Menu
What is Certified Executive Coaching? It’s a common question, typically with the emphasis on CERTIFIED. People hear about business coaches, life coaches, and all sorts of coaches. A Certified Executive Coach is a trained professional who works alongside a leader (ex. Executive, High Potential, Entrepreneur) in a confidential partnership with the intent of increasing leadership effectiveness over the duration of the engagement, and beyond. The leader sets a vision for where the engagement is headed. Improved leadership effectiveness, vision, strategy, communication, workflow, work life balance, clarity, meaning, team chemistry, promotion are just a few words that often surface in coaching sessions between a leader and a coach. The challenges a leader brings to a coaching conversation are diverse, fluid, and often, but not always, connected to the impact of human behaviours within a team.
“International Coaching Federation Credential-holders are part of a self-regulating group of elite coaches who provide accountability to clients and the coaching profession as a whole. They pursue and complete rigorous education and practice requirements that provide unquestioned legitimacy to their commitment to excellence in coaching.” International Coach Federation Website
Royal Roads University’s Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching program is an Accredited Coach Training Program (ACTP) through the International Coach Federation (ICF). Training includes academic study, mentor coaching, coaching assessment in front of mentor coach panel, pro-bono coaching with non-profit organization, and more. Upon successful completion, graduates receive 125 Professional Certified Coach (PCC) learning hours and receive the Certified Executive Coach designation.
There are many benefits to receiving coaching. Because the coach works in service of the client, it’s the client who designs the desired outcomes for the program. That’s a big differentiator between what we call ‘non-directive coaching’, and a curriculum based leadership program. Both have tremendous value, it’s just important to recognize the difference in approaches.
Research has shown coaching can drive a significant return on investment (ROI). In coaching, we often speak about ROE. Return on Expectations helps leaders, and their sponsor, identify goals for the program that can be measured and celebrated. A high Return on Expectations will almost always drive a strong Return on Investment. See below for ROI data from the International Coach Federation’s 2020 Global Coaching Client Study. “Reflecting the continuing growth of coaching, the survey attracted an unprecedented 22,457 responses from 161 countries and territories” (ICF, 2020).
Certified Executive Coaches are bound to confidentiality by the International Coach Federation Code of Ethics. We may not share with anyone, without expressed written consent, the names of clients with whom we work. To date I have worked with leaders in telecommunications, engineering, humanitarian aid, business owners, transitioning professional athletes, corporate transitions, education, retail, health care, sport development, energy, construction, home building, and more.
The acceptance, and reliance on the Virtual Work Environment has changed the profession of Certified Executive Coaching forever. In the last 12 months I have worked with clients in Mexico City, Romania, New Zealand, California, Alberta, remote British Columbia, and down the street here in Vancouver.
This is likely the most common question Certified Executive Coaches get. The simple answer is no. We are trained to listen, ask questions that are thought provoking, challenging, forward thinking, reflective, and hold you, the client (coachee), capable of having the answers to your greatest challenges within you. We do not give advice, as we are not the experts at You. You are the expert in your own role, in your own industry, and you are capable of coming to the best solutions to your challenges. This separates a Certified Executive Coach from a consultant, expert, teacher, mentor, counsellor, or therapist.
Yes, we hear similar challenges across many industries. Yes we could save you a few minutes of really quality, engaging reflection by telling you what we think. We might be right, and we very well could be wrong. And the brain functions very differently when encouraged to think, rather than told to listen.
