The terms “Executive Coaching” and “Leadership Coaching” are confusedly used in some contexts and often used interchangeably, however they are not the same.
This article speaks to their respective roles, but first, let’s define the terms.
What is Executive Coaching?
As a general definition, Executive Coaching helps leaders improve their performance and that of their organization as a whole.
In Executive Coaching with Backbone and Heart, Mary Beth O’Neill mentions that it is “helping leaders get unstuck from their dilemmas and assisting them to transfer their learning into results for the organization”.
Executive Coaching includes, but goes beyond Leadership Coaching.
It is less about the acquisition of basic leadership skills, and more about the mastery of leadership.
Executives usually have years of experience that have shaped their leadership skills. Executive Coaching supports leaders in honing their leadership skills, allowing them to be highly effective in the wider range of increasingly complex situations within which they operate.
In a fast-paced business world, where leaders at the top are often alone, the benefits of Executive Coaching go beyond the growth/learning focus and provide a much-needed space with a politically neutral sounding board for executives to think through, devise, and question their strategies and overall management.
The executive coach serves as a thought partner, a sounding board with a systems approach, supporting the leader to take into consideration the whole ecosystem at play.
Executive Coaching implies a high level of complexity where intertwined layers of influence and interdependence meet.
It lies at the meeting point of Complexity, Reach, as well as Leadership life-cycle stage.
Complexity
The number of implications of each decision.
Eg. Deciding to hold a team pizza party once a month vs choosing to implement a company-wide 4 day work week or expand into a new region.
Reach
The number of people, systems, etc who are affected by decisions.
Eg. A startup with 3-50 employees vs Loblaws, a large University or Municipality.
Leadership life-cycle stage
This is determined by both the extent of leadership experience and training. This relates less to a title, but rather to lived experiences involving various stages and types of leadership.
eg. A first-time CEO of a smaller company with limited leadership training vs A CEO with previous experience at the VP level and extensive leadership training.
Who is Executive Coaching for?
In summary, Executive Coaching is for executive-level leaders looking to improve their effectiveness in high-impact, complex decision-making environments that require them to build collaborative coalitions, transform systems, and/or will benefit from a politically neutral sounding board to process potentially divisive decisions.
What is the impact of Executive Coaching?
Improved performance, confidence, effectiveness, and a systems approach to business.
Greater confidence and stronger leadership when bringing strategies to the executive team
(As a result of a sounding board to safely troubleshoot ideas with someone who is not personally invested in the outcomes.)
Mastery in applying already developed leadership skills in a wider range of more complex contexts.
What is the Executive Coaching Process?
While the processes for executive coaching will vary, they typically require a minimum of a 12month commitment and often will extend for a number of years, particularly in cases where the sounding board element is of high value.
We share our process as a sample of what to expect in an Executive Coaching engagement:
- At the start – setting up the coaching engagement:
- A 360 assessment (eg Leads 360 or other)
- A Behavioural assessment (eg DISC)
- 2hr Intake Call
- Input from the CEO or board on the primary ROI desired from the engagement
- Throughout the engagement:
- Two 60minute sessions per month for a minimum of a 12month engagement
- Laser coaching sessions, email/text as needed on an ad hoc basis
- Periodic input from the CEO or board on primary ROI observed from the engagement
What is Leadership Coaching?
The primary focus of Leadership Coaching is on the development of leadership skills for current and future roles. Leadership Coaching helps clients in developing their awareness of their strengths and growth areas in a leadership context.
The leader gains insights into their own leadership skills, the consequences of behaviours that impact the team’s performance, and/or communication patterns that can hinder the capacity to achieve goals.
The leadership coach’s attention is directed to a more behavioural and people-centric approach. Leadership Coaching targets leadership skills and awareness of different growth areas including but not limited to; self-leadership, engaging with others, emotional intelligence, communication, healthy conflict and team dynamics.
They work with the leader to maximise their abilities and lead their teams well in their current leadership context as well as equip them for future roles.
Who is Leadership Coaching for?
The common belief is that a leader is in a position of authority. However, the rank or role in the organization is irrelevant. Any leader in a formal or informal role can benefit from Leadership Coaching. It is particularly interesting for emerging leaders who can profit from the support of a leadership coach in their development.
What is the impact of Leadership Coaching?
Greater confidence, and effectiveness through increased self-awareness and self-leadership. Improved decision-making and relational skills which directly translate into achieving goals personally and through others.
One of our great joys in coaching leaders is watching them shift from what we call “white knuckling” leadership to “life-giving” leadership. A leadership where the leader is comfortable enough in themselves to know both their strengths and limitations and how to integrate leadership principles into their natural style.
Confidence replaces a sense of threat with humble, confident ease, allowing them to surround themselves with those who complement and challenge them – building stronger teams. Insecurity and competition are replaced by joy and collaboration.
What is the Leadership Coaching Process?
Leadership coaching processes vary less than executive coaching, and most will look very similar to ours, although many don’t involve the leader’s direct leader. We again share our process as an example :
- At the start – setting up the coaching engagement:
- Intake of 90minutes
- Input from the leader’s direct leader on “the 1-thing” they believe will most benefit the leader’s impact (their primary ROI desired from the engagement)
- Throughout the engagement
- Two 40minute sessions per month for a minimum of a 6month engagement
- Periodic input from the leader’s direct leader on “the 1-thing” they believe will most benefit the leader’s impact
What is the difference between Executive Coaching and Leadership Coaching?
These are the main points of difference :
- While leaders at all levels of an organisation can benefit from Leadership Coaching and Leadership Coaching is an aspect of Executive Coaching, Executive coaching is aimed at leaders with proven leadership skills whose decisions need to factor in the impact on the whole system where the scale of the system has significant reach and complexity.
- Executive Coaching tends to be more comprehensive, with more external inputs (eg interviews, assessments, etc)
- The value of the coach as a neutral sounding board is a universal and core component of Executive Coaching while only occasionally part of Leadership Coaching.
- Both coaching offerings result in Behavioural Change, however, Executive Coaching requires a longer coaching commitment as executives have typically worked out all the easier behaviour changes and only the more resistant and/or nuanced ones remain – which take longer to effect change.
- Executive Coaching tends to be significantly more expensive than Leadership Coaching.
The sketch below is a good illustration as a summary of the core distinction between situations in which you would look for Executive Coaching vs Leadership Coaching:
Executive Coaching would be best suited to this scenario
Leadership Coaching would be best suited to this scenario