Re-imagining Academic Leadership through Transformative Coaching: A Reflective Account from Uganda

This paper investigates how transformative coaching can enhance academic leadership development in Sub-Saharan Africa, using Uganda as a case study. The study responds to persistent challenges in higher education leadership, such as institutional complexity, gender inequities, emotional burnout, and weak succession planning that hinder systemic reform and inclusive leadership. The main objective was to explore the role of coaching in fostering strategic clarity, emotional resilience, and institutional transformation. Methodologically, the paper draws on reflective analysis and qualitative data from eight academic leaders in private Universities (five women and three men) who underwent structured coaching sessions. Data was collected through in-depth interviews and reflective journals, and thematically analyzed. Findings reveal that coaching enabled participants to reconnect with personal well-being, navigate gendered leadership barriers, adopt systems thinking, and commit to legacy planning. Women leaders especially valued the coaching space for affirming their voice, processing exclusion, and building confidence. The study concludes that coaching offers more than personal development. It is a powerful, context-sensitive model of leadership education. It recommends integrating coaching into leadership programs across African universities, with emphasis on feminist values, wellness, and intergenerational mentorship. Such integration can cultivate resilient, strategic, and visionary leaders aligned with Uganda’s Vision 2040, NDP III, and the SDGs.