Executive coaching is a specific type of training and education for managers, supervisors and other high ranking staff members, something that is crucial for their development, yet often overlooked due to the cost, negative perception and time involved. This type of training allows individuals to progress from the position they currently hold to where they want to be or where their employer needs them to be within an organization. This personalized training turns individuals that have been deemed to have high potential into successful and effective leaders with greater responsibilities. It is also effective for leaders undergoing a restructure or other major change within their organization.
Although executive education is most often designed to improve performance within an organization, it can also result in personal growth, job satisfaction and contentment for the individuals involved. This is due to the fact that executive coaches encourage self-discovery so clients can ultimately strive towards their individual professional goals. For this reason individuals often sign up for executive education themselves when dissatisfied with their careers. In these cases, the training sessions would be geared towards the specific needs of the individual.
Executive training strategies include field experiments, powerful and thought provoking questions, feedback, progress reports, assessments and homework all within the coach’s specific field of expertise whether it be psychology, sports or business. To be effective, coaches should be well educated, experienced and certified within their field, with a credible and confident personality. In general, executive education programs last from six months to a year in length, typically with one to two hour sessions per week.
Of course, competence of the coach will not matter if the executive in question does not want to or feels they do not need to change. This is often the case in restructuring “fall out.” To be successful for both the individual and the organization, the candidates for executive education must be totally committed to change, willing to face and accept both positive and negative feedback.
Unfortunately some employees feel they do not need executive training because they feel it is perceived as remedial or punishment, due to a quality lacking in their personalities. This misleading conception is most unfortunate since the most effective and successful CEOs are in tune with the strengths and weaknesses of their companies and its employees, especially the higher ranked ones. A misguided sense of power resulting in self-absorption can be extremely detrimental to any organization.
