The Benefits of Executive Coaching

Executive coaching is a powerful tool for leaders looking to grow in their roles and within their organization. The benefits of executive coaching include improved leadership abilities, strong decision-making, and increased emotional intelligence – all essential leadership skills.

How does Executive Coaching work?

Executive Coaching is designed to provide a structured process that is personalized to each leader to help them enhance their skills, overcome hurdles, and work towards specific goals. Coaching starts with an initial assessment and goal setting to understand where a leader is at and set out clear measurable goals to align coaching to. From there, a leader engages in one-to-one coaching sessions to provide a confidential space to discuss and strategize through thought-provoking questions and challenges followed by action plans and feedback.

The relationship between an executive coach and their coachee is foundational to the success of coaching. Executive coaches become safe and confidential sounding boards for the leaders they coach, and everyone needs that.

As an executive, one cannot typically use colleagues or subordinates to vent or share confidential thoughts, and partners get tired of being that sounding board since they are not equipped or qualified to offer support. Coaches provide personalized guidance, accountability, support, and challenges that reinforces longer-term development.

This relationship helps executives not just improve their skills but also navigate complexities with greater confidence and clarity.

What Makes for a Positive Coaching Relationship?

According to Harvard Business Review, a successful coaching relationship should have the following ingredients:

• The executive must be highly motivated to change and/or improve.
• The coach and the executive need to be compatible, sharing mutual respect.
• There is a strong commitment from the organization’s leadership to invest in the executive.
• There is an attitude of flexibility to adapt the coaching focus as required.

In today’s business environment, hiring an executive coach is being proactive. After all, high-performance achievers have a never-ending desire to increase their potential, and they know a coach can help. Their driven growth mindset may have them working an inordinate number of hours and expecting their subordinates to do the same. They may appear engaged but are distracted while multi-tasking and feeling a sense of chaos. But with the help of an executive coach, they can find balance and solutions to managing priorities and time.

Working with a coach is a journey and really does not have an end date, even if breaks are taken from coaching. Consider a coach a confidante who shares their outlook based on personal experience and training and offers observations and feedback.

How Executive Coaching Influences Individuals

According to the International Coaching Federation, 96% of executives who received coaching would repeat the process. Here are some examples of how executive coaching is beneficial to leaders:

• Coaching can enhance soft skill development, developing communication, empathy, and emotional intelligence, as well as helping leaders become stronger at decision-making.
• Coaching provides a view into self-awareness, as leaders learn about blind spots, weaknesses, as well as their strengths in the areas of leadership.
• Stress management is a key part of the coaching conversation, from how to improve time management, to building resilience, and learning how to improve work-life balance as well as how to say no.
• Coaching can help improve a coachee’s confidence, and their approach in terms of how they build their team, their culture, and how they inspire their organization.
• Through coaching sessions, coaches help leaders identify, track, and work towards their personal and professional goals, building accountability and focus.

How Executive Coaching Benefits Organizations

Leaders who participate in executive coaching influence their organizations, with a study by MetrixGlobal LLC showing that executive coaching has a 788% return on investment (ROI) based on factors including increases in productivity and employee retention. Examples of the benefits of executive coaching to organizations include:

• Drives better decision-making, as coaching provides executives with a safe space to strategize and problem-solve on harder decisions.
• Helps build strong leadership pipelines, as it helps leaders identify and mentor employees with growth potential.
• Increases employee engagement as leaders who are coached bring their learnings back to the organization, often improving communication and clarity.
• Coached leaders foster a healthier workplace as they understand the key priorities of their organization, are self-aware of what can and can’t be accomplished, and focus on building stronger relationships and team collaboration.

Executives are busy decision-makers who may not take the time to ask for feedback or slow down and reflect on how their leadership style may impact their teams. This is where coaches come in. Coaches challenge and encourage. The coach’s role is not to sugarcoat performance and decisions but rather help their coachees come to their own conclusions regarding performance and behavior improvement which in turn helps organizations as leaders can see more clearly how they work with and for their teams.

It is not surprising Executive Coaching is on the rise, and organizations see the benefits of having programs in place that encourage professional growth and development, humility and vulnerable leadership, and a strong succession culture. If one could lead effectively without feedback and support, executive coaches would not exist.

How can X5 Management help you?

Effective leadership takes continuous growth and self-awareness. Our ICF-accredited coaches provide a supportive, results-driven approach to help executives navigate challenges, strengthen leadership skills, and achieve their goals. The benefits of executive coaching are clear.

Curious about how coaching could benefit you or your team? We offer a test drive session so you can experience the process firsthand. We proudly support businesses across Alberta—serving Edmonton, Calgary, and Lethbridge—as well as British Columbia, serving Kelowna and Vancouver. Let’s explore how coaching can support your leadership journey. Get started today.

About the Author: Mike Mack, President 

Mike Mack is a trusted Executive Coach, Consultant, and Facilitator who has been helping business teams maximize their potential since 2006 through tailored consulting, training, and coaching. Passionate about leadership, team development, and succession planning, he strives to make a positive impact in every engagement. A four-time Amazon bestselling author, Mike’s books include Remarkable Service, Relationships for Keeps, Lunch with Leaders, and Weekend Wisdom. Mike holds an MBA from Athabasca University and has completed governance training at the University of Alberta. He is an active member of several professional organizations, including the International Coaching Federation, the Institute of Corporate Directors, and the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers.