Types of Executive Coaches
Leadership Coaches
Leadership coaches provide a forum for leaders to explore their own authentic leadership style, and practice with new skills to meet ever increasing challenges and responsibilities. Like a star athlete, leaders who are already proficient benefit from fine tuning their skills and developing new approaches, moves or routines, to continue to excel in an ever-changing environment.
Our executive coaching sessions are focused on real-time issues which are the material used in support of the coaching goals. In this way, the sessions are real-time and relevant, addressing challenges and obstacles, while developing enduring new skills and approaches which can be redeployed. The leader leads the discussion, and the coaching support is designed to allow for accessing their own expertise, wisdom and values, to expand skills and competence. Occasionally leader clients seek additional resources, such as trends in employment, performance reviews and leadership, or articles, books or workshops to augment their coaching sessions, which I am happy to provide. My years in Human Resource leadership, and as a manager of a large staff, have provided a deep expertise in employment and leadership issues. While some coaches are reluctant to make recommendations, I have found my clients occasionally welcome a concrete suggestion.
My expertise is leadership coaching. Occasionally clients ask about other specialty areas of coaching, which I do not offer. Here is a summary.
Mentoring
Sometimes coaching is compared to mentoring, but generally mentoring is provided within the company where you work, by someone with an expertise you want to deepen or learn, such as surgery, finance or technology. Mentoring may also be offered by an alumni group. Sometimes mentors within an organization provide cultural or political insights to help others be more effective.
Executive Coaching is different from mentoring in several ways. Executive Coaching assumes a level of functional expertise (surgery, finance, technology, marketing) and does not provide skill development in those areas. Mentoring may. Executive Coaching is focused on the leader’s success, developing leadership skills, generally within their current employer. And executive coaching is designed to help a letter be more grounded and centered in their own unique style.
Consulting
Consulting is a different role from executive coaching. Consulting often provides an analysis of industry positioning, market opportunities, financial issues, process engineering or other areas needing improvement. Consulting is more directive than coaching, providing an analysis and recommended course of next steps. Some consultants even take on an interim executive role, such as finance or interim CEO, and may, in that capacity, be responsible for launching and implementating recommendations.
By contrast, Executive Coaching provides the leader with an opportunity to reflect on strengths, have a more effective presence, become clear on areas his/her executive team may need to add, such as new staff to round out expertise or perspectives. Executive coaching is focused on the individual competence, the team skills, and the whole organization’s effectiveness. To be enduring, any changes are identified by the leaders themselves, rather than prescribed. Therefore there is deep motivation for achieving the changes.
Other Coaches: Job Search, Presentation, Life, Retirement
When in a career transition, some leaders work with a career coach, who helps job seeking clients reflect, explore, and identify strengths, interests, values and competencies. This reflection helps guide a job search for best fit. Career coaches may be affiliated with outplacement organizations, who provide this service to companies when restructuring or laying off due to consolidation, merger or new direction. Job search (career coaches) help design resumes, offer practice interview sessions by video to provide clients feedback about their presence, and design a plan for the job search.
Presentation coaches help prepare for public speaking. This may be for a user conference regarding a product or service, professional symposium to showcase their company, or panel presentation on an area of expertise. A presentation coach helps clients get clear and succinct about their message, and practice engaging ways to deliver the message with best impact.
Life coaches focus on helping individuals achieve their life goals, perhaps to get past an obstacle of some kind that is holding someone back. Issues may include self-confidence, work-life balance, creativity or stress management. Life coaches provide support for achieving personal goals and fulfillment.
A newer area of coaching involves retirement planning. Many people analyze the financial issues of reducing or ending a full-time job, but there are other important considerations. Is this a time for volunteering, time with family, or some creative pursuit that has been on the back burner for years, such as writing or painting? A retirement coach helps clients explore a meaningful next chapter, such as achievement of long lost dreams.
Coaching is not Therapy
There is some overlap in benefits between coaching and therapy: self-reflection and achieving clarity. However, executive coaching is a different professional expertise. Therapists are trained to provide psychological support to patients/ clients in support of personal crises, parenting, divorce, traumas and other family issues in the past and present.
Executive Coaches are focused on the professional environment, and helping client develop new awareness and skills for increased professional effectiveness.
