Executive coaching provides opportunities for business owners and corporate and nonprofit executives to solve problems faster and to grow beyond their expectations.  Credible executive coaches help clients to identify personal barriers that block optimal leadership and management performance, to develop particular skills, to inspire staff, to invest their time appropriately, and to move their organization forward in alignment with its mission and vision.  In addition, executive coaches may serve persons who feel burned out, seek promotions, and/or find themselves in transition.

Regardless of the reasons why clients hire them, these coaches are responsible for listening, asking powerful questions, assisting with goal-setting, providing different perspectives, revealing certain truths, making necessary requests, and functioning as a catalyst for change.  Coaching seems to be about fixing deficiencies, creating a fear which prevents many otherwise capable executives from seeking this beneficial service.  Such potential clients think that a coach only assists in taking care of losers.  In fact, just like in sports, it is winners who know that coaching provides that edge to get ahead of the pack.

Teaching the executive how to develop internal coaching plans for the executive's employees can be part of the individual coaching process for the executive.  Coaching plans for staff should be created within a few months of hire.  The plans serve as very functional tools for supervisors because they include succinct action steps for improvement, time frames for achieving progress, and exactly how the progress will be measured and demonstrated.  Internal coaching plans are actually agreements between the employee and the supervisor, with signatures appearing on the document.