Executive Coaching Definition, Stages, Benefits, Strategies & Results
Everything you need to know about executive coaching, from understanding what it is to measuring its impact on your leadership and organization.
Executive coaching is assisting top executives, managers, and other identified leaders to perform, learn, stay healthy and balanced, and effectively guide their teams to successfully reach desired goals and exceed individual and corporate expectations. Enabling leaders to unlock and unleash their full-potential so they bring greater value and abundance to the people and entities they serve.
Rarely do organizations invest in coaching except for highly valued talent.
When today's executive decides on executive coaching, the connotations are almost always positive. It says on behalf of the organization, "We believe in you and your ability to do great things. We're willing to invest in executive coaching so you can fulfill your potential and we can all enjoy the benefits."
Differences Between Coaching and Mentoring
While there are similarities, a coach and a mentor do different things and have different motivations and end goals.
| Aspect | Mentoring | Coaching |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | Ongoing relationship that may last years or decades | Set starting and ending point |
| Structure | Informal sharing when the mentee needs support | Structured and scheduled meetings |
| Background | More experienced version of mentee, same profession/company | May or may not have same skills as client, often from outside |
| Focus | Career and personal development, agenda set by mentee | Specific developmental issues and achieving specific goals |
Coaching Needs for Executives at Different Life Stages
It only makes sense that the thirty-ish executive who has zoomed up the career ladder has different coaching needs than the 50-year-old who has been in the industry since college. Often, but not always, the younger leader needs more nurturing and more directness, while the older leader is often more aware of deficiencies that need to be addressed.
Goals and needs differ between the young executive and the more mature executive.
Research found that regardless of gender, younger executives (in their thirties) had lower levels of self-reflection than older ones. Three factors account for differences:
- •Younger executives often have a self-perception of being a "winner" and are likelier to think of coaching as a perk
- •Younger executives had more difficulty recognizing nuances and were more likely to use "black-and-white" thinking
- •Younger executives believed in one right way, while older executives were more willing to try different approaches
Who Uses Executive Coaching?
Executive coaching is a $1.5 billion per year industry, with most of the biggest enterprises now using coaches. Who is it for? Executives who want to:
What Are the Benefits of Executive Coaching?
While specific outcomes depend on the goals that the coach and client set at the beginning, many overarching benefits have been reported:
In addition, many coaching clients indicate they come away with better social skills, a growing professional network, a better reputation online, and a better non-work life as well.
John Mattone's Philosophy and Strategies for Executive Coaching
The most successful executives aren't investing in executive coaching when they ask for my services. They're investing in results. Over my decades of experience, I developed the Intelligent Leadership (IL) Executive Coaching Blueprint: a six to 12-month immersive leadership coaching journey that leads to business results and personal growth.
I use my Executive Coaching Blueprint to strengthen clients' inner-core and outer-core characteristics, helping them realize four game-changing outcomes:
Altruism
Leading with service and care for others
Affiliation
Building meaningful connections and relationships
Achievement
Driving measurable results and success
Abundance
Creating value and prosperity for all stakeholders
These four qualities are the seeds that lead to sustained greatness and a positive, lasting legacy as a leader.
The Executive Coaching Process
Initial Meeting & Goal Setting
Meeting with the coaching client and sponsoring executive team to discuss goals, gain context, and discuss the proposed roadmap.
Building Trust & Assessment
Spending time with the executive to build trust and rapport. Using observations, structured interviews, and objective assessment tools to assess inner- and outer-core capabilities.
360-Degree Interviews
Conducting interviews with key stakeholders (executives, board members, direct-reports, and other employees) to identify strengths and opportunities.
Core Purpose Statement
Helping the client create their own Core Purpose Statement that captures the essence of the leader they want to become, which qualities they must develop, what they want to accomplish, and the contributions they want to make.
Development Plan
Using proprietary tools to prepare their leadership development plan focusing on:
- •Irrefutable strengths
- •Unexpected strengths
- •Indisputable development needs
- •Unexpected development needs
Ongoing Coaching & Progress Measurement
Ongoing performance coaching, support, and guidance, along with frequent interaction with stakeholders to measure progress toward goals.
Does Executive Coaching Work for Everyone?
Sometimes executive coaching doesn't work out. Common reasons include:
- •An executive who doesn't want coaching is unlikely to make good progress
- •Client's superiors aren't invested in the coaching process
- •Lack of clear and measurable goals
- •Client is less than forthright when providing information
- •Coaching used as a last-ditch effort for a faltering executive
Lack of clear, measurable goals can severely limit the results of coaching.
What to Look for in an Executive Coach
An executive coach you consider working with should be:
- ✓Crystal clear about their process and willing to share results
- ✓Honest about gathering feedback from multiple sources
- ✓Able to discuss their skills in depth and detail
- ✓Proud to share references and name actual clients
- ✓Understands the importance of client confidentiality
A great leadership coach won't give you evasive or unrealistic answers to your questions.
Glossary of Key Terms
Core Purpose Statement
A way of thinking of oneself in terms of an overarching statement about what their purpose and goals are
Emotional Intelligence
A person's ability to identify and manage their own emotions and to understand how their emotions affect and are affected by other people's emotions
Executive Coaching
Professional coaching that focuses on development of leadership skills needed to drive positive change, manage complexity, and build high-performance teams
Intelligent Leadership Executive Coaching Blueprint
John Mattone's plan for a six to 12-month immersive leadership and personal growth process designed to unlock an executive's full leadership potential
Mentoring
An informal employee development system where a more senior, experienced professional acts as advisor or guide to a junior professional
Self-Awareness
The accurate assessment and understanding of one's abilities, strengths, and weaknesses, and how they affect oneself and others
Self-Regulation
A person's ability to monitor and control their behavior, emotions, or thoughts, and modify them in accordance with situations
Stakeholders
The people affected by the actions of the coaching client, including peers, supervisors, direct-reports, or other employees
Ready to Transform Your Leadership?
I can tell you with certainty that the executives who prepare, who take coaching seriously, and who strive to put what they learn into practice can become exceptional leaders and make the coaching investment pay off over and over.