Coaching Insight-Defining Executive Coaching
Executive Coaching is a one-on-one developmental process designed to assist business executives, professionals and other key staff members in maximizing their leadership and management potential. It may also be used to help in the resolution of performance problems or to address career decision-making needs.
Coaching is a process that facilitates learning which leads to behavioral change. It provides the client with the tools and knowledge to become more effective in their work environment. Coaching involves observation of specific patterns of behavior, giving feedback and developing an action plan to achieve positive behavioral change.
Coach Eagle’s executive coaching focus is a development one, placing emphasis on performance improvement or growth in key leadership or management skill areas.
Coaching is Not a Performance Appraisal
Executive coaching is not intended as a performance appraisal process, nor should you contract to do coaching in conjunction with performance appraisals. There are a couple of reasons for that:
- First, it puts the coach in a potential conflict of interest situation and may undermine the confidentiality of the client/coach relationship.
- Second, in 360-degree assessments that a coach would deliver, peers’ and managers’ responses may be negatively or positively skewed if they treat the assessment as an appraisal rather than as a developmental opportunity.
Coaching does not point the way to career transition (although this sometimes does occur). Rather, it is seen as a commitment on the part of the organization to retain key people and invest in their development and growth.
How Coaching Differs from Other Services
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EXECUTIVE COACHING |
MENTORING |
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Specific, narrowly defined issue(s)
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More broad based objectives |
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Short-term process (6 months to a year)
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Long-term focus and longer-range process. |
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Generally utilizes trained and objective coach from outside the company
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Generally occurs inside a company and does not include a trained coach. |
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EXECUTIVE COACHING |
THERAPY/COUNSELING |
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Short-term process (6 months to a year)
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Can be a longer term process. |
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Specific, narrowly defined issue(s) related to one’s effectiveness at work, and within the context of an organization
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Can be a longer term process. |
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Refers clinical issues to a therapist.
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Broad based, covering all aspects of a person’s life.
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Focuses on changing behavior. Deals with feelings as they impact on the project.
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Geared toward staying with feelings and exploring them more fully, especially in coping with grief, anger and stress.
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