Executive Coaching 101: Everything You Need to Know

“I do love a locker room. It smells like potential.”

— ted lasso

When you hear the word coach, what do you envision? More likely than not it involves a sport of some kind, or at least a whistle. Perhaps you envision a coach you once had, supporting you in improving your performance and reaching your goals on the field or court. 

What does a coach do? Coaches motivate, teach, advise, mentor, and ultimately aim to support their players in reaching their full potential as they develop.

Just as athletes have coaches on the court and field to improve their performance, so too can businesses and professionals have coaches in the workplace to support their personal and professional development. Executive coaches are exactly these specialized professionals who support businesses and their people in optimizing their performance, enhancing their leadership, and achieving their goals. 

So what exactly is executive coaching? How does it work? Let’s delve into it and everything you need to know.

The What:

Executive coaching is a professional development process that supports executives, leaders, and rising talent to enhance their performance, leadership skills, and overall effectiveness in the workplace. The purpose of executive coaching is to provide personalized guidance, support, and feedback to individuals, helping them navigate challenges, overcome obstacles, sharpen their skills, and reach their full potential. Coaching sessions aim to deliver actionable plans upon which clients can execute to promote and support their personal and professional development, workplace performance, and ultimate success.

Executive coaching engagements may focus on a variety of areas, including but not limited to leadership development, communication skills, decision-making, conflict resolution, strategic thinking, emotional intelligence, time management, and work-life balance. Overall, executive coaching aims to empower professionals to become more effective, confident, and fulfilled in their roles, ultimately leading to improved organizational performance and success.

The Why:

• We need support. Tom Brady is considered among the most talented football quarterbacks of all time. So why does he need a coach? The answer is simple: talent must be nurtured, differing perspectives serve to sharpen skills for sustained achievement, and everyone needs support. Success doesn’t happen in a vacuum. The same can be said for high-achieving executives and leaders as they too need to continually refine their skills to deliver continued results for their organizations and in their careers. 

• We are busy. Our fast-paced lives leave little time for executives, professionals, and rising leaders to pause, strategize, and problem solve. Instead, many people operate from putting out one fire to another. The result is reactive and overwhelmed employees that only have time for tactics, not strategy. The goal of executive coaching is to shift from reactive to proactive and executive coaching sessions serve as a distraction-free time to be able to do so.

• We need partnership. Have you ever heard the saying, “it’s lonely at the top”? This too can plague executives and leaders. The higher someone climbs in an organization, it typically becomes difficult to find partners with whom to brainstorm, problem solve, and strategize. Executive coaches similarly serve this capacity. 

• We need clarity. Many high-achievers have been on “autopilot” for much of their careers. At certain points it’s easy to ask “now what?” or fall into confusion or “analysis paralysis”. Sometimes we are clear on where we need to get to but unclear on how to achieve it. Executive coaches ask tough questions to get to the heart of matters, efficiently. Sessions can serve to refocus professionals on what really matters: what needs to happen and how to get that done. 

• We need accountability. With so much on professionals’ plates, we sometimes think to do something but don’t follow through. Leaders can be so busy holding other people accountable that they fail to do it for themselves. That’s where executive coaching can help, but ensuring professionals and businesses not only develop strategy and actionable tactics, but that they also follow through.

The Who and When:

Executive coaching benefits high-level executives, newly promoted managers, and rising leaders as they navigate business and their careers. So when may organizations and/or professionals seek an executive coach? The following is a non-exhaustive list of situations. If you feel like any of these may pertain to you or your business, please feel free to contact us and see how we might help.

• Overwhelmed by all the priorities and not knowing where to start 

• Difficulty with prioritization/ focusing on what matters most

• Organization is not accountable or aligned

• Blind spots derailing career

• Trying to shift culture from reactive to proactive

• Resolve unproductive conflict

• Lack of strong professional relationships

• High attrition, turnover within an organization

• Track record of not finding the “Right people” for the job

• Unclear messaging to employees, clients, investors, or stakeholders 

• Lack of employee engagement

• Need to refine communication and/or presentation skills

• Navigating turnover, structural and/or personnel changes within an organization or industry

• Feeling stuck in your career / business growth

• Addressing feedback from stakeholders

• Difficulty “moving the needle” toward achieving your professional goals

The How:

Coaching is an unregulated industry and there are myriad approaches to the practice. That said, there are general guidelines by which most coaches operate, particularly among those who have been trained thoroughly and accredited through the International Coaching Federation (ICF).

• Executives and leaders don’t need to be told what to do. Unlike mentoring or consulting, executive coaching does not typically involve providing direct advice or solutions. Instead, the coach serves as a thought partner, asking powerful questions, challenging assumptions, and facilitating the client's own insights and problem-solving abilities. Different coaches may also integrate varying degrees of advisory, teaching and/or mentorship into their sessions. Ultimately, this depends on personal preference for both the coach and client and whether the relationship is the “right fit”.

• Formats may vary. Traditional executive coaching is done in a 1:1 coaching format with one coach and one client. Many coaches also offer group formats to facilitate the process among a group of people and promote community in doing so.

• Structure. Executive coaching sessions allow for coaches and clients to “co-create” an agreement to establish goals, outcomes, and metrics, for both the engagement and the session. Sessions aim to deliver strategic insights and actionable tactics to bring professionals closer to achieving their goals.

• Confidentiality. Critically, coaching relationships rely on trust, respect, and confidentiality, allowing professionals the freedom and psychological safety to explore new perspectives, experiment with different approaches, and make meaningful changes in their leadership style and behavior. This allows the coach to be on your team.

• Techniques. The coach may use various assessment tools, exercises, and techniques to facilitate self-reflection, enhance self-awareness, and promote personal and professional growth.

So whether you have skills to refine, employees to engage, or strategic plans to create, consider whether executive coaching may benefit you or your organization. With a coach on your side, you’re one step closer to improved performance and ensuring you’re never alone in the game. Should you be interested in finding out more about executive coaching and how it might specifically benefit you or your business, please reach out to learn more.