EXECUTIVE COACHING CAN
BRING OUT THE BEST IN YOU.

Coaching, whether in sports or in business, is about bringing out the best in someone. A good coach can bring out people’s unique talents, heighten their motivation, and sharpen their skills. Most importantly, coaches are trained to get results.

Those who hire coaches, whether for sports or career coaching, also have similarities. They see the gap between where they are now, and where they want to be. They know they need assistance to achieve their career, business or personal goals. And they are ready to commit the time, energy and financial resources to do it.

In the business world, coaching is generally called "executive coaching." It has gained credibility in the last decade, and it is currently regarded as a perk for high-level executives to have a coach. Respected magazines such as BusinessWeek and Fortune routinely run stories about the effectiveness of coaching.

Coaching is especially relevant in today’s tough economic environment, where managers and employees are being asked to do more with less and stretched to the extreme. Smart managers are using coaches to help them acquire new skills to expand their capabilities. They are also smart to polish their skills in these unstable times when their performances are quietly observed before company restructuring.

Still, there may be some confusion about what executive coaching is and isn’t. As the president of CIMA Executive Development, I have guidelines about what my coaching experience encompasses.

Coaching is:

	A form of one-on-one consulting
	A way to focus on actions that will get you where you want to be
	An investment in furthering your effectiveness and contentment
	Support to do more than you could on your own
	Another mind to brainstorm problems with
	A safe place to be totally honest
	A method to bring out the answers within you
	Momentum that will propel you forward

Coaching is NOT:

	Therapy for personal problems
	A friend who will only tell you what you want to hear
	Just a "sounding board" – you will be expected to take action
	Exploration without destination
	Hypnosis – you will not take every suggestion your coach makes
	A random, freeform process – we have a set agenda at every meeting
	For those who aren’t ready to make some real changes

Learn more about the monetary and effectiveness benefits of coaching next.