12 Top Leadership Coaches to Transform Your Career

Do you strive to achieve personal and professional goals in a leadership position? If so, a leadership coach may be the right person for the job.

The best way to hire a great leadership coach is to see firsthand what this type of coach can do for you. And who better to display the possibilities than the top leadership coaches available in the world?

Keep reading to meet 12 of the world’s top leadership coaches — and learn how to find your perfect leadership coach to support your life and career today. 

12 Top Leadership Coaches

If you’re wondering what a coach can do or what some of the best leadership coaches have to offer, read through the 12 top leadership coaches below!

1. Katee Van Horn

Katee works with women who are just dipping their toes in the world of leadership. She’s a former VP of Engagement and Inclusion at Fortune 500 companies, which also gives her the experience to coach her clients in several strategies to improve company culture.

In addition to working with people one-on-one, her company, VH Included, provides Inclusion, Diversity, and Belonging (IDB) strategy, training, and coaching to organizations. 

2. Louis Carter

Louis Carter is the author of 10+ books about leadership and management. He advises C-level executives and other leaders to achieve measurable results with their organizations. 

But he’s also the founder and CEO of the following organizations: 

He believes that leadership training can have a profound impact on how effective a leader can be in an organization when it’s approached correctly. That’s why he provides profound learning and development to his clients. 

To get started with Louis Carter, the best free resource is the leadership style quiz.

3. Melissa Marot

Melissa Marot, Ph.D., is an organizational psychologist and clinical neuropsychologist who has worked with a wide range of psychological needs, including:

  • Leadership
  • Transition and change
  • Stress and burnout
  • Team effectiveness
  • Building resilience
  • Communication

Melissa works as part of the Mind Room group in Victoria, Australia — but she works remotely with people from all around the globe. 

If you want to prioritize your wellbeing as you develop your leadership skills, Melissa could be the perfect fit for you.

4. John Baldoni

Over the course of his career, John Baldoni has written 14 books that were each translated into 10 languages.

For example, his latest book, Grace Under Pressure, helps readers remain calm even during moments of urgency. 

Because John has worked with senior leaders across a wide range of industries, such as real estate and healthcare, he’s considered an in-demand leadership coach. 

Plus, he’s a member of the coaching group Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches, which regroups executive coaches and thought leaders in:

  • Business
  • Academia
  • Social Services

John can provide one-on-one leadership and executive coaching, but he can also speak at events and give keynotes. 

5. Brandi Nicole Johnson

Brandi Nicole Johnson has one passion driving her coaching efforts — she wants to develop the world’s next generation of leaders by creating experiences that transform lives.

She’s an award-winning international speaker, coach, and facilitator who gained experience by climbing the corporate ladder in several nonprofit organizations, including Girl Scouts. She even went from intern to Executive Director before she turned 30!

Today, Brandi coaches her clients through live, virtual workshops called Level Up Your Career Masterclass. In this masterclass, aspiring leaders can:

  • Get more career clarity
  • Develop a strategy to get better job offers
  • Improve their resumes
  • Implement a strong networking strategy
  • And so much more!

She was also named one of the Top 40 Leaders Under 40 in 2016.

6. Sally Helgensen

Sally Helgensen is the author of 7 books and has been cited by Forbes as the world’s premier expert on women’s leadership. 

She has over 30 years of experience providing leadership workshops and keynotes worldwide. Today, she can now give her workshops and keynotes virtually.

Sally is another member of Marshall Goldsmith’s 100 Coaches. Clients can book her for leadership coaching, for which she occasionally partners with Marshall Goldsmith. Her most recent book was also co-authored with Marshall Goldsmith!

7. Maya Hu-Chan

Maya Hu-Chan is an author and speaker who is also the president of the international management consulting firm Global Leadership Associates. 

Some of the places she’s given lectures include:

  • Penn State University
  • The University of California
  • The Brookings Institution
  • Dartmouth College
  • The University of Chicago

One of her books, Global Leadership: The Next Generation, has been recommended by Harvard Business School. She has also been named one of the World’s Top 30 Leadership Gurus. 

8. Laura Gates

Laura Gates is the third Marshall Goldsmith member on this list! She has over 20 years of experience training leaders in companies and organizations such as:

  • The US Navy
  • NASA
  • LexisNexis
  • Shell Oil
  • M+T Bank

Her company, Gates Group LLC, coaches successful leaders to help them reach their full potential. They offer CEO advising, but they can also provide leadership coaching to teams — and even help to facilitate leadership retreats!

To learn more about Laura’s process, you can try her free resources, such as The Leader’s Toolkit. On this page, you’ll find several free tools and featured articles, as well as a curated list of recommended management resources. 

9. Kate Snowise

Kate is a Life & Executive Coach who helps individuals discover and pursue their goals and desires to achieve a level of contentment and satisfaction in life. 

She combines psychology with traditional wisdom to create an effective coaching process that enables her clients to reach their full potential. 

After completing her Master’s in Psychology in 2008, Kate has worked with various companies as a Corporate Psychologist, which gave her the experience to help her clients today.

Kate specializes in:

  • Emerging Leadership
  • Career Planning
  • Stress & Resilience Coaching

Drawing upon the theories of Positive Psychology, Kate has been helping individuals reach their fullest potential and lead their best lives. Her coaching process focuses on creating a personalized approach to assist her clients in overcoming obstacles and achieving long-term career goals.

10. Michele Caron

Michele Caron is an Executive Life Coach with 20+ years of experience. She helps her clients tap into their existing mental and emotional intelligence to get closer to what they want.

Through her website, My Life Coach, she provides her clients with support in:

  • Career
  • Business
  • Executive coaching
  • Wellness
  • Life coaching

In addition to helping her clients become more fulfilled leaders, she has also helped other coaches launch their careers. 

11. Dr. Paul L. Corona

Dr. Paul works with successful leaders who’ve decided it’s not enough to keep racking up accomplishments. He helps his clients figure out what they want since he believes “more” is usually not the answer.

As a clinical professor of leadership school in the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, his ratings average 96/100. He also received a Leading Global Coach award in 2019.

Dr. Paul works one-on-one with leaders who want to strengthen their relationships while deepening their purpose. But he also gives one-to-many workshops for people who aren’t ready to work one-on-one yet. 

12. Kate Bednarski

Kate Bednarski is a digital nomad who helps people who want to experience meaning and engage in the right work. She’s also the founder of 5 Stepping Stones. 

With this company, Kate does much more than simply help people improve their leadership skills. She works on a transpersonal level with each of her clients.

The titular 5 Stepping Stones coaching process involves a unique journey for everyone. These stepping stones include:

  1. Know Thyself
  2. Stillness is the greatest revelation
  3. When I let go of what I am, I become who I am
  4.  To one who believes, no explanation is necessary. To one who does not believe, no explanation is possible.
  5. Leap and the net will appear   

If this leadership and executive coaching approach speaks to you, consider contacting her via email to work with her directly.

Where to Look for Leadership Coaches

Finding the ideal leadership coach who has the skills to help you reach your desired goals may seem intimidating. But with a little research and effort, you can find the perfect match for your specific needs! 

One way to start your search is first to figure out exactly what you want to get out of the coaching experience. For instance,  are you beginning your leadership journey? Or are you an experienced leader who needs more advanced coaching? 

Knowing what you need from a leadership coach is key, as different coaches specialize in different sub-niches.

Luckily, CoachCompare makes it easier than ever to find the perfect leadership coach for you. With this free tool, you can search through specific categories of coaches instead of focusing on people who are local to you.

Thanks to today’s amazing remote technology, you can access coaches from anywhere in the world!

You can also vet potential coaches by looking at their certifications and skills before booking a free discovery session. 

That means you won’t waste time booking sessions with leadership coaches who lack the specific experience to help you with your unique aspirations. 

Find Your Perfect Leadership Coach Match with CoachCompare

Whether you’re just beginning your leadership journey or want to take things to the next level, you deserve a leadership coach who gets you on every level. Start using CoachCompare to get matched with talented leadership coaches for free.

top leadership coaches