I have spent a significant portion of my career exploring the unique and often puzzling ecosystem of university administration. When I spoke with James Walton, President of Collaborative Brain Trust, on my podcast, Coaching in Higher Education, our conversation quickly took a fascinating turn toward the business side of our field and a truth that many external coaching providers overlook: in our industry, expertise as a higher ed professional is not just a preference, but it is a prerequisite.
Exorcising the Ghost of Coaching Past
During our discussion, James shared that many high-level decision-makers are haunted by coaching horror stories. They have invested in expensive, generic programs only to find that their teams tuned out almost immediately. This lack of traction often stems from a failure of fit and localization. When a coach enters a campus without an appreciation for the terminology and culture of that particular campus and institutional type, they are often seen as an intruder rather than an ally.
In the complex world of higher education, the coach must function as a cultural translator instead of merely a facilitator of insights. If we cannot speak the local (i.e., institutional) “dialect,” we lose or never build the trust required to nudge the system through our client work. For example, James noted that in a two-year college setting, referring to the institution as a “university” can cause leaders to disengage right from the outset. These nuances matter because they signal whether we truly understand the high stakes and unique pressures our clients face in their particular context.
The Sweet Spot of Expertise
Beyond the need to bring specific higher ed expertise, a recurring theme in my conversations with leaders and coaches alike is the machine fallacy, the mistaken belief that our institutions are simple mechanisms with replaceable parts. James and I discussed how successful coaching facilitates a more human-centric approach. He identified a sweet spot for selecting coaching practitioners: the rare individual who possesses both professional coaching certification and significant experience sitting in the seat as a higher ed leader.
This combination allows a coach to avoid the remedial trap. We are not here to fix a broken component or manage a problem employee through corrective action. Instead, we are here to support high-potential leaders and teams at all levels as they navigate interpersonal and trust challenges, various forms of shared governance, constantly shifting pressures and regulatory requirements, and the layers of loneliness that often accompany senior roles. By focusing on competence and expertise over function and title, we create a foundation for a culture of innovation. However, this requires that coaches serve as catalysts to translate clients’ issues to actionable strategies at their respective institutions.
Adapting to the Institutional Landscape
One thing my conversation with James brought to the fore is that there is a profound difference between the coaching cultures of two-year and four-year institutions. While many four-year universities have an established precedent for coaching at least at the executive level, the two-year space may view such professional development strategies with skepticism or lump it together with basic soft skills training. As organizational development professionals, we must be agile enough to adapt our value proposition to these specific contexts.
In the end, our work is about creating a different ROI: ripples of impact that extend far beyond the individual coaching session. When we honor the unique institutional identity of a college or university and use our niche expertise as seasoned higher ed professionals who can translate between individual needs and organizational requirements, we help our clients find a greater sense of purpose and meaning in their work. This is how we build a culture of care that helps colleges and universities retain their best talent within their specific institutional context.
You can find this and all other Coaching in Higher Education podcast episodes on:
| 
| 
| 
|
Are you ready to transform your institutional culture through localized, expert-led development? I invite you to explore my professional coaching and advisory services. Together, we can imagine a future for your campus that is grounded in trust and driven by agile leadership.
Frequently Asked Questions: Coaching in Higher Education
Why do you need industry-specific expertise in coaching for higher education?
The problem with generic coaching programs on college campuses is that coaches without higher education experience struggle to grasp the terminology, culture and institutional pressures unique to that environment. Without this fit, leaders quickly check out and coaching doesn’t create lasting trust.
What does it mean to be a “cultural translator” as a coach?
An effective higher ed coach offers insights and can translate ideas into the particular institutional dialect on each campus. That includes nuances, like calling a two-year college a “university” can turn leaders off right away.
What is the “machine fallacy” in higher education leadership?
The machine fallacy is the mistaken belief that colleges and universities are like simple machines with interchangeable parts. Good coaching is human centric. Institutions are complex systems built by people, culture and relationships, not interchangeable parts.
What combination of qualifications makes an ideal higher ed coaching practitioner?
The strongest coaches combine formal professional coaching certification with real lived experience sitting in a higher education leadership seat. This dual background helps coaches avoid treating clients like a problem to be corrected and instead support high potential leaders navigating governance, regulatory pressure, and the isolation that often comes with senior roles.
What is the difference in coaching culture for two-year and four-year institutions?
Executive coaching has long been used at four-year universities, but two-year schools might be more reluctant or consider it standard practice basic soft skills training. Coaches and organizational development professionals will need to adapt their approach and value proposition depending on the type of organization they are working with.