People promoted to new roles are often congratulated but rarely coached. Promotions are important milestones, yet organizations frequently fail to help people either earn them or succeed once their title changes. Is this intentional, or an oversight?
In conversations with coaches, clients, and colleagues, two assumptions tend to explain the gap:
Newly promoted leaders are seen as already doing the job, so the transition doesn’t register as a significant change.
High performers have proven themselves, so why would they need support now?
These assumptions are understandable. They’re also costly.
A promotion that misfires, a high performer who quietly disengages, or a new executive who stumbles in unfamiliar territory carry real business implications. Coaching helps protect the investments organizations make in their leaders — if it’s used strategically and intentionally.
Rethinking Who Gets Coached and Why
Many organizations leave coaching to chance: a manager recommends it, an employee asks for it, or it’s a corrective measure. This reactive approach means people who could benefit most can go without support — high potentials whose managers don’t think of coaching or even know it’s available, or new leaders navigating uncharted territory alone.
A more intentional approach means attaching coaching to milestones: being hired, work anniversaries, being considered for a new role, getting promoted, changing teams, or even experiencing a significant shift in their personal lives. It means asking employees what they want to achieve, not just whether they want help. Coaching becomes a growth tool, not a remediation signal.
The Cost of Leaving High Performers to Figure It Out
Intentionality alone, however, isn’t enough. Organizations must be strategic about where coaching lands. That means prioritizing roles and groups for consistent coaching investment, because certain transitions carry disproportionate business risk.
Consider a high-potential manager who plateaus. An SVP who joins an executive team with no guidance on how to add value in that room. The director who suddenly is in charge of a large team, with no support on how to be a good people manager.
These are not edge cases. They’re predictable failure points — and they’re largely preventable.
Transitions are also largely predictable. You know when someone gets promoted. You know when they join an executive team for the first time. You know when the job changes even if the title doesn’t. That’s a moment to act. If you don’t, your people will figure it out — but it might be somewhere else. And the investment you made in them walks out the door with them.