The popularity of coaching as a method to personal and professional growth and change keeps growing. This may come as very little you. As a transformational executive coach in London I understand the effectiveness of coaching as a means for change, and it would appear that I am certainly not the only one to think this way. Executive coaching is really the general umbrella phrase within which there are many coaching models. If you are interested in executive coaching in for you or your organisation, this article will outline what executive coaching is all about. Click here for information about my coaching programme, offered both online and in London.
Executive coaching is just one of these many styles, but one that seems to be expanding rapidly as organisations become more conscious of the possible advantages of executive coaching. There definitely seems to be a growing awareness of just how coaching can help enhance efficiency, team performance, profits and customer satisfaction.
What is executive coaching in London?
“What can an executive coach cost?” and “How might I work together with a coach to progress my career or deal with workplace stress?” are popular questions I hear in relation to executive coaching.
At its heart and soul, executive coaching in London is a style of coaching that is simply offered for a senior leader in an organisation and is usually paid for by the organisation.
Executive coaching in the last ten years has grown to be much more widely adopted by businesses for its results in boosting performance and career progression. The executive coaching industry keeps growing, with organisations searching for coaches to help executives and leaders raise self-awareness, enhance relationships and develop leadership capabilities, re-shape culture, beat blocks to overall performance and build resilience.
Executive coaches also frequently blend key coaching skills, along with a range of organisationally related models such as psychometrics, 360 degree feedback, emotional intelligence models and other strategies that are more specifically customised to the business and organisational setting.
Who works with executive coaching in London?
If you look back a couple of years, there was somewhat of a stigma around having an executive coach. Why? Well, since the emphasis very much used to be on helping underperforming staff and those that were perhaps regarded as holding an organisation back.
This attitude however, has changed in more the past several years, with a recognition that executive coaching in London can also be of enormous benefit to high-performers, who are attempting to reach their potential and push through obstacles.
Concerning the types of organisations that make use of executive coaches, the range is far-reaching. Anything from FTSE 100 firms and blue-chip firms, right through to more compact business. Indeed the NHS now recognise the benefits of executive coaching and developing a ‘coaching culture’ in their organisation.
‘One of the key benefits of a coaching culture we see at Lloyds Banking Group is the development of a more rounded leadership style in our senior people, with a better balance of intellectual and emotional intelligence.’
Alison Sherry Executive and Leadership Development Manager, Lloyds Banking Group (6th Ridler Report, 2016)
‘Senior leaders in ScottishPower who have received coaching from an external coach have recently reported that this in turn makes them better coaches and thus contributes to our own coaching culture.’
Julie Mackenzie, Senior Organisational Capability Consultant, ScottishPower (6th Ridler Report, 2016)
How does executive coaching in London differ from life coaching?
Although there are of course several crossovers between individual life coaching and executive coaching, generally there are also several key distinctions. These are namely:
Contracting
Due to the nature of the dynamic of executive coaching, it is often paid for through the organisation for an individual. As such there will definitely be at least three parties involved in the contracting process. This will be the coach, the coachee, and the organisation. This is different from the 1-2-1 contracting between coach and client in the life coaching relationship. It is almost always set to make sure that the organisation can mention certain desired results, specific or more general, which they need from the executive coaching process. So that both coachee and the sponcering organisation are happy with the objectives and development of the relationship.
Specific tools
Effective coaching of any kind will draw on a variety of distinct tools and capabilities. Executive coaching is in no way different. Frequently there is a psychological grounding to an executive coach’s work. Although certainly not always true, often a very good part of their toolbox includes psychometric tools and emotional intelligence models that are customised to the organisational setting.
An executive coach may often provide and help to understand 360-degree and behavioural evaluations. They might also carry out confidential interviews to assist a client gain better self-awareness, in addition to establishing development goals. Of course, the resources that are used in each coaching relationship will always be unique, and will depend on each individual coachee, the coach, their particular qualifications, and exactly what they are trying to assist the client accomplish.
Which areas does executive coaching in London help people develop?
The range, and subsequent effect, of an executive coach’s work can be far-reaching. Many of the most popular areas that come up are accelerating an individual’s development to make for promotion, concerns around self-confidence and self awareness, developing resilience, improving relationships and impact, building leadership potential, and re-shaping the culture of the organisation. An executive coach also works with clients who are regarded as key performers theoretically, but perhaps have some behavioural gaps, or their leadership styles have perhaps dropped behind the times and are seeking some behavioural changes to take them up to what is expected in certain areas.
If you would like to discover more about executive coaching in London, click here.