or without me?

That’s often where coaching begins.

Developing your team doesn’t require perfect language or extra hours in your week.

It requires noticing where growth — and gaps — already exist, and choosing not to step in too quickly.

That’s not an afterthought.

That’s the job.