Brenda Bence: Why coaching is the new language of leadership

A pioneer in the field of leadership personal branding and author of 11 award-winning books, Brenda Bence was inducted into Thinkers50 Coaching Legends in 2025. She coaches and advises C-Suite leaders of the Global Fortune 250 and specialises in C-Suite succession – one of the most pivotal moments in any organisation’s life cycle. What excites her most is that coaching isn’t just a profession. It’s a mindset. A way of being, leading, and communicating. A meta-skill that transcends technical expertise and becomes a foundation for how leaders think, connect, and inspire.

She believes the pace of growth in this field is extraordinary. Every year, more organisations are weaving coaching into their leadership operating models and workplace cultures. They’re recognising that coaching conversations build trust, fuel engagement, and accelerate performance in ways traditional leadership styles simply cannot.

“I look forward to the day when we’ll look back and say, ‘Can you imagine there was once a time when coaching wasn’t considered a natural part of leadership?’ That’s the future I see – one where coaching isn’t something leaders are doing, but it’s how they are being. And we’re already moving in that direction with many organisations beginning to embed coaching into their leadership DNA, transforming how people work and relate.

One of Brenda’s biggest achievements has been building her global executive coaching business over the past 23 years, having taken the risk of leaving a highly successful corporate career. She launched her business at a time when executive coaching was still in its infancy, but she had seen firsthand how coaching – as a leadership approach – could not only grow individuals and teams but drive outstanding business results too.

She also knew from personal experience that there was truth in the old saying, “it’s lonely at the top”. “When you’re leading at that level, where do you turn? It’s an incredibly high-pressure environment, and I wanted to change that – to make leadership at the top more easeful, purposeful, and yes, even enjoyable,” she says.

One of Brenda’s growing concerns is the increasing number of untrained or lightly trained individuals who label themselves as coaches, who she describes as ‘comma coaches’, as in, “I’m Joe Smith, Coach.” Coaching has become a popular title but without proper training, certification, and experience, she believes its true impact can be lost. When coaching is not done well, it risks undermining the very trust the profession is built on. Coaching transforms lives – but only when it’s done with depth, rigour, and respect for the craft.

As the industry continues to evolve, Brenda’s hope is that it will maintain strong standards that uphold the integrity and transformative potential of executive coaching, ensuring it remains a respected and rigorous profession.

And her take on a future trend? Coaching will increasingly integrate AI as an enhancer, but not as a full replacement. AI can streamline preparation, track progress, and surface insights, while a human coach brings intuition, nuance, and contextual judgment. Together, they create richer, more scalable coaching experiences. “Coaching is fast becoming the new language of leadership – and I look forward to the day when it’s simply how we lead.”