Coaching aims to inspire and support participants to reach their potential — and keep reaching further. 

Executive coaching is unique because it aims at the leadership skills and executive functioning of motivated, achievement-oriented professionals. Executive coaching is mainly action-based and seeks to cultivate more intelligent, aware, and ambitious employees. 

Coaching is a practice tailored to individuals and their unique skill set and circumstances. The quality of the connection between a coach and client is vital. Coaches work with groups or individuals, offering a  different perspective and serving as a sounding board and mirror for reflection.

Coaches help people see themselves more clearly — and compassionately. Coaches help them learn how to work with their strengths and weaknesses. Plus, coaches can assist people in identifying and generating a development plan to achieve their goals. 

Types of coaching

Different coaching approaches can focus on individual, team, or business aspects. For instance, a coach may help a person establish leadership skills.

Or, a coach can work with a group to strengthen public speaking skills. 

Here are some common forms of coaching: 

Career coaching

A career coach provides insight into your professional development and advises on how to reach your career goals. They can also aid in your job search and help you transition into new roles or jobs.

Life coaching

Life coaches can focus on your career, health, fitness, finances, or interpersonal relationships. A life coach can also help with growth and motivation.

Sometimes we lose our way and have trouble finding the purpose of our work. Seeking help from someone removed from the situation can reveal blind spots in any area of our life we need.

Organisation or business coaching

These coaches provide support and guidance to business owners. They help them create goals, as well as plans to achieve them. For instance, business coaching can help increase the organisation’s performance.

Performance coaching

Performance coaches aim to help individuals perform more efficiently at work.

Leadership coaching

This coaching hones leadership skills and is terrific for any employee or individual.

7 aspects of executive coaching

1. Gathering and giving feedback.
2. Identifying development opportunities.
3. Building awareness.
4. Asking more profound questions to find solutions.
5. Facilitating further learning.
6. Providing long-term support and encouragement.
7. Monitoring progress and ensuring accountability.
   
   

Remember that executive coaching isn’t the same as mentoring or counselling. Mentoring cultivates personal progress through increasing self-confidence, broadening exposure, and building relationships. Mentoring will help you recognise your talents. It’ll also boost your performance at work by increasing your mental fitness and growth mindset. 

A work mentor might be someone you shadow. This seasoned professional teaches you about your corporate world position. Counselling is problem-specific and often more emotionally based.

Who should hire an executive coach?

Anyone eager to improve and achieve in the professional world may consider hiring an executive coach. Ambition can help achieve work goals, but it isn’t the key to growth at work or in your personal life.

If you don’t know where to direct your energy, it can be hard to succeed. It helps first to understand yourself, your motivations, and where you want to go. That’s where a professional coach can be helpful. 

In the past, executive coaching was focused on remediation and mitigation. In other words, an executive coach often came in to help fix a bad situation or help a struggling new leader.

It was focused on the top of the corporate ladder, whether to remove unhealthy behaviour and engagement or accelerate already high performance. 

Today, anyone looking to improve their capabilities and grow to become a high-performing employee can hire a coach.