What are the experiences of challenges to confidence during senior leadership transition and how does coaching support leaders with confidence at this transition point?
Existing research into senior leadership transition acknowledges that it is a challenging process but does not look at the impact on the leader and, in particular, on their confidence. Confidence in the coaching literature seems to have been neglected, other than quantitative studies of self-efficacy as a measure of the effectiveness of coaching, and yet increased confidence for the coaching client is often a key incidental outcome of the coaching process. In response to these gaps, this qualitative study aimed to investigate the experiences of challenges to confidence for senior leaders during leadership transition and to gain an understanding of how coaching supports leaders with confidence at this transition point. This was a multi-perspective study exploring the experiences of both senior leaders and executive coaches working with senior leaders, using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). This study gives a rich multifaceted description of the experiences of challenges to confidence at this transition point. The findings show that confidence within this context is described across the following four inter-connected areas: a feeling of ease and energy; control (primarily of emotions); having clarity; and being able to be vulnerable. Loss of confidence is described as the opposite of each of these. This study also provides empirical understanding of the organisational impact on the confidence of the leader, in particular the organisational lack of feedback, support and preparation for the transition and the perceived difficulty in being able to show vulnerability within the organisation. The findings provide an empirical multi-perspective understanding of how coaching works with confidence at this transition point, in particular through the safe space of coaching; the process of revision and ownership of leader identity; helping the leader to find clarity; and through feedback and support. By focusing on confidence as the main subject of the research, this study provides a rich and multifaceted understanding of the challenges to confidence within the context of senior leadership transition, as well as of the critical role that coaching plays in supporting confidence. It contributes to literature across the fields of psychology, leadership and coaching. Practical suggestions are made for organisational leadership development and for executive coaches to help them to better support the confidence of senior leaders in transition.
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