In preparation for the forthcoming seminar at the Association for Coaching International Conference, I've been completing some research with executive coaches and with CEO's about the characteristics that are required of an executive coach when working with CEO's who are at the performance edge.
We have defined the performance edge as
‘Those mission critical times when you know that where you are is not where you need to be and that you need to make important choices. The choices you make will have significant impact on the business, people and you.’
What is interesting in the conversations with CEO's is that they value more highly specific personal characteristics that coaches demonstrate vesus the actual qualifications of the executive coach.
The CEO's have also stated that they believe that coaches value more highly their professional qualifications and don't always recognise the personal characteristics that their clients look for.
This certainly doesn't suprise me - just take a look at the majority of coaches websites where the primary focus is their skills and qualifications versus reflecting in their website copy that they understand the challenges of the people they serve.
I'm looking forward to unlocking other view points of both CEO's and executive coaches to see how they differ and where are the same and what that means for coaches who want to develop a thriving practice.
What personal characteristics do you think are critical for an executive coach working with CEO's at the performance edge?
