Executive Coaching Defined

Students
Executive coaching is a professional relationship between a trained coach and a client (who may be an individual or a group) with the goal to enhance the client’s leadership or management performance and development. Through a process of inquiry, dialogue, and other tools, the coach serves as a thought partner to help the client examine and develop his or her decision-making, experiment with new ways of thinking and being, and commit to action steps that help achieve the client’s goals. (Source: Jeffrey E. Auerbach, Ph.D., MCC)

"Coaching is not telling people what to do; it's giving them a chance to examine what they are doing in light of their intentions."
(Source: James Flaherty "Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others")

"A masterful coach is a vision builder and value shaper... Who enters into the learning system of a person, business, or social institution with the intent of improving it so as to impact people's ability to perform."
(Source: Robert Hargrove in "Masterful Coaching" page 17.)

"Executive Coaching is a company-sponsored perk for top high potential employees. It is a customized and holistic development process that provides deep behavioral insights intended to accelerate an executive's business results and effectiveness as a leader. This coaching is based on a collaborative relationship among the executive, his/her boss, his/her human resources manager, and an executive coach."
(Source: Karol Wasylyshyn)

"Executive coaching is defined as a helping relationship formed between a client who has managerial authority and responsibility in an organization and a consultant who uses a wide variety of behavioral techniques and methods to assist the client achieve a mutually identified set of goals to improve his or her professional performance and personal satisfaction and consequently to improve the effectiveness of the client's organization within a formally defined coaching agreement."
(Source: Richard R Kilburg in Executive Coaching: Developing Managerial Wisdom in a World of Chaos)

"The essence of executive coaching is helping leaders get unstuck from their dilemmas and assisting them to transfer their learning into results for the organization."
(Mary Beth O'Neill "Executive Coaching with Backbone and Heart")