Navigating a senior executive role can be both thrilling and overwhelming. When you’re the one with the responsibility, it’s rare to have a neutral, well-informed advisor you can turn to for honest insights, new ideas or alternative viewpoints. That’s where executive coaching comes into play. In this article we will explore exactly ‘what is an executive coach’.
Fundamentally, it’s a collaborative relationship between an experienced, external professional and a senior executive. The goal? To sharpen thinking, enhance skills and increase performance.
Yet, ‘executive coach’ is a term that often gets used loosely. In this article, we break down not only what is an executive coach, but also what executive coaching actually involves, illustrate what an executive coach does in practical terms and explore how it differs from other forms of professional support.
Table of Contents: What is an Executive Coach?
What is an Executive Coach: Executive Coaching Focuses on You and Your Role
Executive coaching is designed to support professionals in the context of their role and responsibilities. This is distinct from business coaching which supports a business owner within the overall context of the business itself, and business consultancy which focusses solely on the detail of the structure and functioning of a business.
Executive coaching hones in on you – your performance, your mindset and your development. A coach will assess how your working style influences your performance, your colleagues and your organisation, and work with you to strengthen your effectiveness and strategic presence.
What is an Executive Coach (and exactly what do they do)?
An executive coach works with professionals to enhance their skills, thinking and performance. This relationship is confidential, focused and tailored to the unique challenges faced by high-level professionals.
Executive coaches help clients define and achieve professional goals, strengthen skills and identify blind spots that may be limiting their performance. They support development in areas such as communication, presence, influence, delegation and resilience under pressure. Coaches often challenge assumptions, test thinking and encourage broader perspectives, enabling clients to navigate complexity with greater ease.
In practice, an executive coach may, for example, work with a client preparing for a new role, managing organisational change, dealing with complex decision-making or simply seeking to become more effective and fulfilled in their position. Sessions are usually structured around real-time challenges and long-term objectives, combining reflection with practical action planning.
For some simple to implement and impactful strategies to immediately increase work success and compliment your knowledge on what is an executive coach, read our article ‘5 Ways to Boost Work Performance’ |
How Executive Coaching Differs from Business Coaching
When examining ‘what is an executive coach’, it is important to distinguish the differences between what is an executive coach and what is a business coach, as the terms are often used interchangeably.
Executive coaching and business coaching serve distinct purposes, though they can occasionally overlap. Executive coaching is centred on the individual professional – focusing on their mindset, leadership capabilities, decision-making and interpersonal effectiveness. It aims to enhance self-awareness, influence and strategic thinking, often in preparation for greater responsibility or during times of transition.
By contrast, business coaching takes a broader view, addressing the individual within the overall functioning of the business. While it still involves leadership and professional development, the primary focus is on the performance and growth of the company. A business coach may help the owner clarify goals, improve operations or scale effectively – often with a strong emphasis on structure, strategy and execution.
The main difference between what is an executive coach and what is a business coach lies in scope and emphasis: executive coaching is more inward-looking and developmental, while business coaching is more strategic and operational. Executive coaching often supports professionals within larger organisations, whereas business coaching is common among entrepreneurs and small to mid-size business owners. Both approaches are valuable, but the right fit depends on whether the primary need is personal professional growth or business-wide transformation.
To learn more about what business coaching involves in addition to what is an executive coach, read our article ‘What Does a Business Coach Do?’ |
How Executive Coaching Differs from Leadership Coaching
When considering ‘what is an executive coach’, it is additionally important to distinguish the differences between what is an executive coach and what is a leadership coach, as these terms are also often used interchangeably.
Executive coaching and leadership coaching are closely related but serve distinct purposes and audiences. The distinction between the two is also often confused as the terms can be used interchangeably and often have different meanings in different contexts and different regions.
However, as a general guide, executive coaching typically targets senior professionals and focuses on enhancing a variety of skills, assisting with career progression and improving personal effectiveness. It is often tailored to specific roles and can cover almost any challenge or issue encountered in professional life.
Leadership coaching, by contrast, has a more specific emphasis on developing core leadership skills such as communication, influence, team management and emotional intelligence. Leadership coaching is more narrowly focused, helping individuals grow into leadership roles or improve their performance in current ones.
Whilst both types of coaching aim to develop stronger, more capable professionals, executive coaching tends to be more personalised in nature. Leadership coaching, on the other hand, tends to involve more structured development around specific competencies.
To learn more about what leadership coaching involves in addition to what is an executive coach, read our article ‘What is a Leadership Coach?’ |
Who Works with an Executive Coach?
When determining what is an executive coach, it is helpful to also look at the types of professionals who may use an executive coach.
Executive coaching is suited to professionals across all sectors and seniority levels who want to improve their performance and professional lives.
Typical clients include:
· Senior professionals taking on expanded roles
· Executives seeking to build presence, clarity or resilience
· High-performers preparing for board or CEO positions
· Founders looking to shift out of day-to-day operations
· Executives facing pressure to evolve their style or results
Some clients engage in short, focused coaching blocks. Others value long-term partnerships over months or years. The relationship is entirely bespoke, flexible and responsive.
Explore insights about the usefulness of executive coaching for CEOs in addition to what is an executive coach in our article ‘Is Executive Coaching Worth it for CEOs’ |
What Should You Look for in an Executive Coach?
Just as important as considering what is an executive coach, is the attributes you should look for in a coach.
Here are the main factors that shape both the type and the cost of executive coaches:
Qualifications and Expertise: With no legal requirement for accreditation thecoaching market is broad – even amongst the accredited coaches, most only have one coaching accreditation and little else in the way of relevant qualifications or credentials.
Executive coaches with multiple accreditations and qualifications, graduate and post-graduate qualifications in relevant and transferrable areas such as corporate law and psychology command the higher fees and achieve the better results.
Experience: Coaches with a track record of delivering significant results for executives and top-tier companies typically charge more.
These executive coaches are not just offering support, they are offering strategic transformations based on years of real results. At this level you would expect a coach to be highly experienced across multiple industries, markets and sectors, with extensive knowledge and authority.
Quality of Service: Most coaches offer standard support, using techniques such as questioning, self-reflection and goal setting.
Top-tier coaches go much further, supplying new ideas, lateral thinking, creative solutions and novel opportunities. Expect to pay more for tangible action-points, proven strategies and measurable outcomes.
Discover more detail about executive coaching costs to compliment your knowledge about what is an executive coach in our article ‘How Much Does Executive Coaching Cost?’ |
What Distinguishes an Executive Coach from a Great Executive Coach?
It is all very well to know what is an executive coach, but what makes the real difference in the results you obtain is knowing what makes an exceptional executive coach.
Whilst many executive coaches provide valuable support, what distinguishes a really great executive coach is the impact of their work. A standard executive coach may help clients clarify goals, improve skills and navigate professional challenges. But a great executive coach goes far beyond surface-level development — they catalyse significant and long-lasting progress and results.
One key differentiator is that great coaches possess a rare blend of emotional intelligence, business acumen and psychological insight. They don’t rely on generic models or one-size-fits-all frameworks. Instead, they tailor their approach to each client’s context, mindset and goals, drawing on a diverse toolkit of methods from radical lateral thinking to behavioural science.
Another distinction is their ability to ask powerful, often uncomfortable questions that cut through the noise and reveal what’s truly driving a client’s behaviour or results. Rather than simply supporting the executive, they provoke insight and accountability.
Great executive coaches also understand that real change happens between coaching sessions. They ensure that insights translate into consistent, practical action and measurable progress, often becoming long-term thought partners for senior executives.
Finally, the very best executive coaches provide practical new ideas, lateral solutions and visionary perspectives – they don’t just limit the coaching sessions to the standard questioning, feedback and goal-setting that most coaches employ.
In essence, while a competent executive coach helps executives improve, a great executive coach helps them evolve. They don’t just fine-tune professional skills, they elevate thinking, shift paradigms and unlock potential that transforms not just the individual, but often also the entire organisation.
Discover why executive coaching in New York is particularly impactful in our article ‘Why Executive Coaching in New York is Different’ Explore whether executive coaching is useful for you in our article ‘Is Executive Coaching a Good Investment?’ For more insights about how to choose executive coaching that improves performance and results, read our article ‘Best Executive Coaching Services’. |
Mary Taylor & Associates – Executive Coaching for Transformational Impact
At Mary Taylor & Associates we don’t believe in generic coaching packages. Our one-to-one, bespoke executive coaching is designed for ambitious professionals looking for greater clarity, influence and results from accelerated coaching tailored precisely to their needs.
Whether you’re stepping into a bigger role, reshaping your professional approach or preparing for a big transition, we provide the strategic partnership that moves you radically forward.
Mary Taylor combines significant expertise as a corporate lawyer, psychologist and accredited coach, offering a truly unique approach with over 20 years’ experience working with senior professionals. This multifaceted background enables Mary to deliver new insights, creative solutions and measurable results.
If you’re ready to elevate your professional life, create greater results and operate at your full potential, we offer tailored executive coaching that delivers exceptional value with a full client satisfaction guarantee.
Our executive coaching provides inventive ideas, lateral solutions and visionary perspectives that spark real-world transformation.
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