What is Executive Coaching
The International Coach Federation® (ICF) defines Coaching as follows:
“Professional Coaching is an ongoing professional relationship that helps people produce extraordinary results in their lives, careers, businesses or organization. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life.*”
Within this context it is important to emphasize a few points to further clarify coaching and, through better understanding, increase its success:
- If coaching is a professional relationship it is implied that it should be well-defined and agreed upon by both parties, with benefits as well as responsibilities of each side clearly outlined.
- If a person offering coaching services is to help their clients produce results, she/he has to be a qualified professional adhering to the ethical guidelines of a coaching profession and respecting the rules and regulations of a client.
- If “people are helped to produce results*” it is implied that clients are the ones carrying the load of change and wanting to do so. A coach serves as a guide and support.
- Coaching is a process. If sustainable changes in human behavior were easily achieved, coaching would merely be a one-time conversation.