Executive & Leadership Coaching

Your highest-performing leaders are your greatest asset.
And your greatest risk.

SPRK is a structured executive coaching engagement that translates nervous system science into measurable business outcomes: retention, decision quality, conflict resolution, and sustainable performance through demanding cycles.

5–7×
Average ROI from executive coaching
International Coach Federation
150–250%
Cost to replace a senior leader or manager
SHRM & Gallup
34%
Of annual salary lost per actively disengaged employee
Gallup
70%
Of employee engagement variance is driven by the manager alone
Gallup
The Business Case

Executive coaching is not a wellness benefit.
It is a performance infrastructure investment.

When capable leaders operate in chronic overload, the cost doesn't appear on a single P&L line. It accumulates quietly: in decisions that never get made cleanly, in talent that walks out the door, in conflict that never gets resolved, and in teams that disengage while their manager holds it together on the outside.

Cost of Turnover
Replacing a single senior leader costs more than a year of coaching.
Recruiting, onboarding, lost productivity, training, and team destabilization add up fast. For a $75K leader, that's $112,500–$187,500 minimum. For a $150K executive, the floor is $300,000.
$112,500+
minimum cost to replace a $75K leader
Cost of Conflict
One unresolved workplace conflict generates costs that multiply quietly.
Direct productivity drain. Legal and HR exposure. Absenteeism. Missed opportunities. Lost business. Unresolved conflict typically costs 2–3× the visible productivity impact before it becomes a formal problem.
2–3×
the visible cost of every unresolved conflict
Cost of Disengagement
Presenteeism costs more than absenteeism. And it's invisible.
Gallup research shows that actively disengaged employees cost their organization 34% of their annual salary in lost productivity — without ever calling in sick. And managers account for 70% of the variance in team engagement, meaning one overloaded leader creates a measurable disengagement cascade below them.
34%
of annual salary lost per disengaged employee (Gallup)
Cost of Decision Fatigue
Leaders in chronic stress show measurably reduced decision quality.
Reduced cognitive flexibility. Narrowed risk assessment. Reactive rather than strategic decisions. Missed signals. The downstream cost of a single high-stakes decision made poorly under pressure is rarely calculated — and rarely small.
Prevention
costs 3–5× less than post-breakdown intervention
ROI Comparison: One Leader, Two Scenarios
Without Coaching With SPRK Coaching
Performance Chronic overload leads to declining decision quality and output Regulated leadership enables sustained peak performance
Team Impact Unresolved conflict creates team disengagement and turnover risk Early intervention builds team cohesion and retention
Retention Cost Departure risk: 150–250% replacement cost Continuity: compounding leadership value over time
Decision Quality Reactive decision-making generates costly errors and missed risk signals Strategic clarity drives execution quality and proactive risk management
Legal/HR Risk Unmanaged conflict escalates to HR claims, legal exposure, absenteeism Proactive conflict management reduces organizational risk
The Methodology

The SPARK Framework™ translated for business.

The SPARK Framework™ is the structural spine of every SPRK engagement. Two additional bodies of work — Judy Hissong's leadership frameworks (Nesso Strategies, Legal Leadership Institute) and industry-standard performance management research — provide the tools applied inside each stage. The stages are sequenced intentionally: leaders who skip stabilization don't sustain performance gains.

S
Stabilize Under Pressure
Stress performance optimization. Fewer reactive decisions. Protected focus during high-demand cycles.
Distraction management · Focus-block methodology · Workload sustainability audit · Email optimization protocol
P
Performance Alignment
Values-driven decision quality. Emotional intelligence as a leadership asset. Self-awareness that drives team trust.
EQ self-assessment · Values inventory · Goleman leadership styles · 10 Landmines diagnostic
A
Accountability Architecture
Delegation effectiveness. Team accountability structures. Reduced dependency on the leader as bottleneck.
Accountability Ladder · Weekly Review cadence · Kotter Change Model · Fierce independence work
R
Real-Time Execution
Conflict resolved early. Difficult conversations handled with skill. Busy-season throughput protected.
LLI Conflict frameworks · Communication-for-comprehension protocol · Strategic thinking model
K
Key Leadership Visibility
Strategic vision for the team. Succession readiness. Innovation bandwidth. Proactive risk management.
Strategic vision-setting · Team development planning · Succession mapping · Sustainability review

The integration model: SPARK is the structural spine. Hissong frameworks are the tools. The leader's emerging business priorities drive which tools surface in each stage. The stages are sequenced because sequence is the methodology's core insight: leaders who try to optimize performance while operating in chronic overload don't sustain the gains. Stabilize first. Then build.

The Engagement

A nine-month performance arc.
Structured. Sequenced. Measurable.

Assessment Architecture

Evidence-based.
From intake to close-out.

Three structured review points anchor the engagement and provide the evidence base for both mid-engagement recalibration and future expansion decisions.

Before Session 1
Intake Assessment
  • Leadership Capacity baseline: current overload level and impact on decision quality
  • Full Responsibility Inventory across operational, strategic, and managerial domains
  • Values exercise: the 5–7 values currently driving decisions
  • Emotional Intelligence self-assessment (Goleman four-domain model)
  • 10 Landmines diagnostic: which performance patterns are most active
  • Leadership Styles preview: default styles and development gaps
  • Priority reflection: what does success look like in business terms
Between Sessions 4 & 5
Midpoint Review
  • Leadership Capacity re-check against intake baseline
  • Performance impact narrative: what's working, what's shifting, what's heavy
  • Leadership styles re-scan: is the leader deploying previously underused styles
  • Recalibration: do original priorities still align with current business reality
After Session 9
Close-Out Review
  • Leadership Capacity final reading: nine-month arc
  • Performance effectiveness narrative against all five priority areas
  • Conflict management improvement: situations addressed vs. previously escalated
  • Team readiness assessment for future expansion
  • Expansion recommendation: scope, format, sequencing, and investment
  • ROI narrative: retention preserved, conflict costs avoided, decision quality improved
The Investment

What this engagement costs
vs. what doing nothing costs.

"Investing in a leader's sustainable performance is a fraction of the cost of replacing them."

The nine-month engagement is scoped, priced, and valuable as a standalone pilot. Future expansion — broader team coaching, workshops, and group formats — is structured into the Close-Out Review and contingent on pilot outcomes, not assumed.

1:1 Executive Engagement
90-minute monthly session · Between-session support · Nine months
Custom
Pricing
based on scope
Replacing This Leader
150–250% of annual salary (SHRM & Gallup)
$112K+
minimum replacement cost
Professional Standards

Non-negotiable.
By design.

Coaching, Not Therapy

No clinical claims. Mental health concerns are referred to the company's insurance-provided resources. The engagement is scoped to leadership performance.

Absolute Confidentiality

Nothing discussed in session leaves without explicit written permission from the individual leader. Session content is never reported to the organization.

Aggregate Themes Only

Broad organizational themes from the pilot (for expansion decisions) are reviewed and approved by the leader before any sharing with the company.

Ready to protect your
most valuable leadership investment?

Schedule a no-pressure corporate consultation to discuss your team's specific situation and whether this engagement is the right fit.

Coach@TheSoothingSpark.com  ·  The Soothing Spark LLC  ·  Caledonia, Wisconsin