Managing a business is a tough thing to do, and it seems like every day, there’s another layer of something that managers and executives need to be balancing. An executive coach sits down with senior staff members within a business and helps the executives accomplish their goals.

Of course, these aims typically include business, career, work, and leadership targets. But they can also have things like managing a work-life balance, finding the time and motivation for healthier eating and exercise, managing stress, feeling fulfillment, and anything else related to being an executive. There are even individuals who offer coaching for women, as women often find that they face certain challenges on their career path that their male counterparts do not, and coaching can help them overcome these.

Executive life coaches have specialized in their life coaching clients and have experience working with individuals in these high-stress, high-reward positions. They understand the demands of an executive’s work better than a life coach that focuses on another area of life, such as dating. This puts them in the best place for coaching and motivating clients, whether they are looking at how to become a board member, wanting to be a better leader or improving professional performance.

Executive Coaching Is Not Mentoring Or Counseling

While executive coaches are happy to work with people who have mentors or attend counseling or therapy, they do not provide these services. An executive coach’s goal is not to diagnose any medical conditions or build a life-long relationship that will improve your career. They focus more on helping you achieve your goals and find fulfillment.

How To Pick An Executive Coach

When choosing an executive coach for yourself or a member of your team, the first thing you’re going to want to look at is their credentials. Experts at coachtrainingedu.com/executive-coach-training/ emphasize that you ideally want to see certification in the specific area you’re hoping they’ll work in (executive coaching in this instance). Take the time to research where their accreditation came from and how many hours minimum is required for the certification.

The second thing you’re going to want to consider is their specialties. Within broader categories like executive coaching, there are smaller specializations. Some coaches focus on executives who are trying to manage their careers and have LGBTQ needs. Some coaches focus on executives attempting to deal with a divorce while maintaining all the work they have on their plates. Ask any coaches you’re interviewing about their specialties. Some coaches talk about their explicit experiences in their books. If any leadership book has caught your eye lately, go ahead and read it to figure out if that writer could be a coach for the executive audience.

Third, you’re going to want to set up an interview with the potential coaches. You want to sit down and have a conversation that is a little on the longer side. The goal here is to see whether the two of you are a good match.

Ideally, the conversation flows smoothly, and both of you feel open and comfortable sharing your thoughts. Most professional coaches also insist on this part of the process (sometimes they call it a complimentary session or a discovery session). They also want to know whether you’re a good fit for them. They’ll be putting a lot of time and energy into your conversations, and they want to see that they can understand you and your aims before agreeing to work with you.

In this meeting, it is essential that you speak about the outcomes you’re hoping for, how both of you will measure results if there’s a minimum number of sessions you’ll need and overall synergy. You want to be comfortable sharing your deepest fears with this person. If you can’t, keep looking.

When To Consider An Executive Coach

If you require help with any of the above points, confidence, communication, creativity, energy, motivation, procrastination, feeling fulfilled, or managing your time when it comes to an executive position, a coach might be the right choice for you. A Harvard Business Review study found that the most common reason for hiring an executive coach was to smooth over a transitory period. Executive coaches also help people work on the soft and hard skills required to manage a leadership position.

When Executive Coaching Isn’t Right

Any situation where a medical professional is needed won’t be managed by an executive coach entirely. Yes, a coach can help with a person’s aims and strategy for accomplishing them, but nothing replaces medical attention. 

Likewise, if the coach was hired to correct behavioral issues, and the individual involved is not interested in making changes, an executive coach might not be the right choice. Situations involving blaming and victimizing are not suitable for executive coaches.

The above information explores some of the most frequently asked questions about executive coaching. If you have a specific concern about your particular scenario, it would be best to bring this up to a few coaches and see what they say. If you are looking to hire an executive coach, remind yourself that there’s no problem with taking your time. The right fit is paramount for ideal results.