In today’s rapidly changing workplace, leaders are being asked to adapt faster than ever before. From navigating constant disruption to managing stress, the need for development and human connection has never been greater.
In preparation for an upcoming webinar, we spoke with executive coach Anastasia Mizitova about why coaching is essential for modern organizations, how it’s evolving alongside AI, and what HR and L&D leaders can do to make it a scalable, strategic part of their leadership development efforts.
Q: Executive coaching has been around for years. Why is it particularly relevant in today’s business environment?
If you look at the data, the average lifespan of a company has dropped dramatically—from 30 or even 60 years down to about 15. That’s an incredible indicator of how hard it has become to stay competitive. The pace of innovation, the complexity of global markets, and the constant state of disruption make it incredibly tough to survive.
At the same time, expectations from stakeholders—employees, customers, and investors—are only increasing. Organizations can’t simply push harder for performance. They need to find ways to care for their people and help them sustain the immense stress they face.
I don’t always use the word coaching when I describe what I do. I often say, “I help amazing people do their best work.” That’s what coaching really is: helping people grow, innovate, and perform at their highest level.
Q: What trends are driving the increased demand for coaching right now?
I see three major trends that are shaping this moment.
First, personalization. Organizations are using technology, including AI, to create more personalized experiences for employees—from hiring and learning to recognition and rewards. People want to feel seen and valued as individuals.
Second, collaboration beyond silos. To truly innovate, organizations must break down functional walls. But that’s not easy. For example, many lawyers, engineers, and HR professionals haven’t been trained to work across silos; it can be uncomfortable, even intimidating. Coaching becomes the glue that helps people connect, collaborate, and make sense of complexity.
And third, emotional connection. In our pursuit of technology we often overlook the importance of human support. You can’t build a sustainable company on technology alone. People still need connection, empathy, and purpose; coaching provides that.
Q: You coach both within and outside of Blanchard. What makes the Blanchard approach to coaching unique?
What stands out most to me is how Blanchard integrates coaching into every aspect of learning and development. It’s not an isolated service, it’s part of the fabric of how the company develops leaders.
For example, I’ve facilitated group coaching sessions that supported a large leadership development program. There were no slides, no formal lectures—just people talking, listening, and learning from one another for two hours.
That’s powerful. Blanchard creates these safe spaces for leaders to pause, reflect, and truly hear each other. It’s one of the most genuine forms of development I’ve experienced.
Q: Many HR leaders struggle to gain executive buy-in. How can they build a strong business case for coaching?
I’ve learned so much from Madeleine Blanchard on this. She helped me see that coaching isn’t just a tool, it’s a mindset and a business capability. Early in my career, I worried about staying within strict coaching boundaries. Madeleine encouraged me to push those boundaries as long as I was ethical, intentional, and coming from the right place.
That perspective helped me realize that coaching can flex. A leader might not be a pure coach, but they can still demonstrate coaching behaviors such as listening deeply, asking powerful questions, and supporting growth.
Coaching is evolving. It’s not detached or abstract; it’s deeply practical and business-driven. The organizations that understand this are the ones seeing the greatest impact.
Q: How should organizations think about measuring coaching’s ROI?
This is where I like to challenge conventional thinking. When people ask for a list of coaching metrics, I tell them, “You’re not measuring the right thing.”
If you try to measure the effectiveness of coaching in isolation, you’ll fail. Coaching isn’t a stand-alone tool or a magic powder. Instead, you should measure how leadership quality contributes to your company’s success over time.
When coaching becomes part of a consistent, organization-wide culture practiced by many leaders you’ll see measurable results: higher engagement, better collaboration, and stronger performance. But it’s the system that drives it, not a single metric.
Q: Can you share a story that illustrates coaching’s impact?
One of my favorite stories involves a talented leader who was preparing to move into a much bigger role. She had the capability, but needed confidence and clarity about what the new position would look like.
We used AI as a partner in our coaching. Together, we built a narrative—a story of what success might look like in her future role. We used data, 360 feedback, and her own aspirations to shape it. Seeing that vision in front of her was transformative.
Later, we used AI to help her brainstorm book ideas based on her life experiences. When she saw the possible titles and themes, she cried. That’s what coaching is about: reflection, insight, empowerment—and sometimes a few tears of realization.
Q: How does coaching help leaders strengthen emotional intelligence and handle change?
One of my clients once told me “As you rise through the ranks, you stop getting paid for what you know—you get paid for how much stress you can sustain.” I think that’s true. Senior leaders face enormous emotional pressure, even as they lead highly capable teams.
Another client said something that stuck with me. After our discovery call, she said “I wish I’d had this conversation 15 years ago.” She realized that coaching, which she was now receiving as an executive perk, would have been a lifeline earlier in her career.
That’s the lesson: coaching shouldn’t just be for those at the top. The people in the middle—those under the most stress—need it just as much if not more.
Q: Coaching is often seen as a one-to-one experience. How can it be scaled effectively?
Technology, especially AI, holds real promise for scaling coaching without losing its humanity. The future of scalability lies in personalization. Imagine being able to understand in real time what your people need, and to offer the right level of support at the right moment.
Bad scalability is when you roll out something people don’t need. Good scalability uses data to identify real needs and connect people with the right support. Sometimes that’s a coach, sometimes it’s a peer conversation, sometimes it’s learning in the flow of work. That’s the future.
Q: If an organization wants to start integrating coaching tomorrow, what’s the first step?
Don’t start with a tool, start with a question: What kind of leadership are we trying to develop?
Organizations often jump straight to the metrics—how many sessions, how much it costs. Metrics are useful, but they can distract from the big picture. Coaching isn’t an operational tool—it’s a strategic culture change tool.
Think big. What kind of culture do you want to create? What kind of leaders do you want to build? If you stay focused on these things, the right processes, structures, and metrics will follow.
Conclusion: Coaching for the Human Future of Work
Anastasia Mizitova reminds us that, amid all the talk about AI, automation, and data, leadership is still a deeply human endeavor. Coaching connects people across silos, strengthens resilience, and helps leaders find clarity in complexity.
As she puts it: “You can’t push people into performance forever. You have to care for them—and coaching is one of the most powerful ways to do that.”
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Join Us: Live Webinar — “From Insight to Impact: Elevating Performance Through Executive Coaching”
Date: October 22, 2025 Time: 8:00 a.m. Pacific | 11:00 a.m. Eastern
Learn more from Anastasia Mizitova and other Blanchard experts in our upcoming webinar titled “From Insight to Impact: Elevating Performance Through Executive Coaching”.
This interactive session will explore:
- Why Coaching, Why Now: The trends driving demand for personalized leadership support
- The Blanchard Coaching Approach: What makes our model scalable, effective, and evidence-based
- Building the Business Case: How to align coaching with strategic goals and secure executive buy-in
- ROI and Strategic Benefits: Data-backed results that prove coaching is a performance strategy, not just a development tool
- Coaching in Action: Real-world success stories and lessons learned from leaders like yours
About the Author
More Content by David Witt
