posted 9th December 2025
The theory of marginal gains is simple: small improvements, repeated consistently, create a competitive edge. Dave Brailsford made this famous when he overhauled British Cycling in 2003. He didn’t look for one big breakthrough. He looked for every tiny thing that could make riders 1 per cent better. The kit they wore. How they washed their hands. The pillows they slept on. All small adjustments on their own, but together they reshaped performance.
Leadership is no different. You don’t grow confidence, resilience and capability in one dramatic leap. You build them the same way athletes do: through small, repeatable choices that give you an edge over time. That’s where coaching sits. It’s the marginal gain most leaders overlook.
The things you skip matter
Anyone who exercises knows the feeling. The main session is done, you’re tired, and the accessories are staring at you from the programme. You know they’ll help. You also know you could skip them and no one would notice.
But accessories are where athletes build strength that lasts. They’re programmed because they make the next session better. They prevent injury. They sharpen their technique. They give you the edge when you need it, on race day, under pressure, or when going for a PB.
Coaching works the same way. It’s easy to deprioritise because it sits outside the urgent demands of the day. But it’s the thing that changes how you show up. Quietly, consistently, and with impact.
What coaching actually gives leaders
A senior leader put it perfectly in a recent conversation. She told me that coaching gave her:
- A place to test her assumptions
- Space to think without judgement
- An independent, confidential sounding board outside the organisation
The push to answer the questions she normally avoided
The result wasn’t a single breakthrough moment. It showed up in how she behaved. Her confidence increased. Her relationships changed. Her team’s performance improved because her leadership improved. That’s marginal gains in action.
Coaching is the accessory work of leadership
Most coaching happens in 90-minute conversations, once a month, for three to six months. On paper, that’s not much time. But it’s 90 minutes where you can think clearly, talk about the things you avoid in the day-to-day, and shape the strategy you need to lead well.
There’s no judgment. Just challenge, honesty and someone by your side helping you look ahead instead of reacting to whatever is burning in front of you.
Those 90 minutes become the accessory work that builds your resilience, sharpens your decisions and stops issues before they escalate. It’s prevention rather than crisis management and prevention is always more effective.
The edge leaders are missing
Most leaders already know the big development areas they want to improve. Confidence under pressure. How to manage conflict. How to lead a team through change. How to stop a culture slipping into bad habits. But knowing isn’t the same as doing.
The marginal gains approach shifts the focus from a grand plan to consistent practice. From big statements to small, deliberate actions.
Coaching helps leaders:
- Slow down long enough to think clearly
- Strengthen their self-awareness
- Build healthier team dynamics
- Lead with integrity and calm, even when the pressure is on
- Develop the habits that drive long-term performance
That’s where strength in leadership actually comes from: not control, but behaviour.
Small improvements, repeated, shape better leaders
Leadership isn’t about perfection. It’s about the choices you make every day, especially the ones you don’t feel you have time for. Coaching gives those choices structure. It becomes the 10 minutes of accessory work that compound into confidence, better relationships and a healthier culture.
One session won’t change everything. But a series of small gains will.
If you want to build that edge, the kind that shapes confident, resilient, values-driven leaders, coaching is where it begins.
