The Value of Executive Coaching

This coaching speciality is here to stay—and for good reason. These days you would be hard pressed to find someone in the business community who hasn’t heard of executive coaching. Indeed executive coaches are fast becoming a common sight in many of the world’s top companies. Yet for the uninitiated there are still several questions around what this type of specialized coaching is and why it’s needed.

What Is Executive Coaching?

Simply put, the purpose of executive coaching is to develop executive-level skills that have significant and lasting effects for the individual and the organization as a whole. To be clear, executive coaching is not a feel-good exercise. When a professionally trained and qualified coach is enlisted, the process is truly demanding work with real bottom line results. Ask anyone who has undergone executive coaching and you’ll get plenty of anecdotal evidence to support what current research confirms: the return on investment can be truly remarkable.

Why Is It Needed?

There are various reasons an executive might seek out a coach, but in general, clients are hoping to overcome obstacles and take dramatic strides in their performance. We often take for granted that executives will meet the growing demands of a dynamic business world because they are executives. But even executives need to develop new skills to succeed. Coaching helps executives move into new competencies by clearing the way for professional growth and measurable achievement.

Why Does It Work?

During times of change, most executives have few people they can discuss issues with—inside and outside of the organization—and performance may be hindered by a lack of peer support. Executive coaching provides a confidential, focused environment for dealing with important issues. While a coach acts as a partner throughout the process, the client is accountable for the decisions made during each encounter and for transforming those decisions into action. This unique relationship encourages rigor in the executive’s decision-making and endows the permanent skills and confidence needed to tackle future challenges.

It needn’t be said that a confident, skilled executive is a boon to any organization. When you consider that most engagements consist of 6 to 12 sessions over a six-month period, the ROI is even more impressive. As more and more organizations catch on to the very real benefits of executive coaching, the question won’t be why do I need one of these specialists, but are there enough of them to meet the growing demand. So plan on seeing more executive coaches around in the future, or, better yet, hire your own executive coach today and experience the results for yourself.

Greg Nichvalodoff B.Sc. (BM) Honors, MBA, CPC is the President of Inscape Consulting Group a Vancouver based company that specializes in Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, Business Diagnostics and Strategic Planning for all types of businesses. For more information contact: greg@inscapeconsulting.com or view their webpage www.inscapeconsulting.com.