Hidden Patterns in Executive Coaching: Insights from 100 Consecutive Sessions

Session Description: Executive coaching supports leaders in navigating complex organizational challenges, yet few studies systematically examine the content of coaching sessions to identify recurring leadership patterns. This presentation explores the first 100 one-hour coaching sessions conducted by a former public health leader between October 2025 and March 2026 with leaders across three different sectors: public health, academia, and nonprofits.

Data will be derived from anonymized Zoom AI-generated session summaries, providing a structured and efficient approach to capturing real-world coaching themes while preserving confidentiality. Each session will be systematically coded to a primary leadership challenge, such as managing up, team performance, difficult conversations, or burnout. Analyses in progress will examine both universal patterns across sectors and sector-specific differences, with a particular focus on public health leaders.

The session will also describe the methodology for coding and analyzing session-level data, offering a replicable framework for other coaches interested in practice-based research and structured reflection. Attendees will gain insight into common leadership challenges in executive coaching and learn strategies for applying structured session analysis to improve coaching practice, enhance leadership development, and inform organizational interventions.