Impact of leadership development and facilitated peer coaching on women's individual, collective, and organizational behaviors in human services

The future health of the human service nonprofit sector depends largely upon its ability to train a diverse generation of emerging and current leaders (Araque & Weiss, 2019, Oxford University Press). To successfully meet this challenge, leadership development programs must ensure equitable access to training and equip participants, especially women, to not just develop a leadership mindset, but apply the knowledge and skills they gain to change behaviors and organizational practices (Araque & Weiss, 2019, Oxford University Press). We examine the experiences of a sample of racially diverse (56% of color and 44% White) women human service professionals across the first 5 years of a leadership development program and highlight the impact of their leadership learning and coaching on changes in individual and organizational behaviors. Data were collected through a Qualtrics online survey of 76 of 96 (79% response rate) women participants and two interviews with women coaches who facilitated multiple peer coaching circles. Results show the value and benefits of leadership learning and coaching on women's mindset and work behaviors. As participants moved from learning to action, they applied a range of new ways of behaving and performing, which they perceived had an impact on their organizations' practices and members.