Executive coaches are professionals who work with managers and other employees in an organization to help them clarify goals, achieve their organizations objectives and also to unlock their potential. Executive coaching focuses on development of leadership skills which are needed to drive change and enhance an organizations performance. These coaches focus on top executives and managers and they guide them and their teams to achieve the goals of the organization. Executive coaches help to improve work habits, prepare and assist employees who are promoted to new posts or given new assignments ( Lapp & Carr, 2008).
Advantages of Executive Coaches
Executive coaches encourage a worker to achieve their goals, not only personal goals but also organizational goals too thus contributing to in employee development. The coach is unbiased in their role and this will help executives identify and understand what’s preventing them from achieving their goals. Executive coaches are best at personal development. Coaching has the ability to improve performance by equipping managers to deal with the complexities that may arise in their jobs.
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Another advantage is that coaching provides a teaching base in which managers and executives of a company can learn new skills. This can be achieved either by using external or internal coaches. Internal coaches can be business owners or executives who guide new managers on job skills and other issues that may arise in the work place. They are chosen as coaches based on their experience in a similar position. They are effective in that they reduce the cost of the coaching experience ( Grant, 2011). External coaches are highly qualified consultants who are brought in to train managers and executives on high-level skills such as negotiations, communication techniques and conflict management.
Executive coaching also improves a CEO’s performance, because a coach will provide an honest opinion regarding their behavior. This is good because employees would be afraid to provide such information to the CEO due to fear of being fired ( Adler, 2002). An executive coach will be with the CEO in practical situations and the coach will provide unbiased feedback through discussions which helps to improve their performance. The executive coach will focus on skills which the CEO lacks, and that may be affecting the performance of employees and the organization as a whole. For instance, if a manager is poor in delegation they can learn that skill through a coach.
When it comes to new executives, executive coaching is the best method of training them on the skills they will need for the new position. When an organization is changing its leadership and managers, executive coaching is the best method to be used in ensuring a smooth transition ( Barner &Higgins 2007). New executives will benefit from coaching since executive coaches will teach them in the particular areas they are weak in. This varies as it could be anything from time management, team building, communication or negotiation skills.
Differences between Coaching, Mentoring, and Training
A big difference between coaching and training is that in training the trainer is transferring knowledge or skills to the trainee, while coaching is providing a client with new perceptions that will enable them to achieve their goals and change their behaviors. Training on most occasions is not based on personal interaction and can be focused on many individuals at once ( Mathieu, et al 2008). Coaching focuses on an individual executive and is meant as an improvement tool through which they are taught new ways to think and solve problems. Another difference between training and executive coaching is that training focuses on issues such as changes in process, procedures, technology and regulations. This makes training different from coaching in that coaching focuses on personal development and improvement. Training is usually a onetime event while coaching is an activity that may take more than one day before it is completed. In short “training is about transferring knowledge while coaching is about enhancing knowledge.” ( Soderberg & Holden, 2002).
Coaching and mentoring too are different; one of the differences is that coaching is short term while mentoring is long term. Mentoring is an ongoing process which can last for a long time; it’s usually informal in nature since the mentor acts as a role model to the protégée ( Scamardo & Harnden, 2008). A mentor is a person usually a senior person or a more experienced person who can pass knowledge on to the mentee. This is different to coaching; a coach usually has a given time to complete the coaching exercise, also the coach generally does not need to have direct experience of the client’s occupational role.
The discussion above shows that, executive coaches provide a valuable role in improving skills of managers and other executive personnel. Executive coaches help organizations improve the performance of their executive employees by helping them to develop new skills which enhance their performance. Coaching has the advantage of improving managers and CEOs abilities; this is effective in that it helps the organization to achieve its goal. In situations where the junior employees can’t correct the manager a coach is effective since he will provide an unbiased view ( Brown & Grant, 2010). Though coaching has the disadvantages of being expensive and time consuming, it ensures lasting personal development.
References
Adler, N. (2002)”Global Companies, Global Society: There is a better way”, Journal of Management Inquiry, Vol. 11, Issue 3, pp. 255-60.
Barner, R. and J. Higgins (2007). "Understanding implicit models that guide the coaching process." Journal of Management Development 26(2): 148-158.
Brown,S. W. and A. M. Grant (2010). "From GROW to GROUP: theoretical issues and a practical model for group coaching in organisations." Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice 3(1): 30-45.
Grant, A. M. (2011). "Coaching philosophy, eclecticism and positivism: a commentary." Annual Review of High Performance Coaching and Consulting: 33-38.
Lapp, C. A. and A. N. Carr (2008). "Coaching can be storytelling: creating change through crises of confidence." Journal of Organizational Change Management 21(5): 532-559
Mathieu, J., M. T. Maynard, et al. (2008). "Team Effectiveness 1997-2007: A Review of Recent Advancements and a Glimpse Into the Future." Journal of Management 34(3): 410-476.
Scamardo, M. and S. C. Harnden (2008). "A manager coaching group model." Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health 22(2): 127-143
Soderberg, A.M. and Holden, N. (2002) “Rethinking Cross Cultural Management in a Globalizing Business World” International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, vol. 2, issue 1, pp. 103-121
