Is coaching worth it for junior team members?
Coaching can be transformative for people in junior roles as it enables them to take time to think about how they are working, not just what they are doing. Usually an employer’s emphasis is on their output and quality of work, but it’s just as important to consider how they are operating and how to get the best out of them personally.
Junior positions – Account Executive to Account Manager in agency terms – are formative when it comes to someone’s development. It’s when they discover what the industry is, what their job involves, their responsibilities, the expectations upon them and the skills they need. It’s usually exciting and daunting at the same time.
The PR, marketing and creative industries aren’t usually an easy learning environment, though they are a valuable one. It’s baptism by fire – get involved, give it a go, ask (smart) questions, speak up, pick it up quickly, juggle the workload, offer solutions not problems…
The expectations are high. So’s the pace and the pressure. Perhaps too the number of accounts – I remember I had 13 at one point!
And whilst agencies give training on the hard skills and foundational soft skills, like time management, juniors are often left to develop the advanced soft skills by themselves. And when the basic day to day causes overwhelm, there is little time or head space to actively think about how to develop confidence, resilience, how to respond in certain situations, etc.
If we want juniors to develop those critical advanced soft skills at the same rate they develop critical hard skills, they need to be given support to do so.
How does coaching help at this stage?
Coaching enables junior team members to step away from the pressures of delivery and think about how they are performing the role and how they want to do it differently or better.
During one-to-one sessions, the topic of which can be defined either by the person or the agency, the junior team member can explore the topic with candour and curiosity. They are asked what they want to achieve by the end of the time – this isn’t just a nice conversation, there is a destination in mind.
For example, the topic might be self-doubt and their desire to believe in their ability more than they do; the aim of the session could be to have a checklist of things to do when they start to doubt themselves. Or perhaps the topic could be why they can’t articulate themselves properly in meetings; the aim might be to understand where that comes from and have something they say to themselves before they speak next time.
They then dig under the surface and unearth the things that make them who they currently are and do the things they currently do in these situations. They are questioned and challenged on the words they use and the things they say, the things they don’t say, their body language. What certain situations or experiences mean to them, how that presents itself, what are the underlying beliefs that inform it and if those beliefs are fact or assumptions. They can unpick the stories they tell themselves, acknowledge and challenge the voices that give them self-doubt.
After exploration, the focus moves on to action. It’s all well and good to bring something into the light, but the critical element is what they then do with that knowledge. How to transform the way they feel, act and perform. What they need to do to progress and work towards the thing they want to achieve.
Every session ends with actions that the person defines themselves and can put into action on their path to development. What does that checklist actually look like? What are they going to say to themselves next time they speak up? And, importantly, how committed are they to doing these things?
The responsibility and accountability are all theirs – to put the work into effect, to seek the support they need in order to do it, to adapt and learn based on the results it gets. When we expect junior team members to have the professionalism and maturity to fulfil their duties and deliver for clients, we must give them the same regard when it comes to working on themselves.
Are junior team members mature enough for coaching?
The single biggest factor in somebody’s response to coaching is their desire to progress or change something, not their job title. It’s true that coaching asks for emotional investment, honesty and accountability - someone has to be willing to commit to those things. But age or experience have no bearing on whether they can and will do it or not.
In fact, from some of my coaching experiences to date, I have found that junior team members have been more invested in coaching and what they can get out of it. They can be thirstier, braver and more willing to experiment.
I recently worked with an Account Executive in a PR agency; she shared the following about what she thought of her coaching experience and what she was taking away:
“It has truly helped my confidence in both the workplace and my personal life. I went from second-guessing my value (as someone who struggles with imposter syndrome and anxiety), to truly believing in my skills and finding the courage to voice my opinions. Jen helped me realise that my opinions aren't 'wrong'; they're just a different, valuable perspective, and that I'm sometimes my own worst enemy and always assume the worst. I'm walking away with a practical toolkit I built myself that helps me navigate tricky situations and quiet that 'not enough' voice."
A perfect articulation of some of the benefits of coaching. Let’s expand.
What are the benefits of coaching junior team members?
The benefits of coaching junior staff far outweigh the costs.
Junior team members who receive coaching will have understanding and self-awareness about how they operate in the workplace. How they think, react and process information. The things they do well and the things that hold them back. Their triggers and what to look out for so they can course-correct. They can be aware of their blind spots and make concerted efforts to overcome challenges and weaknesses. That usually shows itself in confidence, resilience and a sense of endeavour. Though obviously coaching can address any other specific area of development too.
Altogether, that enables braver teams with better delivery and stronger client service. People who are more likely to go above and beyond because they feel like they can, not because they are told they should.
For the agency, coached, more productive team members mean greater efficiency and profitability. They also feel more valued by the agency, which leads to greater engagement and longer tenure. That all helps the bottom line.
A 2025 report by the Association of Business Mentors1 found that, of UK businesses running workplace mentoring and coaching programmes:
70% said it has positively impacted overall business performance
61% said that it has driven improvements in employee wellbeing
66% said it had a direct positive impact on retention and talent attraction
Everyone wins.
I have a strong conviction that there is no downside to coaching junior team members. If they become just a couple of hours more billable each month, an agency’s investment in coaching sessions has been recouped. Though I think the return will be far more than that.
So, if you want your team and agency to become more effective and efficient, it’s time to consider coaching.
1 Unlocking Impact: Shaping the Future of Workplace Mentoring and Coaching Report, Association of Business Mentors, 2025