Seattle Executive Coaching Certification

Certification for Executive Coaches in Seattle

Unlike consultants (who provide business solutions) or therapists (who give advice), coaches don’t offer business advice. The role of a coach is not the same as that of a mentor. Their questions help clients clarify problems and outline possible approaches to solving them, however. The purpose of executive coaches is not to fix hiring mistakes or turn incompetent executives into competent ones, but to provide confidentiality to clients.

Executive coaches first assess the client’s strengths and weaknesses by administering and interpreting comprehensive behavioral assessments and then interview the client’s superiors, peers, and direct reports to understand his or her role within the organization. By doing so, they can determine which questions to ask, and which coaching techniques to use, in order to help their clients succeed.

Once the coach and client have communicated intensively, they typically contact each other regularly via phone, video conference, or other web-based methods (usually weekly). After a coaching engagement ends, some coaches follow up with clients six months to a year later to check in and offer encouragement.

It can be both good and bad for executive coaches to come from different backgrounds. Companies should not limit their search to coaches with specific industry backgrounds since it is impossible to predict which coach will have great chemistry with which client. There is a downside to executive coaching since there are no universally recognized qualifications for the role. It is unfortunate that those who are patently unqualified can cause significant damage and waste a lot of valuable time until they are weeded out by the market.

In addition to having a business background, most executive coaches have also held executive positions in their own organizations. They are mostly younger than retirement age, but some are retired executives. Most executive coaches come from STEM backgrounds, but sometimes they come from the arts or academia. Coaches who are most successful understand how businesses work and how to improve the performance of leaders.

Finding coaches with experience in the industry is a logical starting point for companies looking for executive coaches. A tech executive would benefit from executive coaching from someone with experience in the industry. Although matching industries is not necessary, in some cases working across industries to find an executive coach can provide the intellectual “cross-pollination” required to achieve great results.

Executive Coach Certification Programs

There are many executive coaches who become certified, although not every one of them does. The importance of studying executive coaching specifically and meeting coaching standards is particularly significant to potential clients, who want their names to stand out.

Coaching certification programs are offered by a number of prestigious educational institutions. Executive coaching certification is offered by top schools such as Harvard, Northwestern, and Georgetown. A wide range of respect and suspicion surround coaching certification programs.

Executive coaching certifications are offered by dozens of organizations on the web, ready to accept people’s money in exchange for some type of certification. Certification candidates should seek certification from reputable coaches who have been trained and accredited in executive coaching for a long period of time.

In order for a coaching certification to be respected in the coaching profession, it has to adhere to high standards of professionalism and content and be accredited by an organization like the International Coach Federation (ICF).

An ICF-accredited training program can be accredited in three ways. Coach Accreditation Programs are all-inclusive programs while Coach Approved Specific Training Hours are learning methods that let you choose which courses you want to take instead of taking an all-inclusive program. ICP offers Continuing Coach Education designations to coaches with ICF credentials.

Does a coach have to be certified or credentialed to be effective? Perhaps. Like politicians who go far in politics or marathon runners who win the New York Marathon, some executive coaches possess the right mixture of personality, wisdom, and skill.

There is, however, an exception rather than a rule here. As with legal representation with excellent qualifications and references, people prefer executive coaches with respectable credentials and long lists of satisfied clients. This is why self-taught coaches as well as business coaches with natural coaching talents pursue coaching certification regardless of their coaching experience. In addition to knowing they can always improve their skills; they are more attractive to companies looking for coaches when they are accredited by an accredited executive coaching program.

A certification program is often pursued by experienced executive coaches when they believe it offers a particular advantage they are seeking. Executive coaches often enroll in continuing education indefinitely to keep up with new research and techniques in their field, just as doctors and engineers do. A lifelong commitment to improvement reduces the likelihood of executives stagnating in terms of technique and effectiveness and prepares them to keep up with the changes in the business climate, technology, and even themselves over time.

Contact IL Movement for More Information on Seattle Executive Coaching Certification

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