Inova built a multi-year coaching strategy to develop leaders at every level.
“In a system as complex and fast-moving as ours, having a trusted thought partner is critical. Optify allows us to move with the pace our leaders need, while still maintaining visibility into where we’re investing and how our leaders are growing.”
Allison McCall, Director, Talent & Organizational Effectiveness, HR
Challenge
As one of the nation’s leading health systems, Inova operates in a high-stakes, fast-paced environment where leaders—from physicians to senior executives—are making critical decisions every day that directly impact patient care, team performance, and organizational outcomes.
To meet these demands, Inova had invested in leadership development programs, assessments, and internal talent processes. But coaching, one of the most effective drivers of real behavior change, remained difficult to scale in a consistent, strategic way.
Coaching was happening, but not as a system.
Engagements were fragmented across departments and leadership levels, with limited visibility into who was being coached, how often, and toward what goals. There was no centralized way to track investment or understand engagement across the organization. As a result, coaching, while valuable, was not being fully leveraged as a strategic tool.
At the same time, many leaders, particularly physicians stepping into leadership roles, lacked the time, space, and language needed to develop as leaders in an already demanding environment.
Inova didn’t just need more coaching. They needed a way to operationalize coaching as a scalable, visible, and aligned leadership strategy, without adding administrative complexity.
Solution
Inova partnered with Optify to build a scalable, multi-year coaching strategy that delivers personalized leadership development while creating visibility and alignment across the organization.
At the core of the solution is a flexible, enterprise-wide coaching model powered by Optify’s proprietary technology platform.
1:1 Coaching at Every Level
Partnering with Optify, Inova is now able to deliver coaching across the full leadership spectrum, from C-suite executives to first-time leaders, including a significant population of physicians. This breadth is critical in a healthcare environment where leadership responsibilities extend beyond traditional roles and often evolve quickly.
Engagements are tailored based on individual and organizational needs, with flexible formats ranging from 3 to 12 months. Many are paired with 360 assessments such as Leadership Circle Profile and Korn Ferry’s Emotional and Social Competency Inventory, providing leaders with structured feedback and a clear starting point for development. This approach ensures that coaching is not one-size-fits-all, but instead aligned to each leader’s role, context, and growth priorities.
A Centralized System for Coaching
Optify provides a single platform that brings structure and visibility to what was previously a fragmented set of coaching engagements.
Optify provides a single platform to:
- Track all coaching engagements in one place, both internal and external coaches, and Optify’s platform supports both seamlessly
- Monitor participation and progress across leaders through vetted coaches that meet the unique needs of the population (MD-certified coaches, neurodivergent coaches, C-suite, coaches, etc.)
- Maintain visibility into coaching investment across departments and cost centers
At the same time, coordination is streamlined through Inova’s Talent & Organization Effectiveness team, reducing administrative burden and making it easier to scale coaching without adding complexity.
Integrated with Leadership Development
Coaching is not a standalone offering; it is intentionally embedded within Inova’s broader leadership development ecosystem. The program includes:
- Individual Development Plans (IDPs)
- Leadership competency models
- Talent review processes
- High-potential leadership programs
By connecting coaching to these systems, Inova creates a more cohesive experience for leaders—one where development is continuous, aligned, and reinforced across multiple touchpoints. This creates a connected, consistent experience for leaders across the organization.
Impact
A Trusted, External Perspective for Leaders
One of the most valued aspects of the program is the role of coaching as a neutral, third-party thought partner.
In a system with constant demands and competing priorities, Inova leaders benefit from:
- An external perspective outside of internal dynamics
- A confidential space to process challenges and decisions
- Support in navigating complexity with greater clarity and confidence
This has proven especially impactful for physicians and administrators who are balancing clinical expertise with leadership responsibilities.
Scaled Coaching Across the Organization
What began as individual coaching engagements has evolved into a multi-year, system-wide initiative, including:
- 30+ coaching engagements launched in 2025, continuing into 2026
- $250K+ investment in leadership coaching across two years
- 83% of participants actively engaged in their coaching journeys
In a population where time is limited and demands are high, sustained engagement is a strong indicator of value.
Building Leadership Capability Where It Matters Most
For many leaders—especially physicians—coaching provides something they rarely have:
dedicated time and space to think, reflect, and develop a leadership voice. Across the engagement, consistent leadership themes have emerged, aligned to Inova’s strategic priorities and competency model.
Top areas of focus include:
- Communication and influence
- Leadership presence
- Emotional intelligence and self-awareness
- Commitment and stakeholder alignment
Leaders gain not only skills, but also the language and frameworks needed to lead more effectively within a complex healthcare system.
Visibility, Alignment, and Operational Efficiency
With Optify, Inova has transformed coaching from a set of disconnected engagements into a cohesive, manageable system.
Leaders now have full visibility into who is being coached and how they are engaging. Coaching activity and investment can be clearly tracked across the organization, giving HR and leadership teams a comprehensive view of where time and resources are being spent.
At the same time, administration has become more streamlined through a centralized platform, reducing complexity and making it easier to coordinate coaching at scale. Coaching is also more tightly aligned with Inova’s broader leadership development strategy, ensuring consistency across programs and priorities.
Together, these shifts enable HR and leadership teams to manage coaching as a strategic investment, rather than an ad hoc resource.
Looking Ahead
What started as a way to better coordinate coaching has become a foundational part of Inova’s approach to developing leaders across the organization.
Today, coaching is no longer a one-off investment; it’s a scalable system that supports leaders at every level, from physicians navigating new leadership responsibilities to executives driving enterprise-wide priorities.
With Optify, Inova has the infrastructure to continue expanding this impact: reaching more leaders, reinforcing a shared leadership language, and ensuring development keeps pace with the complexity of the organization. As the demands on healthcare leaders continue to evolve, Inova is positioned to meet them with a leadership strategy that is not only consistent and aligned, but built to scale.
