Why Coaching Beats Leadership Training for First-Time Managers

It is universally acknowledged that the entry into the role of a first-time manager is a big step on our career journey. The coveted position of managing other people, getting paid more money, climbing the next rung on the corporate ladder, and receiving the golden ticket invite to a seat at the leadership table can feel like: I’ve made it.

But the reality? Stepping into leadership is a tough gig, and one that most people are ill prepared for when the realities hit.

60% of first time mangers fail with their first two years according to a study by Gartner

Across the board, most new leaders are left to fend for themselves. They’re handed the keys to the car without the driving lessons needed to take their leadership safely and competently onto the road. And despite the global leadership development industry being worth billions, the general consensus is that most leadership courses don’t deliver on the ROI they promise.

Take my client Sam (name changed for privacy), a new manager working for one of Australia’s leading universities in her first year of leadership. Before coming to me for coaching, Sam had already attended two leadership programs. Here’s what she had to say: "The leadership courses were good, but they pump a whole heap of info into you, but you don't reflect on it. It's just like, here's your info, here's your workbook. See you later."

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Why Traditional Leadership Training Fails First-Time Managers

1. It’s an information dump, not a development process.

Most leadership programs compress huge amounts of content into one or two days. The goal is to squeeze in as much content s possible. But what actually happens is overload. First-time managers leave with workbooks full of theory, overwhelmed by slide after slide of content.

It’s reminiscent of the traditional education model. The expert at the front of the room holds the knowledge, and the learners are there to receive it. But leadership doesn’t work like that. You can’t download capability. Without space to reflect, apply, or get feedback in real time, the learning evaporates. And with no meaningful follow-up, even the most engaged participants end up slipping back into old patterns within a few weeks of returning to the real world of work.

2. It’s one size fits all, and nobody fits

Most training programs treat all first-time managers the same. Different people, different teams, different industries same training. The ‘sheep dip’ approach might be efficient, but it misses the mark. It assumes that everyone needs the same content delivered in the same way, regardless of individual experience, confidence, or current challenges.

3. It skips the inner game, and that’s where real leadership begins

Most training programs focus on what leaders do such as how to delegate, give feedback, run a meeting. But leadership isn’t just about behaviour. It starts deeper. First-time managers need to understand who they are as a leader before they can decide how to lead others. That means mindset, emotional intelligence, confidence, presence, self-awareness, and the ability to self-regulate under pressure. These aren’t soft skills. They are core leadership capabilities, and they are rarely addressed in a one size fits all training room.

4. It ignores the one thing that shapes everything: context

What works in one organisation won’t work in another. Yet most leadership training is built to be broadly applicable. It doesn’t account for whether someone is leading in a startup or a corporate, under a high-growth strategy or during a restructure. But context shapes culture, pace, decision-making, and what effective leadership looks like. So, when training ignores it, much of it simply doesn’t stick.

I’ve worked with countless first-time managers who’ve been through the training, ticked the box, and still felt unprepared the moment real leadership challenges arrived. Traditional training isn’t enough.

So, what does real leadership development look like? It doesn’t happen in a workbook. It happens in real conversations, real decisions, and real moments of discomfort, growth, and self-reflection.

That’s where coaching comes in.

The Human Cost of Getting Leadership for New Managers Wrong

Let’s start with Sam.

She had already completed leadership training. Twice. Sat through the slides. Filled out the workbook. Walked away with a few good ideas, but no real change.

So, when she returned from a break and was asked to extend her acting leadership role, she crumbled. She felt like a fraud and was counting down the weeks until it ended. Her words? “Going to work felt like putting on battle gear.”

At home, the stress was spilling over. Her kids were telling her they didn’t want her doing that job anymore because it made her unhappy. Her partner was supportive, but she was stuck in survival mode. She didn’t want to quit. But she couldn’t keep going like that.

Leadership training hadn’t failed because she didn’t care or didn’t try. It failed because it wasn’t built for what she actually needed, confidence, clarity, self-trust, and a leadership identity she could believe in. “It gave me a few good ideas, but I didn’t walk away feeling any different.”

That’s what traditional training does. It downloads information. But what Sam needed was personal growth as a leader. She didn’t need another framework. She needed space to reflect, be challenged, test ideas in real life, and get feedback in the moment.

It wasn’t instant. But a few sessions in, something shifted. She started showing up differently. Meetings that once felt like dead space turned into full-throttle, team-led conversations. She went from counting down the weeks to genuinely considering applying for the role permanently. She stopped surviving and started leading.

That’s the difference between knowing about leadership and becoming a leader. And that’s where coaching comes in.

Coaching for First-Time Managers: A Smarter Alternative to Leadership Training

Stepping into your first management role is a big step, so getting the right support in place early can make this transition more successful and set up the new manager for long-term success.

Coaching works because it meets first-time leaders where they are, not where a course outline says they should be. It turns abstract theory into real-world transformation, one conversation at a time. Here’s how:

It focuses on real-world application, not hypotheticals

In coaching for first-time managers, the learning is live. We don’t talk about generic case studies; we work through the actual situations a new leader is facing that week. Difficult conversations. Team tension. A crisis of confidence before a major presentation. Coaching creates space to reflect, experiment, and adapt, so the learning sticks.

It’s tailored to the individual, not the agenda

Every manager has their own strengths, blind spots, and stretch areas. Leadership coaching meets them there. It isn’t a one-size-fits-all model. It’s targeted support built around what that person needs in that moment. It flexes with the context, the pressure, and the pace of real leadership.

It builds practical skills that matter

Coaching sharpens day-to-day leadership capabilities: setting boundaries, leading meetings with clarity, giving feedback that lands, delegating with confidence. And because these are built in real time, managers embed them faster and use them more effectively.

It drives personal growth alongside professional capability

Coaching helps leaders grow the inner game that traditional manager development programs often overlook. Confidence. Emotional regulation. Resilience. Coaching strengthens mindset, not just skillset. And that’s what sustains high performance under pressure.

It goes beyond knowing, it changes how you lead

You can know the theory and still feel stuck. Coaching closes that gap. It builds leadership identity, trust, and confidence, not just in the leader, but in their team. Over time, that creates a ripple effect in culture, performance, and engagement.

If you're serious about developing first-time managers, coaching delivers what training can’t: personalised development that creates lasting change.

The Tangible Impact of Getting It Right: Coaching in Action

Let’s return to Sam.

She’d already completed multiple leadership training programs. But when she stepped into a real leadership role, she quickly found herself drowning, not in theory, but in the day-to-day realities of leading a team through complexity, change, and unspoken tension.

She didn’t know what kind of leader she wanted to be. She looked up to others she admired but couldn’t see how to translate those qualities into something authentic for herself. She doubted her ability to lead. At work, she was barely holding it together. At home, her kids were asking her to quit.

What she needed wasn’t more content. It was a process that would help her build confidence, shape her leadership identity, and navigate her team’s performance challenges in real time. So that’s where we started.

We explored models and frameworks, not to tick boxes, but to help her define what good leadership looked like for her. Slowly, she started showing up with greater clarity and presence. That shift in self-belief translated into stronger leadership behaviours. Confidence didn’t arrive in a single breakthrough. It grew through repetition, small wins, honest reflection, and the courage to try again the next week.

At the same time, we worked on her team. Together, we mapped individual performance, rethought how she was delegating, and built a new onboarding experience that helped new hires feel engaged and productive from day one.

She went from silence in meetings to three-hour team conversations she had to cut off. She went from managing the bare minimum to leading with purpose and clarity. She went from counting down the weeks to wondering whether she might want the role permanently.

This is what happens when leadership development is built around the person, not the program.

Why Coaching Outperforms Leadership Training

Leadership training might introduce ideas. Coaching turns them into action. For firsttime managers, the leap into leadership isn’t about ticking off a skillset. It’s about developing confidence, clarity, and a leadership identity that holds up under pressure.

That’s why coaching works, especially when it’s personalised, evidence-based, and grounded in the realities of leading in today’s world. Because leadership isn’t theoretical. It happens in real conversations, real decisions, and real emotional terrain. Coaching meets people there.

That’s the work I do. I’m not a generic coach who once read a leadership book and decided to start helping people. I bring a rare combination of deep, practical experience, academic rigour, and legitimate coaching credentials.

I’ve worked my way up from grassroots positions to becoming a global senior executive at one of the largest companies in the world. I’ve led teams across five continents, delivered real business results, and been told that the teams I led were so good, people didn’t want to return to the “real world.” I know what effective leadership looks like because I’ve lived it.

I also know the science. I’ve completed an MBA and hold postgraduate qualifications in Business Psychology I’ve studied leadership theory extensively and can draw on models from all corners of the field, but I also know where theory falls short, and how to translate it into practical, behavioural change.

And I’m a professionally accredited coach, certified with the International Coaching Federation (ICF). That means you’re getting someone who understands what it takes to create real, measurable growth, not just short-term motivation.

Most coaches bring one or two of these strengths. Few bring all three.

If you want to truly support your first-time leaders, don’t send them to another generic workshop. Give them access to a space where they’ll be seen, challenged, and supported to lead with confidence.

Ready to set your first time managers up for success?

Let’s talk about what coaching could look like for your organisation.
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