The value of executive coaching can be measured in many ways. Though it can often be difficult to discern the effects of good coaching in the short term, the longer term will usually paint a clearer and more precise picture of how well coaching helped (or didn’t help).

4 Ways to Measure the Value of Executive Coaching

Value can be both objective and subjective. It can be measured with hard date or it be evaluated by attitude, atmosphere, and achievement.

However, there are five important categories in which to measure the value of executive coaching success. Did the coach do a good job? Is the executive coaching worth the time and money?

Here are five categories in which to measure the success (of failure) of executive coaching:

Communication Skills

Coaching need excellent communication skills, and their clients should be learning better communication skills the longer they work with a coach. An executive’s communication skills must reflect the high level of their position, and is a significant part of their ability to lead. Communication skills are usually measured subjectively, but improvement is easy to notice. Interpersonal skills are a component of communication, and further help to strengthen relationships within an organization.

Emotional Intelligence

An effective executive not only has to understand the process and systems within his organization and market, he or she must also be able to understand their employees or team members. Empathy, sympathy, patience, perceptiveness, sensitivity, and responsiveness are all components of emotional intelligence. An often overlooked value of executive coaching is the ability for a good coach to teach emotional intelligence.

Productivity

Organizations usually bring in an executive coach to boost productivity. Executives need to learn how to motivate, inspire, and educate. They must also learn how to be as efficient as possible in their role as a leader. Productivity can be measured both subjectively and objectively through attitude and hard data.

Results

This is the bottom line. How is the organization doing after one year, three years, five years? Has the division under the control of the executive improved their numbers? What is the bottom line after hiring a coach as compared to the time before using the services of a coach? Results are most often measure with statistics and data. It’s usually easy to tell if the results are better with a coach. It’s usually simple to calculate this part of the return on investment (ROI) on hiring an executive coach. A significant portion of the value of executive coaching can be determined by looking at return on investment and bottom-line results.

What Do Executives Like About Executive Coaching?

Executives want to see results, as they tend to be result-driven individuals. For many leaders, the value of executive coaching lies in the numbers. However, here are a few other things which executives consider valuable about executive coaching (items you might consider as you reach out to potential clients and work with current coaching clients):

• Real-time learning – speaking with a coach about current situations
• Continuous on-on-one attention – someone to lend a consistent ear and be a voice of reason.
• Personal accountability – other than numbers, executives often don’t have anyone to hold them accountable.
• Self-awareness – even the most self-aware executives have blind spots, and a coach can help locate those blind spots.

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Fred Philips
Business Coach
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