Denver Executive Coaching Certification

A coach isn’t a consultant (who seeks to solve business problems or provide business outcomes), nor is he a therapist, since he typically avoids giving advice. A coach isn’t a mentor either. The questions they ask, however, aid their clients in clarifying problems and laying out possible paths towards solving them. In addition to offering confidentiality to clients and serving as a “sounding board,” executive coaches aren’t trying to fix hiring mistakes or miraculously turn incompetent executives into competent ones.

The first task of executive coaches is to administer and interpret comprehensive behavioral assessments to determine the client’s strengths and weaknesses, and to interview the client’s superiors, peers, and direct reports to understand the client’s role in their organization. As a result, they are able to determine which questions to ask, and which coaching techniques to employ to help their clients reach their goals.

Following a period of intensive communication between coach and client, the two typically communicate on a regular basis on the phone, by video conference, or via another web-based communication method (often weekly). Some coaches follow up with clients six months to a year after the formal coaching engagement has ended to offer encouragement and determine whether the client is on track to reach their goals.

Executive coaches come from a wide range of backgrounds, which can be a good or a bad thing. There’s no way to predict which coach will have great chemistry with which client, so companies should not limit their search to coaches with specific industry backgrounds. The downside is that, because executive coaches don’t have universally recognized qualifications, anyone can call themselves one and solicit clients. Unfortunately, those who are patently unqualified can cause a significant amount of damage and waste a lot of valuable time before the market weeds them out.

Most executive coaches come from a business background, and many have held executive positions themselves. A few of them are retired executives, but most are younger than retirement age. Occasionally, executive coaches may be from the arts or academia, but often they are from STEM backgrounds. The most successful business coaches have extensive knowledge of how businesses work and how to make a leader more effective.

It makes sense that companies looking for executive coaches often start by finding coaches with experience in their industry. Someone with experience in the technology industry would be more likely to provide executive coaching to a tech executive, for example. It is not necessary, however, to match industries, and in some cases working across industries to find an executive coach can provide the intellectual “cross-pollination” necessary to deliver great results.

Executive Coach Certification in Denver

Although not all executive coaches become certified, many do. Having studied executive coaching specifically and having met coaching standards is of particular importance to potential clients and they want their names to stand out.

A number of prestigious educational institutions offer coaching certification programs. Among the top schools that offer executive coaching certification are Harvard, Northwestern, and Georgetown. Coaching certification programs come in all shapes and sizes, with wide ranges of respect and suspicion.

The worldwide web is, of course, filled with organizations offering executive coaching certifications, ready to take people’s money in exchange for some sort of certification. Coaching certification candidates should seek certification that combines genuine testimonials from reputable coaches, a long history of executive coaching training, and accreditation.

The accreditation of an executive coaching program by an organization like the International Coach Federation (ICF) ensures that it adheres to high standards of professionalism and content and increases the likelihood that a particular coaching certification will be respected in the coaching profession.

Training programs can be accredited by the ICF in three different ways. Accredited Coach Training Program is an all-inclusive executive coach training program, while Approved Coach Specific Training Hours is a learning method that lets you pick and choose which courses to take, rather than all-inclusive programs. Coaches with ICF credentials can earn Continuing Coach Education designations through the ICP.

Is it possible for a coach to be effective even without having a certification or credential? Possibly. A great executive coach will sometimes have the right combination of personality, wisdom, and skill, much like the occasional politician who goes far in politics or the unknown marathon runner who wins the New York Marathon.

However, this is more of an exception than a rule. People want to hire executive coaches with respected credentials and long lists of satisfied clients, just as if they were involved in a court case they wanted legal representation with excellent qualifications and references. It is for this reason that self-taught coaches and business coaches with a natural talent for coaching pursue coaching certification regardless of whether or not they have experience coaching. While they know they can always improve their skills, becoming certified by an accredited executive coaching program boosts their competitive edge and makes them more appealing to the companies looking to coach their leaders.

When they believe that a specific coaching program offers an advantage that they are looking for, experienced executive coaches often pursue certification. Executive coaches often pursue continuing education indefinitely, just as doctors, engineers, and lawyers enroll in continuing education to keep up with changes in their field, new research, and new techniques. Executives who are committed to improving themselves on a lifelong basis are less likely to stagnate in terms of technique and effectiveness, and are better equipped to keep up with changes in the business climate, technology, and even the executives themselves.

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For more information on Denver executive coaching certification or how to become certified as a Denver executive coach, please reach out to us today.