The eleven executive coaching basics in this article should be put into practice for the executive coach to successfully help clients achieve the desired results.  

What is Executive Coaching? 

Executive coaching is one of the fastest-growing niches of coaching that exists today. It is a $1.5 billion per year industry, and as the corporate environment gets increasingly competitive, the demand for executive coaching will continue to rise. Executive coaching involves a mutually designed relationship between executives or business leaders within the organization, and this relationship typically lasts anywhere from six to eighteen months.  The goal is to assist these individuals to progressively improve performance in the workplace, eventually resulting in achieving desired results. In some facets of business, executive coaching has literally taken over consulting even though there are differences between the two specialties.

Eleven Executive Coaching Basics to Guide Your Coaching Practice

It is necessary to ensure that you are practicing the following executive coaching basics or principles for a successful coaching relationship.

1. Communication – Excellent communication skills are essential in your career as a coach. Your client must be able to understand your verbal and written communication so you can maintain an excellent professional relationship. The Executive Coach needs to be an active listener. Being intentional in listening enables you to help clients identify the biggest challenge they are facing in their professional lives.

2. Self- Awareness – Being self-aware enables you to pay more attention to what your clients are saying.   It allows for greater comprehension of your clients’ situation and a better ability to initiate and respond to the incident. Also one of the benefits of your clients equally being self-aware is that it results in better decision-making within the work environment and even their personal lives. 

3. Be Curious – As the coach, it is necessary to be curious about what the issues might be. You can ask significant questions that will allow the client to reflect and think deeply about the problem and what may be causing it.

4. Agenda Setting – Remember that the clients should always be in the driver’s seat.  They must be the ones to set the agenda for the meeting since they are more familiar with the issue or situation. 

5. Be Flexible – Be aware of your clients’ schedules, learning styles, and communication styles and be ready to adapt to each one.

6. Clear Goals & Expected Results – There must be a set of precise, specific desired results expected from the coaching relationship. Desired goals and expected results should be documented in a coaching plan that outlines expected deadlines for accomplishing each goal and coaching session activities that focus on achieving the agreed-upon goals.

7. Partnership – Working together (collaboration) as a team is key to the success of the coaching relationship.  

8. Commitment – Once specific goals and expectations have been set, there must be a solid commitment to achieving the desired results.

9. Confidentiality – The relationship between the coach and the client is sensitive and private. To maintain this relationship, all parties must be clear about the ground rules for confidentiality and the guidelines. This information must be documented in the coaching agreement. 

10. Providing Feedback – Both coach and client must commit to meeting at agreed-upon times and locations for feedback, especially at different milestones throughout the coaching engagement.  This period includes revisiting mutually agreed upon goals, so the coach needs to be engaged and practice active listening.

11. Accountability – As a coach, your role is to hold your clients accountable. Monitor their actions until they attain their goals. Also, it is a good habit to remind them occasionally of the importance of following through on the goals set.

Executive coaching basics are essential for you to experience success as an executive coach. Organizations are turning to these types of coaches for leadership development, succession planning, and helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses. So, there is no time like the present to get started on your career in executive coaching.

By the way… you’re invited to claim your FREE step-by-step “ Life Coach Salary Secrets” video toolkit. Just go HERE now to get your Life Coach Salary Secrets.

Margaret K. Olubiyi
Life Coach
Writer, Coaches Training Blog community