Executive Coaching - Finding a Coach and Understanding the Process

Nobody in business can fail to have noticed the recent rise in the number of coaches and consultants offering their services. But how do you go about finding a coach who will give you a return on your investment? Executive coaching might be an option for you if you are running your own business or are in an employed management role, and have aspirations to achieve more.

I would advise you to initially identity an executive coach through recommendation, or by conducting your own research on the web or in trade publications, and then request a free session to ask questions and find out more about them. Most coaches will give you some time without charge at the outset to discuss what your objectives are in beginning coaching, and to establish whether there is sufficient compatibility between you.

If there does not seem to be a connection, or if the coach feels someone else can help you more, they will refer you on to someone who is more appropriate. Only commit if you feel excited and relaxed about working with that individual - if there are any doubts, go with your intuition. We are all different and what works for your friend or colleague may not work as well for you.

You will be asked to commit to an agreed period of coaching, not to protect the coach's income, but to give the process a fair chance of taking effect. The period will vary from coach to coach, and will depend to some extent on what you are wishing to achieve. You may find you are getting cold feet once you have committed to coaching, and feeling nervous or negative about the outcome. This is entirely natural and will disappear once you have embarked on your regular sessions.

You and your coach will decide on specific goals to be attained, but don't worry if you have none at the start of coaching, as they will soon become evident as you think about what you want to achieve in life. Often our goals shift anyway, as we learn more about ourselves and what we want, rather than what society wants for us. You will be expected to spend time between sessions on accomplishing the goals you have set with your coach and on reporting back to them so they are prepared for the next session.

An executive coach is a sounding board who allows you to understand your own strengths and realise where your comfort zone ends and how to move beyond it. It is like having a conversation with a friend who has only your interests at heart and who can contribute to your development in a completely detached way. A friend who has no emotional investment in you staying the same and will be purely delighted, and not at all threatened, if you start to achieve more of your goals.

As a coaching client, you will be required to be open and honest with your coach and tell them what you feel is and is not working. In order for executive coaching to really make a difference to you, you must be willing to look at yourself as objectively as possible and not become defensive or upset if it becomes apparent that some of your current behaviour is not the best response to the situation you find yourself in.

You will need to be able to change your behaviour in some circumstances to see if an alternative works better. You should also be prepared for changes throughout your life and not just at work - we do not operate in boxes, and a change in one area of your life will have a knock-on effect in others. You may well find family and friends remarking on the changes in you.

Try to be as open-minded as you can about executive coaching and what it may bring you. Many people are pleasantly surprised by the fundamental improvements it can help bring about at work and home.

Andy Britnell is an executive coach who works with businesspeople in both the public and private sectors who wish to achieve better results. There is more information at http://executive-coaching-for-business-growth.com/ and you can read some testimonials at http://executive-coaching-for-business-growth.com/executive-coaching-testimonials.html

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Coaching Information:

Related Articles

3 Keys to Making Small Talk Easy to Do
Small talk used to be really hard work for me. I never knew what to say and I always worried about saying the wrong thing.
We Are the Five People We Associate with Most
Last month I was invited to participate in a charity golf tournament in Las Vegas to celebrate the life of the late dancing legend Gregory Hines. The event was held to raise funds and awareness of the tragic disease that took this entertainer's life.
Plug in Your Systems for Success
Have you ever noticed that so many of us who work diligently and ethically rarely achieve our objectives? And, why is it that those who-seemingly-work half as hard and half as long experience one success after another?The answer is twofold; successful people succeed because they implement proven, systems for success. Secondly, successful people have mastered the art of making time, work for them.
Mentors and Coaches: How to Be a Great Mentee or Learner
When you invest your time in being a mentee you will be rewarded with accelerated learning and experiences from your mentor. You will learn from and avoid the mistakes that they may have made, learn about your industry, meet great people, form valuable relationships and be able to mentor someone in your future.
Helping Relationships: Understanding the Helpee
One of the most distressing observations I have made among my social work colleagues, is the overwhelming proclivity on the part of many of us so-called helpers, to lack understanding and sensitivity to the position helpees are in when they agree to accept intervention.Many of us take "professionalism" out of context and become more of a burden to families than a helping resource.
Relaxation Couldnt Be Simpler
Many people use their sofa and TV to help them 'switch off and relax'. In reality, television programs can suspend you n stress for yours, with depressing or thrilling storylines, violence and madness!True relaxation is achieved when all tensions and thoughts are eliminated.
Curse of Competence: How Being Good gets in the way of Becoming Great
Just before the storms hit last winter, my father-in-law and I replaced 26 feet of fence on my property. I must say, for a couple of non-handyman-sorts like the two of us, it is a very well done fence.
What Can Be Changed In Management To Improve Bottom Line Results?
If you don't have the full support and understanding of key management positions, any organizational changes being made are going to be thwart with difficulties. It is up to CEOs and Presidents to champion the cause and ensure their managerial teams are also in full support, so that it can filter down through the ranks more smoothly.
Coaching for Results
He's a very successful sales manger who craves results. He can't be bothered with people who don't produce.
What Rules!
There are things that we do automatically internally that we don't even realize are the things that make us who we are. Our own rules for living that we hardly ever question, and even less frequently examine.
Whats Next Syndrome
Terms like Postpartum, Post Traumatic and Post Gulf War are all well-known Syndromes - mysteries no longer to the medical community or even those of us who count ourselves among the great unwashed. We hear and read everyday about the negative outcomes from life-threatening trauma.
Transitions: Moving Through Change With Grace
MOVING THROUGH CHANGECreating any major change in our lives can also create feelings of discomfort. Tiredness, confusion, and uncertainty are among the many emotions that can be experienced.
Viewpoints - Communication Destruction Or....
Viewpoints! Everyone has them and they are personal. However, when you believe that only your view is correct, you shut out other people and do not listen to the facts they are giving.
Three Great Ways to Deal with Negative People
1. Do not believe everything you hear!With close friends and family it is not unusual to think that you ought to take onboard everything you hear.
4 Brilliant Tips to Speed Read Faster than Ever
Many people, particularly students, would love to beable to absorb information faster. But before retaininginformation, they have to go through the first stage oflearning, which is reading.
Progress Reviews: Your Key To Effective Coaching
One of the most effective ways to help your staff succeed is to provide regular, consistent coaching throughout the year. A Progress Review is a specific kind of coaching discussion, tied to the employee's Annual Objectives and Standards.
Executive Coaching and Effective Learning
We've all been through training events-workshops, seminars, and courses that didn't affect our behavior as much as we would have preferred. And while each provides valuable information and tools for increased productivity, most of us also understand what happens after the workshop is over.
Leadership Coaching at Gettysburg
The battle at Gettysburg is one of the most notable events in U.S.
How to Optimize the Awesome Power of Thoughts and Imagination
Have you encountered a time when you were in a traffic jam and was running late for an important meeting? Did you stay calmand focused? Or did your mind wander into the dark side ofthe impending consequences that may occur?If you're always picturing people getting mad at you and thinking of negative outcomes, then your body suffers as well. You may experience chest pains, anxiety disorders, indigestion, and other health problems.
Feeling Self-Conscious? 6 Tips to Turn it Around Fast!
When you feel self-conscious it means you are putting too much attention on your self, too much focus on what you are doing and how you are doing it. And this is a formula for poor performance.