EXECUTIVE COACHING

WHAT IS AN EXECUTIVE COACH?

An Executive Coach is a strategic advisor who works with an organization's teams, high-potential employees, and current or prospective executives to develop leadership, effectiveness, and others skills in order to advance their careers and grow the organization.

Executive Coaches use their business experience and understanding of effective leadership to help management teams grow personally and professionally.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN EXECUTIVE COACH AND A BUSINESS COACH

Although both business and executive coaches are focused on goal achievement and growth for their clients, the work is done in different ways.

Business coaches focus on the company and developing strategy, while executive coaches focus on the individuals who put that strategy into action. Business coaches advise on how to create a business that empowers employees and builds leaders, while executive coaches work with individuals to maximize that empowerment so they can become leaders.

Small firms may benefit more from hiring a business coach, while executive coaching for high-performers may work better for larger organizations. Small business owners can benefit from using a business coach as a resource for tangible solutions. An executive coach gets to the heart of corporate decisions and goals.

WHAT LEADERSHIP SKILLS DOES AN EXECUTIVE COACH HAVE?

• Executive Coaches are great listeners - Conversational intelligence and the ability to actively listen to corporate executives are must-have qualities in any good coach. Coaches listen intently to what company leaders have to say before responding (delete "wisely").
• Executive Coaches display emotional intelligence - Great coaches are great relationship-builders. They know how to motivate individuals, and how to inspire collaboration among teams. Coaches assist corporate leaders in better managing difficult interpersonal circumstances through the emotional intelligence they have developed via personal experience.

WHAT ARE SOME COMMUNICATION SKILLS TAUGHT BY AN EXECUTIVE COACH

• Empathy - Empathy is a learned skill, and it takes WORK. A good manager solves an employee's problem; a great leader hears an employee's problem, does their best to put themselves in the employee's shoes to experience the situation, and works with that employee to solve the problem, together.
• Clarity - Business leaders and executives need to be focused and clear, above all else. Focused on the long-term strategy and goals, and clear about what needs to be done and who is responsible to achieve those goals. Coaches help to define a project's or strategic initiative's desired outcome and get specific on what really needs to be accomplished.

CAN AN EXECUTIVE COACH HELP IN SKILL DEVELOPMENT?

Coaches coach, and coaching is, at its core, building skills and developing good habits. Habits like skills include communication skills, enhanced emotional intelligence, better use of time and resources, etc.

If you are looking for an executive coach, visit the FocalPoint Coaching and Training website and fill out your business growth scorecard, or simply give us a call. Let's set up a conversation to find out what you are looking for and how we can help.