Center for Creative Leadership - Using Your Executive Coach

If you are a manager or executive who is beginning a coaching engagement or who is considering a developmental plan that calls for an executive coach, you need more than a desire to improve your leadership capabilities. You also need to understand how to get the most from your work with a professional coach. This guide can help you to understand the unique nature of a coaching engagement and to assess your readiness to embark on this method of professional development. The book describes the three main elements of a coaching engagement—assessment, challenge, and support— and provides information on how you can collaborate with your coach in each of these aspects to get the maximum benefits from coaching. You will also learn how to recognize and overcome your resistance to the disruption and discomfort brought about by the behavioral changes that coaching addresses.