Why Hiring a Full-Time Coach Isn’t a Good Idea
There is, of course, the cost, which I’ll mention briefly so I can set it aside: this cost must be weighed against the ROI. See the interview with one of my clients, Antoine Sauvage, CTO of Ovrsea, on this topic. As a client, you’ll be constrained by your budget.
But my point here is that you wouldn’t want a full-time coach anyway.
A Necessary Breather
I rarely spend more than two days a week with a client. Obviously, it all depends on the number of teams involved, but those teams need time to implement the areas for improvement we’ve identified together—time to “digest” them, experiment on their own, make the necessary mistakes, and come back the following week with new questions. Let’s call this a necessary breathing space.
Furthermore, this kind of support is bound to fade over time, since a coach’s goal is to empower the organizations and individuals they support to become self-reliant. While in the early stages of the process he provides concrete solutions to the problems presented to him, over time his role shifts toward helping the organization find its own solutions (the difference between a consultant and a coach). His gradual withdrawal is, in fact, a measure of success in and of itself.
Practical Expertise
Beyond that, it’s also a matter of balance for the coach: sharing one’s knowledge is certainly a wonderful way to deepen one’s understanding and clarify areas of uncertainty, but a coach who devoted themselves full-time to this activity would risk losing relevance over time. Sharing knowledge full-time quickly becomes unproductive because you have to keep fueling the engine.
Just one obvious example: what would be the value of guidance from a coach who is no longer actively involved in development on a daily basis in 2026, when the advent of LLMs is set to disrupt so many things?
A good coach is therefore first and foremost a skilled craftsman, combined with an excellent teacher capable of helping minds come to new insights. Deep, intimate knowledge of a subject arises from these tiny discoveries accumulated day after day, over thousands of hours of practice.
For me, alternating between hands-on work and knowledge transfer is as vital as breathing. One activity nourishes the other, while keeping motivation at its highest level. Without this balance, I’d quickly burn out 🌱 But beyond my personal situation, you—as a CEO or CTO—don’t want a full-time coach because it isn’t beneficial for your organization.