What is Executive Coaching: Your Guide To a Stronger Team

Have you taken advantage of one of the most dependable ways to strengthen your team and grow leadership from within? Often thought of as an exclusive service for high performing leaders, the truth is, professional and leadership coaching has monumental benefits for team members of all levels. If you’re ready to help your team reach the next level and unlock their true talents, executive coaching can be a wonderful way to bring transformation and allow people to step into the roles they’re equipped to play.

At Pivot HR, we’re proud to offer executive coaching through Vancouver, as well as across Canada for clients spanning multiple disciplines and sectors. Below, we’ll explore more of what you need to know about executive coaching. Read on to learn more!

Executive Coaching Basics

In the most simplistic sense, executive coaching involves partnering an expert (typically one that has an HR background) with an organization’s executives, as well as high potential employees. The goal of this partnership is to help your team gain increased self-awareness, identify and strive towards goals and professional development achievements, as well as deal with any hindrances that may be standing in the way of doing so. It’s important to note that, while executive coaching can be quite therapeutic as it empowers participants to walk through some of their current challenges and objectives in a safe environment, an executive coach is not a designated therapist, but a professional who is there to uncover untapped potential. This kind of coaching is much more dynamic and interactive and is designed to have participants engage with their own thought processes and goals rather than offering advice.

Types of Coaching

Coaching is a broad field, so it’s important to narrow down the aspects covered specifically by executive coaches. As we’ve mentioned above, executive coaching is generally more geared to inspire and assist clients in a professional sense and can be tailored to the unique needs of your organization in order to do so. Partnering with an external coach is a wonderful asset to your team, as it provides an unbiased outside perspective and approach alongside benefits such as: asking questions, challenging preconceived notions or patterns, and conducting behavioural and leadership assessments to help bring additional clarity where needed.

Breaking Down the Coaching Process

While each coaching session and plan will vary depending on the needs of each individual and the overall goals of your organization, in general, an executive coach will break things down into a series of phases designed to mark progress and provide the best results. From the intake/assessment period through to advanced coaching long down the line, breaking things into phases gives everyone a clear goal and makes it easier to provide a timeline and check-in report to the manager of those being coached. For the best results, coaching engagement typically lasts around 6-12 months, but can also be condensed into smaller time frames where necessary (for example, if you’re doing a refresher for those with a prior coaching background).

In an ideal situation, coaching sessions will happen face to face, however, video conferencing is available and still highly effective. It’s also important to be aware that confidentiality is a key part of executive coaching, meaning that conversations between a coach and their coaches are completely confidential. The manager or those paying for coaching services may receive updates from time-to-time detailing attendance dates and milestones achieved, but nothing else will be shared without the participant’s permission.

Executive Training with Pivot HR

Pivot HR is proud to offer leading coaching services for both businesses, as well as not-for-profit and charitable organizations across Canada. With years of human resources expertise under our belt, you can trust our team to provide valuable insights, reliable information, and to partner with you to find a clear path forward. Learn more about our executive leadership training by contacting us today!

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