The term coaching is quite popular in management circles nowadays and has become quite important. One of the most popular types of coaching to arise from management development research is Executive Coaching. It is extremely effective and has emerged to be the most high paying job in recent times. It refers to a bunch of one-on-one interactions between an external coach and a manager or executive. The main aim of this procedure is to provide people with the knowledge that they require to develop themselves and become more effective. Behavior change is the main notice of executive coaching.
In order to understand executive coaching better, you have to differentiate between executive coaching and psychotherapy. Psychotherapy is for people who are going through certain mental health issues while executive coaching is for managers and executives who need coaching related to being more efficient in their business roles. Enabling managers to utilize their full potential so that they add value to their workplace is the actual job of executive coaches. The relationship between an executive coach and a client is very professional, and not as personal as it’s with a therapist or a mentor. There’s a fixed normative structure that needs to be followed while you’re in session with your executive coach. From the very beginning of your relationship with your coach, you would be aware of the fact that it’s going to end soon if things go well and the advice given by the coach works. However, when you consult someone for your personal problems, it wouldn’t necessarily have to end after a particular period of time. You can require their advice on some other issue that might be concerning you.
Hiring an executive coach always involves a risk factor for companies and business owners. A good executive coach would be free of all kinds of biases and favoritism, and this couldn’t be expected from everybody. This could create problems within the core members of the business but companies realize that only if they incest well on a coach, their work would also get done. Most executives use executive coaching these days. Improving work life balance, gaining self-confidence, becoming a better leader, and the opening of new career opportunities are some of the benefits that you will experience if you engage in executive coaching.
While executive coaching can turn out to be extremely beneficial for companies, it should never be considered as an additional or extra step towards the development of the company. The investment that goes behind hiring an executive coach should fall under general developmental expenses. If you treat it like an additional expense, you would never be able to normalize it. Moreover, while you should listen to the advice of your coach, you should not blindly trust them. Their job is to guide you, but the decisions that emerge as a result of that guidance should be your own. In this way, you would be able to make the most of your sessions with an executive coach.
