Qualities of best executive coaching services and how to benefit from them

Executive Coaching can indeed be called a boom industry and the reason for this growth is only one – organisations, executives and small business owners have all discovered that executive coaching works.  Executive Coaching helps organisations to elevate the skills of recently promoted managers, transition managers to new roles as well as increase their emotional and interpersonal skills. Organizations, therefore, encourage their existing employees to sign up for executive coaching services for their personal and professional development. This in turn, leads to better revenue generation and increased employee engagement for organizations.

Understanding executive coaching

Executive coaching services can be deployed for executives working at any level of the organisation. These are personalised services where the executives work in tandem with a coach. They are customized to the preferences and requirements of individuals.

There are many benefits to executive coaching including

• Developing skills – these could be leadership skills or team building
• Leaving behind self- sabotaging behaviour
• Develop Higher levels of empathy and boost interpersonal relationships.
• Increased levels of motivation
• Better goal setting and team management skills.

Qualities of best executive coaching services and how they are beneficial to the individuals

While it is true that Executive Coaching is beneficial irrespective of the organisation or the level of the executive, it is often difficult to identify the right Coaching services.  Here are the qualities one should look for in an Executive Coaching service in general and an executive coach in particular

1. Accreditation – Professionals undertaking Executive Coaching  services that work with ICF accredited individuals are much likely to have successful, empathetic coaches who can help executives to change their behaviour and grow personally as well as professionally. It is also of interest to see a coach has kept up with recent developments in the industry. Coaching is an ever- evolving profession and staying up to date with the newest research is critical to the success of a coach and in turn the success of the person being coached.
2. Honesty

Coaches need to provide Executive coaching services with the utmost honesty and integrity. They need to be transparent and clear about what they are trying to accomplish in a coaching relationship. Any coaching service not based on honesty cannot bring about change in behaviour and would be a waste of time for both parties involved.

1. Empathy – A coach who cannot place himself in the shoes of the client cannot connect with the client to bring about a change in behaviour. This also speaks to the experience of a coach – someone with life experience, perhaps someone who has prior experience in a corporation would make a better coach and provide better coaching services than someone who has never been a part of the industry.
2. Ability to create a personalised Coaching Program – A coach cannot use a one size fits all approach. It is important that the coach is able to develop a program that is personalized to the client. The flexibility to adapt the program as the client affects changes in their behaviour is equally important. This requires a deep background in coaching methodologies and experience with other clients.
3. Connection – This is perhaps the most elusive quality – If the client is unable to find a connection with a coach, even though the coaching service is one with a superlative reputation, the relationship is unlikely to develop. It is therefore important for the coach providing the coaching service to be willing to spend time with the client before formalising a contract.

All of the above qualities in an executive coaching service would determine if the relationship between the coach and the client is a success. Given the time and the energy that goes into coaching, it is important to evaluate the qualities of the coaching service before going ahead and trusting them to effect change either in an individual or across the organisation.