Skip navigation
Executive Coaching for Results
Book

Executive Coaching for Results

The Definitive Guide to Developing Organizational Leaders

Berrett-Koehler, 2007 more...

Buy book or audiobook

Read offline

auto-generated audio
auto-generated audio

Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Professional sports teams feature the greatest athletes in the world – the fastest pitchers, the strongest hitters and the best ball handlers. Most of these individuals have been playing their sports since they were little kids, working hard to develop and refine their athletic skills over time. Yet, these superbly trained and exceptionally talented athletes depend on coaches to teach them to perform optimally. If sports superstars require coaches, don’t corporate leaders need them also? Brian O. Underhill, Kimcee McAnally and John J. Koriath believe they do. In this book, these executive coaching experts thoroughly explain this leadership development methodology. They describe how your organization can create a solid executive coaching program to develop its leaders’ expertise and professionalism. getAbstract suggests this comprehensive, detailed book to human resources and leadership development professionals, as well as to managers who want to enhance their up-and-coming executives’ leadership capacities.

Summary

Executive Coaching

Executive coaches work one-on-one to train and develop corporate leaders. Organizations also use executive coaching to help leaders who are facing transitions, including new, high profile or foreign assignments, promotions and lateral changes. For example, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans appoints executive coaches for new executive sales leaders during their orientation periods. Coaches assist the new executives during their first six months on the job. They keep leaders on track “at a time when derailing is a real possibility.”

Executive coaching is different from life coaching, which focuses on personal development outside the business environment. Originally, organizations used executive coaching to help underperforming leaders. A minority of companies still does so, but coaching programs that focus on problem employees taint the experience for top performers.

Today, organizations reserve executive coaching almost exclusively for the leaders who show the most promise. Often, it is a career-enhancement perquisite. Companies also use it to boost their leaders’ specific professional knowledge and skills in such areas as public speaking, time...

About the Authors

Brian O. Underhill is the founder of a leadership coaching company. Kimcee McAnally is a business consultant and executive coach. John J. Koriath is the president and CEO of an executive coaching and consulting firm that provides workshops and custom-designed programs.


Comment on this summary