The 5 Tangible and Terrific Outcomes of Executive Coaching

Winds of change blow through the business world today, and there is no escape. Even in the executive suite change is felt acutely, and C-level executives are not immune to the effects of our accelerated global business climate. All top-level executives, including CEOs, COOs, CFOs, CTOs, and senior VPs are expected to get up to speed immediately and maintain a demanding pace. Stockholders want fast results, as do business stakeholders. Teams are under more pressure than ever to work more efficiently than ever. At every organizational level, leaders need to be developed. The highest-potential emerging leaders should be identified and developed earlier and with an eye toward top leadership positions.

Change is blowing through today's business world. Is your executive team ready? Being considered "business savvy" isn't nearly as simple as it used to be. The bar is constantly being raised while at the same time employees want to have great job satisfaction and a good work-life balance. The mix of all these competing tensions points to a vital need for executive coaching. Most organizations benefit from executive coaching, and there's often a compelling business case to be made for it. My prospective clients often ask me, "What should we reasonably expect in terms of tangible outcomes of executive coaching?" Following are my five compelling outcomes of the process.

1. You can expect executive coaching to be a professional process that links the leader's individual effectiveness with overall organizational success, with metrics that demonstrate personal and organizational gains.
2. Expect executive coaching to take on a strategic function, helping your organization attract and retain exceptional leaders who are well prepared to create breakthrough operating results both short and long term.

1. Executive coaching should enable executive teams to raise both individual executive performance and overall performance as a team.
2. Expect your organization's C-level executives to accept responsibility for making important business decisions and achieving the outcomes you desire.
3. You can expect executive coaching to provide metaphoric "shock absorbers" for the bumpy road of today's accelerated business pace, even during times of intense innovation and change.

Executive coaching not only helps your existing executives, but can help you hire better for future needs. Committing to a comprehensive leadership development process can lead to powerful competitive advantages, but the process will challenge participants to stretch and grow. Executive coaching can be a strong business imperative for top-level executives and HR leaders, yet there is still, in most organizations, a wide gap between what executives are expected to accomplish and the resources available to help them do so. Top leadership must develop both inner-core attributes (capability, commitment, and connectedness) and outer-core skills and competencies to achieve all that is expected of them. Executive coaching helps organizations bridge the gap between what is expected of executives and the resources available for helping them do so. And finally, executive coaching equips today's executives with the tools they must have to produce consistent excellence in themselves, their immediate teams, and the organization as a whole. I strongly encourage you to learn more about leadership coaching and the powerful effects it can have on individual, team, and organizational performance.