4. MYTH: Everyone is coachable
FACT: This is not true. Every executive coach would like to believe that it is true, but in reality some people are more coachable than others. Executive coaching works best for executives who are open minded and are willing to change. The type of executive who benefits from coaching is someone who takes responsibility for their own actions and development and knows that they are capable of achieving much more.
Coaches should recommend to their clients that before they engage in a program of coaching, an assessment should be carried out by their organization, with some guidance, to determine the level of coachability of the potential coach. This ensures that the results of the coaching program are always high and will meet the expectations of the sponsor (the organization paying for the coaching) and the coach.
5. MYTH: Executive coaching is about the coach telling me what to do and how to run my business
FACT: Absolutely not! An executive coach is in no way qualified to tell you how to run your business. As an executive you may hire an executive coach to streamline your thinking or to provide assistance as a sounding board for your ideas, but an executive coach should never advise you on how to run your business. The executive coach is qualified to be a coach and as a coach they will also help you overcome obstacles or to achieve goals. They are qualified in the art of coaching, not in running their clients’ business. As part of the coaching, the coach will be able to offer their coach a different perspective or new insights into an existing problem or situation. The executive can then choose whether to act on or dismiss that information, so the executive is always fully in control and fully responsible for their actions.
6. MYTH: The executive coach can help take up some of the executive’s workload
FACT: It is definitely not the role of the executive coach to do the executives workload. The executive coach may help the executive in reducing their workload by helping them to delegate more effectively. The primary role of the executive coach is to facilitate and assist in the executive’s development.
7. MYTH: Executive coaching is the same as life coaching
FACT: Most definitely not! Do not be taken in by unregulated, poorly-trained and under-qualified life coaches who are given certificates after a weekend workshop. These people are given such low exposure to the real nature of coaching and little if any practical experience in coaching. Their work is unsupervised and very rarely have they even had the experience of being coached by a skilled coach themselves. Poorly informed life coaches are giving coaching a bad reputation. Professional coaches on the other hand are very skilled at what they do. They are knowledgeable about the psychology and models that underpin their work.
They are very self aware and passionate about their own personal development and understand the value of continual self development. This allows the coach the time to reflect on their own practice so that they can continually improve and provide greater value to their clients. They should also have their own coach who helps them improve their performance amongst other things. So if you are considering hiring an executive coach, make sure that they are accredited by one of the appropriate coaching bodies, the ICF for example.
In summary, there is power and potential that quality coaching can bring to individuals and organisations, so insist on the very highest standards in the executive coaches that you work with. They need to demonstrate excellence and continual improvement in their art. You should settle for nothing less.