In today’s business landscape, effective leadership depends as much on self-awareness and emotional intelligence as it does on strategy and analytics. Recognizing that, the Costello College of Business at George Mason University (Costello) is partnering with the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being (CWB) to provide Costello MBA students with a unique opportunity for one-on-one leadership coaching at no extra cost.
This initiative, launched in fall 2024, reflects Costello’s commitment to preparing purpose-driven leaders who can thrive in complex, fast-changing environments. Through this partnership, students in the Costello MBA program are matched with coaches-in-training from CWB’s Leadership Coaching for Organizational Well-Being certificate program, creating a mutually beneficial experience that enhances both learning and professional growth.
“At Costello, we are preparing leaders who not only excel in business but who elevate the human experience within it,” says Interim Dean Cheryl Druehl. “Leadership coaching helps our students align purpose with performance, shaping professionals who lead with both competence and compassion.”
A model of collaboration across the university
As part of their Leadership Coaching for Organizational Well-Being certificate requirements, coaches are required to complete pro bono coaching hours, making the collaboration with Costello’s MBA program a natural fit since the MBA students are experienced working professionals who bring real-world leadership challenges and aspirations to the coaching experience.
“Real world application is a key component of our program. It’s necessary for our coaches to practice the competencies they are learning with clients from various professional backgrounds,” says Sonya Henry, director of executive education programs at CWB.
The coaches are professionals from across sectors who learn to foster growth, purpose, and well-being in individuals and organizations and seek to deepen their leadership impact by becoming certified leadership coaches.
“The coaches involved in this program come from a wide range of sectors, including the federal government, private industry, non-profit agencies, and also the military,” says Pam Patterson, associate vice president of University Life and senior coaching fellow for CWB. “They are typically very seasoned professionals who are eager to amplify their own leadership skills, incorporate a coaching culture within their organization, or pursue a career change by becoming certified leadership coaches.”
Transformative impact for MBA students
For MBA students, the experience has been both personally and professionally transformative, extending beyond traditional career coaching to focus on leadership growth, self-awareness, and values-based decision-making.
Jaspreet Dhillon, MBA ’26 engaging with his MBA leadership coaching cohort. Photo by Hannah Patterson/Costello College of Business.
Jaspreet Dhillon, MBA ’26, was in the inaugural cohort of 25 MBA students that received leadership coaching in the first year of the program. “It just seemed like I would be passing up an invaluable opportunity,” he says. “I priced similar programs, and it equates to several thousands of dollars that we receive in coaching at no additional cost as Costello MBA students.”
“It just seemed like I would be passing up an invaluable opportunity,” he says. “I priced similar programs, and it equates to several thousands of dollars that we receive in coaching at no additional cost as Costello MBA students.”
— Jaspreet Dhillon, MBA ’26
With more than 15 years in the commercial sector before transitioning into federal service, Dhillon explains, “Coaching empowered me to navigate the challenge of stepping into a new role previously held by someone for two decades. It helped me look past my predecessor's biases and begin the role with a fresh perspective and balance of IQ and EQ.”
Ravileen Staley, MBA ’25, was also in the inaugural cohort. “Every executive I know has a coach who helps them navigate leadership and decision-making,” she says. “What I appreciated most was having someone as a sounding board who helped me recognize broader patterns in my own thinking and take action toward more effective leadership and better outcomes in my work. My coach helped me talk through a layered work conflict and see it from a new angle; it gave me tools to shift the energy in conversations and channel my bias for action when something feels out of sync with my values. I definitely came out a better leader after participating in the program.”
A competitive offering in the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area
Personalized support is increasingly recognized as a key differentiator in graduate management education. What makes Costello MBA’s approach distinctive is its emphasis on leadership development. By connecting MBA students with coaches-in-training, the program offers a competitive, high-impact experience that complements, rather than replaces, Costello’s strong career services offerings.
Costello MBA program director Yannis Bellos adds that the initiative strengthens the program’s leadership identity in a competitive landscape. “Leadership coaching sets our MBA apart,” he says. “It is not just about career readiness; it is about cultivating emotionally intelligent leaders prepared to thrive in the future of work.”
Shaping the next generation of leaders
The program has become a defining feature of the Costello MBA experience, one that reflects Costello’s mission to develop leaders who lead with purpose, resilience, and empathy.
To learn more about the Costello MBA Program, visit https://business.gmu.edu/programs/graduate-degree-programs/mba.
To learn more about leadership development and coaching programs at the Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, visit https://wellbeing.gmu.edu/certificate-programs/coaching/.