Executive Summary: Through a series of insightful interviews with experienced executive coaches, this blog post compiles ten powerful, real-world ideas to elevate your coaching practice. From building strong business systems to embracing self-awareness and learning how to sell your services effectively, these coaches share actionable advice grounded in years of practical experience. Whether you’re a…
Ashleigh Miller is a certified executive coach specializing in team coaching and team dynamics. She’s passionate about the human element in business and believes all business issues stem from people issues. Ashleigh spent the first half of her career working in professional services with Accenture and Ernst & Young. Her primary focus during that time…
Sadaf Shaikh is the founder and president of Caras Consulting, a Toronto-based boutique consultancy focused on helping business leaders create a high-performance culture within their organization while focusing on people and processes. As an executive coaching culture strategist, Sadaf provides her clients with sharp insights on people and situations, provides honest feedback guidance, and tailors…
Executive Summary In the final installment of the “Roles Coaches Play” series, we explore four more essential roles that effective coaches master to meet their clients where they are and help guide them forward. These include the Appreciator, who acknowledges and reinforces a client’s progress; the Space Holder, who provides a stable environment for reflection…
Craig Coffey is an ICF credentialed professional certified coach with 30 plus years of senior experience working for a variety of Fortune 300 companies. He’s also a diversity-equity- inclusion champion. Craig works with his clients to identify, unlock, and grow their talents and skills to achieve career ambitions, as well as build strong teams that…
Executive Summary Executive coaching plays a pivotal role in helping leaders unlock their full potential much like elite athletes rely on top-tier coaching to perform at their best. Through customized, relationship-based guidance, executive coaches empower leaders to elevate their impact by developing critical leadership competencies particularly emotional intelligence, communication, and strategic thinking. This article explores…
Trevor Blondeel is the founder of Operations Kickstart, a coaching firm focused on the needs of business leaders in the manufacturing sector. After spending over 25 years in leadership roles in manufacturing plants, Trevor found that he was actually in the “people industry.” This realization led to emotional intelligence (EI) becoming the cornerstone of his…
Executive Summary Coaching is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. To be truly effective, coaches must be able to shift between various roles depending on the needs, challenges, and growth trajectory of each individual client. This post, the second in a multi-part series, explores three critical roles that coaches often step into during an engagement: Nudger, Accountability…
Daiana Stoicescu is an executive leadership coach based in Romania. She’s a Master Certified Coach credentialed by the International Coaching Federation, a Master Certified Coaching Trainer by the Center for Executive Coaching, and a registered ICF Mentor Coach. Daiana was also the president of the ICF Romania chapter until 2019. As a Master Certified Coach Trainer…
Mike Williams has been the owner and president of The Growth Coach of Northern Virginia since June of 2015, offering strategic planning, business development and sales training to small businesses, corporations, executives, and sales teams. Mike’s diverse background includes 20 years at the Coca-Cola Company, 6 years at Mobil Chemical (now ExxonMobil), and 6 years…
The coach and coachee relationship is a dynamic one. As trust is established, outcomes are considered, actions are taken and challenges arise, the coach takes on various roles to support the client. The adoption of multiple roles can even take place in a single coaching session. Being a flexible coach able to shift among the…
Executive Summary Leadership coaching has historically been reserved for a company’s top executives either as a way to enhance high-performing leaders or remediate struggling ones. However, this exclusive approach is rapidly shifting. Organizations today are embracing the democratization of leadership coaching, extending its benefits to mid-level managers, emerging leaders, and even individual contributors. Why? Because…
Whether or not you feel you’re ready to go out and get clients for your new coaching practice, you first need to ask yourself a very important question. This question will determine whether you’re truly ready to coach; it really is a make-or-break question. Interestingly, this is also a question you’ll be asking of your…
To be an executive coach, you need a process. In this post, I’ll share a simple and solid process to use in your coaching sessions. By following this process, you’ll find you’re able to guide the client through a conversation that moves them towards the goals they’d like to achieve by working with you. A…
Executive Summary Demonstrating the ROI of executive coaching is one of the biggest hurdles coaches face when working with clients and prospects. While coaching often delivers results in “soft” areas like emotional intelligence, communication, and confidence, those changes frequently produce real, tangible business gains like improved productivity, reduced turnover, better decision-making, and increased profitability. This…
This is the first in a series of posts designed to help you succeed as an executive coach. To begin, I want to cover a fundamental requirement for success in any endeavor: get yourself properly trained. Coaching is a unique professional vocation. The government doesn’t require that you get any coaching education or be licensed…
Executive coach and author Teri Citterman likes to shape great thinkers into great leaders, and she’s been successful doing just that for almost a decade. Teri coaches CEOs, executive teams, and high-level managers on the path to becoming industry shapers and thought leaders of the future. Recently, our own future-thinking Michael Neuendorff sat down with…
James Pagano is a business performance coach based in Charlotte, NC, whose passion is working with small business owners. James’ client engagements are collaborative and holistic, with a focus on such areas as strategic business development, relationship management, and the ever-elusive goal of time management, also known as prioritization. Recently, Bay Area Executive Coach’s Michael Neuendorff caught…
There’s a plethora of books covering literally every aspect of executive and leadership coaching. In fact, this popular topic has been written about by eminent authors for decades. With so many books to choose from it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when selecting the best books to read for advancing your skills and coaching career. To…
Executive Summary The rapidly changing work environment, employees crave leaders who offer more than direction, they want leaders who demonstrate trust, curiosity, and commitment to their growth. Enter the coaching leader: someone who guides not by giving all the answers, but by asking powerful questions that unlock insight, build confidence, and spark action. This blog…