By Danielle Rocheleau, CEO, Laridae
There’s a common belief in the world of organizational change: that transformation comes through sweeping, bold initiatives:
- Launching a dramatic restructuring
- Announcing a major new strategy
- Kicking off a game-changing project
And there’s truth to that. These moments are energizing: they signal direction, and they mobilize people.
But bold moves aren’t the whole story. If you’ve worked in the social purpose sector for any length of time, you know that they are just the beginning — not the end — of real change.
Transformation also lives in the less visible work: the small, intentional and subtle changes in how we work, communicate, lead, and think. These are micro shifts that add up to a big impact, and it’s in this space of quiet, steady, and transformative shifts, that coaching lives and thrives.
The Myth of the Silver Bullet
In our work, we’ve seen it time and again. Leaders feeling stuck, looking for that one big fix. A new org chart. A sweeping directive. A culture change mandate. And yet, these “solutions” rarely lead to the progress they promise.
The reality: culture doesn’t change overnight. People don’t change in leaps. Organizations grow stronger through sustained effort—through nudges, not jolts. Think of it like a garden: growth is invisible, until it’s not.
That’s where coaching comes in.
Coaching as a Catalyst for Micro Shifts
Coaching doesn’t often deliver a thunderclap of revelation. Instead, coaching helps surface the small, powerful adjustments that make all the difference. It invites leaders and teams to pause, reflect, and gently challenge their own assumptions.
Take a recent coaching conversation we had: A leader felt trapped by their schedule, unable to find time to think strategically. In a single conversation, by identifying a delegation block and exploring how to shift it, they unlocked four extra hours each week. Not by working harder, but by working differently.
Now imagine a few people across an organization doing the same. A ripple effect of reclaimed time, energy, and clarity. One conversation at a time.
What Micro Shifts Could Look Like
They might not be flashy, but these changes are real:
- Saying no to one unnecessary meeting per week
- Delegating a task that someone else is ready to take on
- Pausing to reframe how we give feedback
- Reorganizing our day to align with when we do our best thinking
- Asking instead of telling to boost ownership
- Inspiring more peer-to-peer problem solving instead of upward escalation
- Soliciting more insights after failures or missteps
- Increasing initiative-taking among team members
- Improving clarity in goal-setting conversations
- Creating clearer alignment between roles and individual strengths
These are the kinds of shifts that compound, strengthen resilience, and move people—and organizations—toward their purpose.
A Question for You
So here’s the real invitation: In what ways could coaching unlock meaningful change for you or your team?
Maybe it already has. Maybe, like many leaders, it’s been a while since you experienced a coaching conversation that stuck with you. One that changed the way you saw a challenge—or yourself.
What if you could create that moment for others?
Ready to take the next step?
If you’re curious about how coaching could create ripple effects in your team—or you’re ready to build those skills yourself—we’d love to help you start.
Our professional Coach Training Program is designed for leaders in the non-profit sector who want to lead with clarity, empathy, and impact. It’s practical, transformative, and built around the real challenges leaders face every day.
Want to learn more or talk it through? Get in touch—we’d be happy to connect.