- Kevin Sanders
- May 24
- 3 min read
May 24, 2025
Read Time - 4 minutes
“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”
— Jack Welch
Higher Ed Budgets Are Tight—So Why Fund Coaching?
I get it.
When you’re staring down a deficit, a presidential mandate to “do more with less,” and competing priorities across campus, leadership coaching may seem like a luxury.
But here’s a counterintuitive truth:
The cost of not coaching your leaders is far greater than the cost of investing in them.
And the returns? They show up in places your budget already cares about—retention, performance, morale, and institutional momentum.
Let’s break it down.
The Cost of Poor Leadership Is Real
Most universities don’t track the downstream costs of weak or unprepared leadership. But they show up everywhere:
Faculty turnover from mismanaged conflict or lack of support
Staff burnout due to unclear priorities and overwork
Change resistance because communication is inconsistent or top-down
Delays and dysfunction in cross-unit collaboration
Now multiply that by the number of chairs, directors, and deans leading people every day—often without formal training or a support system.
It’s not a personnel issue.
It’s a systems issue.
And coaching is one of the best systems you can install.
What ROI Actually Looks Like in Coaching
Leadership coaching isn’t just about helping someone “feel more confident” (though that’s often a side effect). It’s about improving institutional performance by equipping leaders to:
Make clearer, faster decisions under pressure
Align their teams around shared goals
Navigate change with less chaos and more trust
Build systems that outlast their tenure
According to a study by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), organizations that use coaching report a median ROI of 700%. Even conservative models routinely show 3–5x return—and that doesn’t include the cultural dividends.
A Real-World Scenario: The Chair Who Stayed
Let’s say you lose a department chair after just two years. Here’s a rough cost breakdown:
Search committee and candidate travel: $8,000
Interim pay and administrative gap coverage: $15,000
Lost time and momentum on departmental initiatives: unknown
Decreased morale or faculty flight: priceless
Now imagine that same leader was paired with a coach who helped them navigate team tensions, clarify role expectations, and design a sustainable workload. That’s a modest investment with massive institutional savings.
How to Build Coaching Into Your Institution
Ready to move beyond one-off workshops? Here’s how universities are embedding coaching into leadership development:
✅ Group coaching for new chairs or deans
✅ One-on-one coaching as part of onboarding or succession planning
✅ Coaching as a follow-up to 360 reviews or leadership assessments
✅ Coaching pods organized by theme: change management, DEI leadership, or strategic planning
Pro tip: If you’re running internal leadership programs, pairing faculty with external coaches can reduce politics and increase trust.
Bottom Line
Coaching is not a perk for your rising stars—it’s protection for your institution.
When leaders have a confidential space to process, plan, and grow, everyone benefits: teams become stronger, decisions get sharper, and the institution moves with more clarity and confidence.
In higher education, where complexity and change are constants, investing in your leaders is one of the few guaranteed ways to invest in your future.
Try This Before Friday:
Ask one of your department leaders this simple question:
“What kind of support would help you lead more effectively this semester?”
You might be surprised by how many say: “I just need someone to think with.” 👥 Ready to Help Others?
This goes out each week to leaders trying to build better systems, stronger teams, and healthier departments. If this helped you navigate your corner of campus, pass it on! 👉 Subscribe here.
Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:
1.) Get the free guide: Lead by Design. Put an end to reactive leadership. Learn how to clarify decisions, streamline workflows, and surface expectations—so you can fix what’s broken and focus on what matters most. 2.) Coaching for Academic Leaders: A focused 1:1 coaching experience for higher ed professionals who want to lead with clarity, build smarter systems, and stay centered on what matters most. I work with a limited number of clients each quarter to provide highly personalized, strategic support. Send me a message. 3.) Professional Development Workshops: Interactive sessions for faculty, staff, and leadership teams that help reduce conflict, streamline decision-making, and shift culture with smart systems. Virtual and in-person options available. Sessions tailored to your campus needs. |