Facilitating ‘insight’ by bringing the mindset and skillset of coaching to leadership, is now ‘leadership critical’ for leaders wanted to influence and develop capability.
In the fast-paced world of modern organisations, performance is everything. Yet, time and time again, we encounter individuals and teams falling short of their potential. Why? Often, the root causes are deceptively simple:
- They don’t know what they want.
- They don’t know how to get it.
- Something is getting in the way.
These three barriers can quietly undermine motivation, productivity, and growth. Fortunately, this is exactly where brain-based coaching steps in as a powerful lever for change.
Clarity: Discovering What You Want
Coaching creates the space for individuals and teams to pause and reflect on what matters most. In the noise of day-to-day demands, people often lose sight of purpose, goals, priorities, and individual responsibility and accountability. Leaders who can ‘show up’ with the mindset and skillset of a coach, help their teams reconnect with what drives them and align that with the organisation’s direction. For teams, this clarity becomes shared purpose—critical for cohesion and accountability.
Neuroscience-based coaching helps amplify this clarity by working with how the brain naturally processes focus, goals and motivation. Studies show that setting personally meaningful goals activates the brain’s reward circuitry, particularly the ventral striatum and prefrontal cortex (Rock & Schwartz, 2006), stimulating intrinsic motivation and accountability leading to greater personal performance.
Strategy: Figuring Out How to Get There
Once goals are clear, the next challenge is how to achieve them. People may have ambition but lack strategy. Teams may have vision but not know how to collaborate effectively to execute. Coaching empowers people to break down complexity, design pathways forward, and identify new possibilities—especially when old approaches aren’t working.
Neuroscience-informed approaches to conversations, such as ‘listening beyond respond’, cognitive reframing and reappraisal, and reflective questioning, help individuals access deeper thinking and move from reactive, automatic responses to more considered, strategic choices—engaging their brain’s executive function for better planning and problem-solving (Oettingen, 2012; Siegel, 2010).
We now have the science behind how ‘insight’ occurs in the brain. Moments of insight change people’s thinking. This also means we can set up our conversations powerfully and in ways that the brain will maximise that process of insight, particularly when seeking clarity or solving complex problems. We can ask questions in a specific way to encourage those AHA moments that lead to personal motivation and accountability.
Unblocking: Addressing What Gets in the Way
The most frustrating performance barriers are often invisible: fear of failure, poor team dynamics, unclear expectations, limiting beliefs, or emotional blind spots. Coaching brings these to the surface with compassion and objectivity.
Neuroscience-based coaching supports this process by recognising and strategically managing the brain’s threat/reward system. When people feel psychologically safe (ie, they are in reward state), their prefrontal cortex—the part of the brain responsible for insight, reasoning, and regulation—functions at its best. Leaders who coach create environments that reduce defensiveness and increase openness, enabling individuals and teams to tackle difficult issues and grow (Rock, 2009).
The Impact: A Culture of Ownership and Growth
Organisations that embrace coaching don’t just improve performance—they shift culture. People become more self-aware, proactive, and accountable. Teams communicate more openly, align more quickly, and adapt more effectively. Leaders evolve from problem-solvers to capability-builders.
In short, coaching isn’t just a ‘nice-to-have’. It’s a performance strategy grounded in the way the brain works best. When people understand what they want, know how to get it, and are supported to move beyond what’s in the way—they unlock their potential. And when that happens, organisations thrive.
References
Rock, D. (2009). Your Brain at Work. HarperBusiness.
Rock, D., & Schwartz, J. (2006). The neuroscience of leadership. Strategy+Business, 43, 1–10.
Siegel, D. J. (2010). Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation. Bantam.
Oettingen, G. (2012). Future thought and behaviour change. European Review of Social Psychology, 23(1), 1–63.
Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2013). Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence. Harvard Business Review Press.