Stop treating coaching like a perk for the elite. It’s rocket fuel for your real change agents
By Dawn Isaac: COO at Black Dog Consultants
Coaching is traditionally reserved for the VIPs. The C-Suite. The high-flyers. The biggest earners. Get the title, grab the corner office and voilà – you’ve earned a professional development concierge to fine-tune your already robust skill set.
We think it’s time to flip the script.
What if we’ve been backing the wrong horse? What if the real coaching revolution belongs not to the top, but the middle?
The unsung heroes: middle managers
Middle managers don’t just sit between layers of org charts. They absorb pressure from above, keep teams afloat, juggle targets, people problems and the occasional crisis of meaning.
They’re the ones reaching for the duct tape when things fall apart - patching up gaps no one else wants to see. And yet? They’re often left out in the cold when it comes to their real, impactful development.
It’s not just unfair. It’s a massive, missed opportunity. These folks are the heartbeat of the business. They turn strategy into action. Ideas into execution. Culture into daily behaviour. Ignore them and you risk the whole system seizing up.
Modern coaching isn't a soft chat
Forget the softly-lit office and one-hour deep dive with a notebook-wielding coach. The future of coaching is agile, gritty and embedded in real work.
Here’s how we’re shaking it up:
- Self-managed coaching circles
Think book club, but with fewer biscuits and more breakthroughs. A small crew of middle managers come together to tackle their thorniest challenges. No gurus, no gatekeepers, no fluff. Just sharp questions, honest answers and the kind of insight that comes from those who know your world. We’ve seen these circles transform the way teams think and act - fast.
- Walk and talk coaching
You think better when you move. Fact. That’s why we take coaching out of the boardroom and into the park, the pavement, or even just a stairwell. Shoulder-to-shoulder beats screen-to-screen any day. It lowers defences and ups the truth.
- Coaching conversations in the moment
Why save insight for a quarterly review when it could happen in a hallway?
We teach leaders to coach as they go. Not in big, showy interventions, but in quick nudges and sharp questions that unlock thinking right when it matters. The concept of ‘coaching curiosity’ transforms every small interaction into a potential coaching moment. It’s not a scheduled calendar event. It’s a reflex. The kind that kicks in mid-meeting or mid-muddle.
This is more than coaching. It’s the HOW and the WHO. It’s a cultural shift. A way of being. And it’s way overdue.
Put your money where the middle is
If you're still pouring budget into the C-suite and hoping it trickles down, you’re playing yesterday's game. Today’s edge comes from equipping the middle. The messy middle. The mighty middle. The ones who actually make things happen.
So here’s the ask: stop treating coaching like a perk for the elite. Start seeing it as rocket fuel for your real change agents.
At Black Dog Consultants, we don’t do cookie-cutter. We do bold, human and real. Ready to rethink what coaching could be for your people?
Dare to coach differently.
Let’s walk and talk.
Get in touch with us at www.blackdog-consultants.com 
About Dawn
Dawn Isaac is the quietly fierce force behind the operational hum of Black Dog Consultants.
As COO and General Manager for Hong Kong, she doesn’t just keep the lights on - she powers everything we do. With over a decade of banking experience across London and Hong Kong and more than 12 years steeped in the world of learning, Dawn blends precision with people-savvy.
She brings order to the chaos and heart to the numbers, ensuring everything we deliver lands with impact. A long-time member of the Black Dog crew, Dawn’s commitment to excellence is matched only by her belief that the best learning partnerships are built on trust, transparency and a little bit of magic. Connect with her on LinkedIn