When you hear “Executive Coaching,” do you imagine two senior leaders in high-backed leather chairs hashing out performance problems from inside a top-floor, corner office that’s accessible to only the most high-ranking company employees?

That scenario encapsulates the two biggest myths of executive coaching:

  1. It’s only for senior leaders

In truth, executive coaching is useful for any manager or high-potential management candidate. The process helps identify strengths, motivations, and developmental opportunities; determines the individual’s personal leadership style; and guides the creation of an action plan designed to maximize the manager’s performance within the specific organizational culture.

  1. It’s only needed when leaders are failing

Smart companies don’t wait until a manager is struggling to provide coaching. We all have personality dynamics that can support or impede our leadership efforts, and executive coaching helps us sharpen the positive attributes and avoid the pitfalls on the road to management success.

In Caliper’s Executive Coaching program, our expert consultants work one-on-one with managers to clarify goals, address real-world problems, and come up with personal-development plans. We also encourage self-awareness, which can give leaders and potential leaders a much deeper understanding of how their behaviors impact team members and other stakeholders.

Here are just a few of the ways managers and developing leaders at all levels of your organization can benefit from executive coaching (depending on individual need):

  • Improved communication with staff members, peers, and senior leaders
  • Stronger, more creative problem solving
  • Better project planning, organization, and time management
  • More meaningful and productive business relationships with internal and external stakeholders
  • Increased motivation that comes from knowing their employer is invested in their career success

The return on investment for the organization can be seen both in short-term and long-term results. On the most basic level, a motivated manager is more likely to stay with the company, reducing the heavy cost of turnover. By extension, better managers improve overall team morale, thus further increasing retention and productivity. On a strategic level, the organization sees the long-range benefits of executive coaching when high-potential employees and new managers blossom into great leaders.

As with any talent-management initiative, executive coaching yields the best results when the client organization shares Caliper’s philosophy regarding the importance of continued follow-through and reinforcement. Think of it as making sure the small tree you planted gets lots of water and sunlight so it grows into the towering oak you know it can be.