In a world obsessed with tracking and reporting, it is easy to fall into the trap of measuring everything—because what gets measured gets managed, right? But what if the very nature of coaching defies the kind of neat, quantifiable measurement we are used to?
Think about this – a group of employees going through a 12-session coaching program spread over 15 weeks. Most organisations will track things like:
• How many sessions each person completed
• Whether they stuck to the schedule
• How quickly they responded to feedback forms
These are easy to track—but they do not necessarily tell us anything about what actually shifted inside that person. What really happened in those sessions. What was the conversation like. What was the “aha”
In reality, some of the most meaningful coaching outcomes unfold outside the session or after the original timeline. A coachee might need to pause and reflect. Life might come in the way. Or maybe, they just need space to process a powerful insight.
Delays are not necessarily derailments. In fact, they are often signs that something is truly percolating. There is an unexplained discomfort that sometimes is not easy to even acknowledge leave alone explain.
So then—what do we really mean by coaching impact?
Let us be honest: the usual metrics are more about structure and compliance than growth or transformation. So what do we do when coaching is about:
• Helping someone show up differently
• Enabling a shift in perspective
• Sparking a quiet, lasting confidence
Obviously this does not always fit into a quarterly dashboard.
So What Can We Measure?
Let us flip the script and look at what matters more:
• Did the person take a bold action they were earlier avoiding?
• Are they more reflective in their decision-making?
• Do they report feeling more aligned, less reactive, or more intentional?
• Can their manager or team see a difference (when shared ethically)?
• Have they sustained that shift after coaching ended?
Sometimes, a coachee who missed a session or two may have experienced a deeper transformation than someone who completed all 12 on time but stayed on the surface.
Instead of asking “How many sessions did they attend?”—we might need to ask:
• “What shifted?”
• “What stayed with them?”
• “What’s now possible for them that was not before?”
Coaching is not about checking boxes. It is about building inner clarity and courage—often quietly, often slowly.
And that means organisations may need to get a little more comfortable with the unmeasurable. Or at least, start asking better questions.
Because real growth does not always follow a timeline. It is timeless.