Frequently Asked Questions

Verifications I Certifications

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What an Executive Coach I Leadership Coach is and is Not.

Executive and Leadership coaching is beneficial for highly motivated leaders. Successful coaching relationships thrive when the leader or executive desires to learn and grow. Part of our client process is determining the coach's fit with the individual. The right fit leads to the trust necessary for optimal performance and development.

Additionally, successful coaching outcomes depend on a strong commitment from top management to retain and develop teams or leadership. Do not partner with an executive or leadership coach when the main focus is firing an individual or fixing a systemic issue over which the coached individual has no control.

How is Executive Coaching or Leadership Coaching Different from Psychotherapy?

Although Dr. Williams is a trained psychotherapist, she does not conduct psychotherapy on her coaching clients. An Executive and Leadership Coach should not perform psychotherapy. Here are the differences between coaching and psychotherapy:

COACHING

Deals with a healthy client desiring a better situation
Deals mostly with a person’s present (as opposed to the past)
Assists the client in developing actionable steps toward a desirable future
Helps clients learn new skills and tools to achieve goals
Co-creative equal partnership (The client discovers their own answers)
Assumes emotions are natural and normalizes them
The Coach stands with the client and helps him or her identify the challenges
Partners with the client in turning challenges into victories
Holds the client accountable for reaching established goals
Growth and progress are rapid and usually enjoyable

PSYCHOTHERAPY

Deals with identifiable dysfunctions in a person
Deals mostly with a person’s past and trauma and seeks healing
Helps patients resolve old pain
Doctor-patient relationship (The therapist has the answers)
Assumes emotions are a symptom of something wrong
A therapist diagnoses a client and provides a path to healing.
Progress is often slow and painful.

Under no circumstances should a coach conduct psychotherapy or attempt to make a mental health diagnosis. Only a trained and licensed mental health professional has the expertise to make such diagnoses.

Does the Coaching Focus Change?

The coaching focus emerges as the client grows and learns. After clarifying the organization’s expected outcomes from the coaching relationship, we establish the goals of the coached individual. Because our coaching methodology involves intrinsic changes within and based on the individual's unique strengths and values, the resulting change improves all aspects of their lives, relationships, and professional lives. This iterative process is dynamic, and the focus changes as the individual learns and grows.

What is the Role of the Client?

The client and organization identify goals, and the client commits to the coaching process. Most sessions end with an assignment that must be completed before the next session. These assignments are crucial to moving the client forward toward achieving the stated goal. No reputable coach will issue specific guarantees because client progress depends on the client's commitment and the degree of support demonstrated by the organization.

What is the Role of the Coach?

The Coach is responsible for keeping the client focused and accountable for accomplishing the steps necessary to achieve the identified goals. Where areas of resistance are evident, the coach will skillfully guide the client through them.

What Makes a Leader or Team Member a Good Candidate for Coaching?

A leader or employee is a good candidate for coaching if:

They are ready to engage in a growth process that will challenge them to confront dysfunctional and disempowering mindsets. During the coaching process, the client is held to a high level of accountability to themselves, the process, and the vision they have created for their professional lives and relationships.
They are ready to discover lost aspects of themselves that have hindered their productivity, professional relationships, decision-making skills, and emotional intelligence.

They are willing to let go of mindset patterns that no longer serve them and are fed up with unsustainable quick fixes that leave them in a cycle of battling the same mindset challenges repeatedly.

What are the Organizational Benefits of Executive Coaching or Leadership Coaching?

According to the Consulting Psychology Journal, executive coaching increases problem-solving and decision-making skills, which means more efficient meetings. Coaching also increases the capacity to analyze complex issues, consider multiple perspectives, and make effective strategic decisions. 

A study published in the Organizational Management Journal supported the long-term positive impact of coaching, including 1) identifying and overcoming personal deficiencies, 2) supporting learning about leadership, and 3) facilitating and motivating sustained change. The organization benefits from enhanced leadership skills such as:

Strategic Thinking

Helps leaders think more strategically, enabling better decision-making.

Emotional Intelligence

Improves self-awareness, empathy, and interpersonal skills, leading to stronger relationships and better team dynamics.
Adaptability

Equips leaders to navigate complex and rapidly changing business environments.This results in sustainable outcomes for your organization.

These developmental leadership improvements translate to all these organizational benefits:

Improved Employee Engagement: Coached Leaders become more effective communicators, fostering a culture of trust, transparency, and collaboration. Increased engagement reduces turnover and boosts productivity, as employees feel valued and supported.
Better Decision-Making: Coaching enables leaders to clarify personal and professional values and align decisions with organizational goals. Coaching involves and encourages reflective thinking, allowing leaders to approach challenges with a broader, more diverse perspective.
Accelerated Organizational Change: Executive Leadership coaching reduces resistance to change and drives transformation strategy. Moreover, it builds resilience and adaptability in your teams, fostering smoother transitions during mergers, restructuring, or cultural shifts.
Talent Retention and Development: Your organization’s investment in leadership and executive coaching demonstrates your commitment to employee growth and makes you more attractive to top talent. Additionally, executive coaching prepares high-potential employees for succession planning and future leadership roles.
Enhanced Collaboration and Team Performance: Executive coaching teaches leaders and executives about efficient conflict resolution and fosters collaboration across teams. Improved leadership creates a ripple effect of improved communication and productivity.
Stronger Organizational Culture: Executive coaching assists leaders in aligning their behaviors with the organization’s core values, which reinforces a positive and cohesive culture. Coached leaders model behaviors that inspire a culture of trust and commitment.
Measurable and Sustainable Business Outcomes: Executive coaching improves leadership efficacy, which increases organizational profitability, customer satisfaction, and creative innovation. Coaching enables leaders to set and achieve clear, actionable goals that align with business objectives.
Crisis Management: Coached leaders remain calm and make sound decisions under pressure, which fosters organizational agility and resilience and enables organizations to recover more quickly from setbacks.
Increased Accountability: Coaching fosters a culture of accountability as leaders take ownership of their decisions and actions. This, in turn, enhances overall performance.