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There is a vast difference in the roles of manager, mentor, and consultant versus that of an executive coach. A trained and skilled coach will lead you through a structured process in order for you to gain insight and ultimately determine your preferred path forward to achieve your goal(s).

You will develop a trusting relationship with your coach that will facilitate open and honest dialogue that will lead to insight regarding the issue at hand and perhaps yourself. This insight will provide clarity in moving forward toward your goal. Executive coaching is ultimately about you achieving your results.

Executives and leaders who gravitate to, and gain the most from coaches have one trait in common – they are driven to achieve results. Although they have typically already experienced success, they always have their sights set on the next goal. Whether striving for a 20% growth in sales, doubling revenue in 5 years or developing a high performing team, these executives are driven to achieve.

This is a tough one and requires careful introspection. As leaders gain experience and achieve success, they become more self-confident. I would argue that this is critical to survive in the harried world of an executive. Some leaders, however, become over confident and struggle to accept feedback from peers and colleagues. Coaching requires being open minded and the ability to listen to and consider outside perspective.

While this question builds off the previous question, it speaks more deeply to the kind of feedback an executive is willing to accept and internalize. The foundation of a good coach/client relationship is built on a deep level of trust and respect that allows exploration not only of the challenge at hand but also what really drives you as an executive and a person. You will learn things about yourself that will allow you to further excel and achieve the company’s most aggressive goals.

While coaching will not require a substantial commitment of time, it will include weekly or bi-weekly meetings. In addition, you will be generating follow-up actions between meetings. Also, the dialogue with your coach will require you to expend emotional energy in order for you to gain meaningful insight and fully benefit from coaching.

Every coach has their own method of pricing services but typically there is a monthly retainer with additional expense for site visits or other work outside of the initial agreement. Retainer fees vary widely depending on the experience of the coach, level in the organization of the individual being coached and complexity of the situation. Retainer fees average $2,000 – $3,000 monthly.