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What is executive coaching?

Photo of nautical compass with the word 'Coaching' positioned at the North“An executive coach is a qualified professional that works with individuals (usually executives, but often high-potential employees) to help them gain self-awareness, clarify goals, achieve their development objectives, unlock their potential, and act as a sounding board. They are not consultants or therapists (although many have consulting or therapist backgrounds) and usually refrain from giving advice or solving their clients’ problems. Instead, they ask questions to help executives clarify and solve their own problems.”
~ Dan McCarthy

“The essence of executive coaching is helping leaders get unstuck from their dilemmas and assisting them to transfer their learning into results for the organization.”
~ Mary Beth O’Neill

“Executive Coaching … is a customized and holistic development process that provides deep behavioural insights intended to accelerate an executive’s business results and effectiveness as a leader. This coaching is based on a collaborative relationship among the executive, his/her boss, his/her human resources manager, and an executive coach.”
~ Karol Wasylyshyn

“Executive coaching is a professional relationship between a trained coach and a client (who may be an individual or a group) with the goal to enhance the client’s leadership or management performance and development. Through a process of inquiry, dialogue, and other tools, the coach serves as a thought partner to help the client examine and develop his or her decision-making, experiment with new ways of thinking and being, and commit to action steps that help achieve the client’s goals.”
~ Jeffrey E. Auerbach

“Executive coaching is defined as a helping relationship formed between a client who has managerial authority and responsibility in an organization, and a consultant who uses a variety of behavioural techniques and methods to assist the client achieve a mutually identified set of goals to improve his or her professional performance and personal satisfaction, and consequently to improve the effectiveness of the client’s organization within a formally defined coaching agreement.”
~ Richard R Kilburg

Contact Tim Davies to discuss your leadership challenges and objectives and how an executive coaching programme can help.