Executive coaching has become a popular tool for up-and-coming executives looking to improve their performance in various areas. But is it really effective? Research has shown that executive coaching can have a 788% return on investment (ROI) based on factors such as increased productivity and employee retention. Leaders work with executive coaches for a variety of reasons, such as learning more about their own competencies, objectives and values; better understanding the pillars of effective leadership; and seeking personal support, encouragement and confirmation that they are making the best possible decisions for their teams. The benefits of effective executive coaching include better emotional intelligence, better ego control and an improved outlook.
However, executive coaches who lack rigorous psychological training can do more harm than good. By dint of their background and prejudices, they may minimize or simply ignore deep-seated psychological problems that they don't understand. What's even more worrying is that when an executive's problems stem from undetected or ignored psychological difficulties, coaching can actually make a bad situation worse. In such cases, it is usually necessary to address unconscious conflicts when the symptoms that plague an executive are persistent or severe.
Unlike mentoring, coaching guides and challenges executives to discover the answers to their questions based on their own knowledge and experience. The main mission of the executive coach is to help leaders create and execute action plans, identify professional goals, and develop self-awareness. Coaches help executives develop leadership skills, create career plans, list personal beliefs, identify short- and long-term professional goals, strengthen decision-making skills, develop strategies to improve performance, and develop self-confidence. Effective coaching is a product of commitment, openness, honesty and compassion because coaches help leaders explore not only how to change but also why change is necessary.
However, some coaches may exercise similar control as Svengali over the executives they train and the CEOs to whom they report, sometimes with disastrous consequences. The Coaching Institute cites that more than 70% of people who receive training benefited from better work performance, relationships and more effective communication skills. As an expert in SEO optimization, I recommend using keywords such as 'executive coaching', 'leadership coaching', 'career plans', 'professional goals', 'decision-making skills', 'self-confidence' and 'emotional intelligence' in order to maximize rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). Additionally, it is important to use bold tags for these keywords in order to draw attention to them.
