From Investment to Impact: Making Leadership Development Stick

Learning and development training is often the essential first step in transforming a good manager into a great leader. It provides the foundation by equipping leaders with new models, tools, and language to approach challenges in more thoughtful and strategic ways. Strong learning and development training can also open perspectives and spark new confidence, giving leaders the sense that they are prepared to step into higher levels of responsibility. However, as with any skill, growth in leadership requires more than a ‘one off’ learning experience. The same way an athlete must practice beyond the playbook, leaders must reinforce and refine what they learn in order to perform under real-world conditions. Practice makes permanent, right? This is where coaching plays a critical role, ensuring that lessons introduced in training are not left behind in the classroom but are instead translated into consistent, effective behaviors that shape how leaders show up every day. When training and coaching work hand in hand, organizations see immediate improvement and sustainable change that lasts. An ICF-backed analysis  conducted in 2024 confirms that coaching delivers an average 7x return on investment, with additional benefits including a 51% increase in revenue for organizations fostering strong coaching cultures.

The central challenge we see often is not whether leadership training works, but whether its impact endures once leaders return to the fast-paced demands of their roles. Organizations collectively spend billions on leadership training each year because it is a proven catalyst for growth. Research confirms its value: a meta-analysis published in The Journal of Applied Psychology found that training can increase learning by 25% and improve on-the-job leadership behaviors by 28%. Yet those gains usually plateau without reinforcement and real-world application. Leaders may walk away from workshops inspired and equipped, but when they are pulled back into environments filled with deadlines, heavy workloads, and long-standing habits, the pressure to perform can quickly override what they have learned. In fact, a study by McKinsey & Company shows that only about 20% of training content translates into lasting behavioral change. Coaching, however,  provides the bridge between insight and execution. It creates the structure for leaders to revisit concepts, apply them to real challenges, and receive timely feedback that helps refine their approach. With accountability and ongoing guidance, coaching ensures that leadership skills are not forgotten after the workshop but become embedded in daily routines, decision-making, and team interactions.

Looking for a short-term boost or a long-lasting change? This chart reveals the power of pairing training with coaching. While training alone offers some gains, adding a coach supercharges your results, leading to significant and lasting behavioral change and performance improvement.

Why Coaching Changes the Game

Coaching bridges the gap between knowing and doing by giving leaders a structured space to apply what they have learned, receive feedback in real time, and adjust their approach as challenges arise. This is where true development happens, not in theory but in practice. The 70-20-10 model of learning, developed through research at the Center for Creative Leadership and articulated by McCall et al., reinforces this idea by showing that 70% of learning comes from on-the-job experiences, 20% from developmental relationships such as coaching, and only 10% from formal training (McCall, Lombardo, & Eichinger, 1996; Center for Creative Leadership, 2025). Coaching ensures that the 10% investment in training is not lost but multiplied, transforming insights into habits and habits into leadership behaviors that become second nature even under pressure. 

It's clear where real learning happens. Most of our skills are built on the job (70%) and through coaching (20%), with only a small fraction from formal training (10%).

Ready to Move Beyond Training?

At C-Suite Coach, we are experts at helping organizations ensure their leadership development dollars lead to real results. Our coaching programs are designed to take the concepts taught in training sessions and bring them to life in everyday leadership moments. We partner with executives and managers to build resilience, accountability, and adaptive thinking, the types of qualities that drive high-performing teams. If you are ready to move from leadership potential into leadership performance, let’s talk. Schedule a consultation with us today and learn how our coaching solutions can amplify the impact of your training investments and create leaders who deliver under pressure.

C-Suite Coach is the preferred strategic partner in talent development and business solutions. We are dedicated to helping your organization build a trusted workplace while cultivating a thriving culture. Submit a consultation request here to learn more about our services.