| Business coaching is an organizational intervention that combines the elements of business planning and strategy with increased awareness and education for leaders to improve business performance. While business performance is the reason leaders engage with business coaches, an additional outcome of a business coaching relationship may be leader development. This comparative relationship study explored the impact of business coaching, specifically on the leader efficacy of those leading small and medium enterprises (SME). Survey participants included leaders of business organizations with less than 100 employees and with revenues between ;The data analysis revealed no significant difference in leader efficacy between the two samples, as reported for self-regulation, action, means, and total leader efficacy. Although no difference, the findings may suggest that those who sought business coaching may have started their coaching program with a lower level of leader efficacy. The findings, however, did indicate that SME leaders generally have a higher level of leader efficacy, possibly the result of over-confidence, a phenomenon reported previously in research focused on entrepreneurs. Additionally, many SME leaders engage a business coach and participate in programs that include one-on-one coaching and peer group discussion, which may also impact their level of leader efficacy. |
