For mid- to senior-level leaders, feeling unfulfilled in your current professional situation is a common challenge. Whether you’re seeking a new role or aiming to elevate your career, executive career coaching offers a powerful framework to help you find clarity and take meaningful steps toward a fulfilling leadership role.
Quick Summary
- Executive career coaching provides clarity: It helps leaders identify what they truly want from their careers and create a plan to achieve it.
- It's designed for career transitions: Coaching can support professionals who feel stuck, unfulfilled, overwhelmed, or uncertain about their next move.
- The process goes beyond job searching: Executive career coaching combines self-discovery, strategic planning, and accountability to align career goals with personal values.
- Coaching can accelerate growth: Leaders often gain confidence, improve decision-making, overcome limiting beliefs, and uncover new opportunities.
- The right coach acts as a trusted partner: A strong coaching relationship provides guidance, perspective, and support throughout periods of professional change.
What is Executive Career Coaching?
Executive career coaching is a personalized process designed to help middle to senior-level executives determine their next fulfilling role. Unlike traditional career coaching, which often focuses on securing a new position, executive career coaching begins by exploring what a truly satisfying role looks like for you. This process focuses on aligning your strengths with your career vision, ensuring that your next steps resonate with your personal and professional aspirations. Once your ideal role is clear, executive coaching helps you build a roadmap to land that position or even pursue entrepreneurial ventures.
This approach combines deep self-reflection with strategic planning to craft a career that aligns with both your leadership capabilities and your passions.
Common Transitions Executive Career Coaching Supports:
Executive career coaching can be a game-changer in several common leadership transitions, such as:
- Career dissatisfaction: Feeling unfulfilled after reaching a certain level in your career, yet unsure of the next step.
- Career transition: Shifting to a new role or organization after years of being in the same position or company.
- Work-life imbalance: Struggling to balance personal life with career demands, or lacking clarity on how to prioritize.
- Clarity and strategic vision: Seeking guidance from an impartial, professional coach to help you focus on your goals and plan meaningful actions.
The 3-Step Process to Career Fulfillment
Executive career coaching is designed around a structured, three-phase process to help you achieve career clarity and realize your professional goals.
Step 1: Optimizing Your Energy
The journey begins with understanding your mindset and energy. How we view ourselves and the world around us shapes our access to opportunities. This step involves exploring your internal world, optimizing what’s working, and addressing any limiting beliefs or patterns that hold you back. This self-awareness and energy optimization boost confidence and bring greater clarity to your career path.
Step 2: Dream Big Phase
Once you’re in a confident and open mindset, it’s time to dream big. In this phase, you’ll engage in exercises that help reflect on your past achievements while envisioning your ideal future role. This exercise combines practical experience with an exciting vision for what’s next, creating a powerful sense of motivation and direction.
Step 3: Actualizing Your Dreams
With clarity about your goals and confidence in your path, it’s time to take action. In this phase, you gain access to tools and insights tailored to senior executives, designed to help you secure your next role or even launch your own venture. Whether you aim to step into a leadership position in a well-established company or build your own business, this phase is about turning your dreams into reality.
The Impact of Executive Career Coaching
Executive career coaching is particularly impactful for individuals at a crossroads in their careers, helping them navigate transitions with confidence and clarity. It’s ideal for those who want more than just a job; it’s about finding a role that aligns with their leadership strengths and long-term goals.
By focusing on both personal reflection and strategic action, this coaching approach has helped leaders in a wide variety of industries—such as technology, healthcare, finance, and biotech—take bold, successful steps toward more fulfilling careers.
Executive career coaching provides a structured approach to navigating career transitions, achieving leadership growth, and finding greater professional fulfillment. By focusing on self-awareness, strategic planning, and tailored action, it equips leaders with the tools they need to succeed.
If you are seeking career clarity or are ready to pursue new professional goals, executive career coaching could be a valuable resource to help you move forward with confidence and purpose.
What is an Executive Career Coach?
Beep, beep, beep- as Sasha’s alarm goes off, she slowly opens her eyes and lets out a loud sigh. Just like hundreds of days before this, it’s time to get up, complete the morning routine, and head into work. Years ago, when she accepted her VP role at Somerville, she woke up most mornings with a fire in her belly and ready to tackle the day ahead. But as the days passed, something changed. That flame seemed to have slowly extinguished and she now finds herself more and more disengaged from the work she’s doing. She can’t quite put her finger on what’s different but the idea of change looks more appealing every day.
These feelings of disengagement and “wanting more” out of your career are cues that a career coach or an executive career coach can help. Have you ever wondered what is an executive career coach?
What exactly does an Executive Career Coach do?
In short, they help high achieving professionals identify their next career move by partnering with them to engage in a process of introspection. Throughout this process, the career coach will ask a number of thought-provoking questions and assign exercises all designed to peel away the onion and identify the core values, skills of a leader present in you, and career dreams that exist deep within. This process unearths the vision for the next career step.
This vision is then balanced with market need (to ensure the fruits of your labor are juicy) and finally, the roadmap to attainment is built. Voila- the fire is back!
Executive career coaching can morph into a number of different forms through the process because, you’re human and things that happen in one portion of our lives can and do impact others. Sometimes it’s important for the career coach to pivot to a life coach or a leadership coach. As a whole, it’s important to address all grievances holistically so the career transformation is an effective one, all around.
In essence, executive career coaching is a collaborative process that helps accomplished professionals discover their next career path by guiding them through introspection and self-discovery. The career coach acts as a partner, posing thought-provoking questions and providing exercises that enable individuals to delve deep into their core values, skills, and aspirations. By peeling away the layers, the coach helps the individual unearth their true career dreams and aspirations, forming the foundation for the next step in their professional journey.
This vision is not developed in isolation but is balanced with the demands and trends of the job market. The career coach ensures that the individual's aspirations align with market needs, guaranteeing that the fruits of their labor will be rewarding and relevant. Once the vision is clear, the coach assists in constructing a roadmap that outlines the necessary steps and actions to achieve the desired career transformation. With a plan in place, the individual is reinvigorated and motivated to pursue their goals, reigniting their passion and drive.
Throughout the coaching process, the nature of the sessions may evolve and take on different forms. As humans, our personal and professional lives are intertwined, and events in one sphere can impact the other. In some cases, it becomes important for the career coach to address topics beyond career development and pivot towards life coaching or leadership coaching. By addressing all aspects holistically, the career transformation becomes more effective and meaningful, encompassing various dimensions of personal growth and fulfillment.
By engaging in executive career coaching, professionals can gain valuable insights about themselves, align their aspirations with market needs, and develop a comprehensive plan to achieve their goals. The holistic approach taken by the career coach ensures that individuals not only experience a transformative career change but also attain personal growth and fulfillment in all areas of their lives. I hope now you have better clarity over the question, "What is an executive career coach and what does he/she do?"
Why do People Need Career Coaches/Life Coaches?
All around us, there is an underlying message that, to be happy, we must have the perfect job, the perfect spouse, the perfect children, the perfect manicured lawn, the best body, etc. And so, we strive for these knowing first, we need to make a buck. As a result, we work, and work, and work. But this endless toll leaves many people wondering, “what else is out there?” There is a constant conflict in our world between focusing on earning mass amounts of money or enjoying the things that money can’t buy. The Beatles captured this conflict when they released, “Money (that’s what I want)” and followed it up with “Can’t Buy Me Love.”
But many of the greatest philosophers of our time have argued that money isn’t the answer. Aristotle claimed that the greatest human good is to live a good life. In a good society, all of its members flourish. Happiness is accomplished by living well and doing well over time. The modern workplace is in direct contradiction to this approach, as those who tend to fare well work long hours and go to great strides to make their boss happy, regardless of the approach. This creates a workplace focused on driving results first and foremost. Everything else takes a backseat.
Harvard Business Review conducted a survey in 2013 that found that executives, managers and professionals worked about 72 hours a week on average. Assuming people sleep about 7.5 hours at night on average, that leaves only three hours a day Monday-Friday to do everything else (exercise, shop, family time, shower, relax, eat, etc.). That means people spend about 60% of their waking hours working.
Spending 60% of your waking hours on something that’s fulfilling and enjoyable is one thing. But a Gallup poll released in 2017 reported that 85% of people in the world admitted to hating their jobs. And in 2013, Forbes magazine reported that “work is more often a source of frustration than fulfillment for nearly 90% of the world’s workers.“
After reading these statistics, is it any wonder that the number of people who seek an executive career coach, a career coach, a leadership coach, or a life coach is growing exponentially every year?
Does Executive Coaching Work?
A 2001 study on the impact of executive coaching by Manchester Inc. showed an average ROI of 5.7 times the initial investment or a return of more than $100,000, according to executives who estimated the monetary value of the results achieved through coaching.
My clients have seen remarkable results from the start of their journey to the end, which included:
- Identifying and achieving new, exciting career goals
- Shedding their destructive internal narrative
- Losing 10+ pounds
- Applying for adoption after years of trying to conceive naturally
- Resolving a long-standing conflict with their significant other
- Finding they were much happier with their current situation than they originally thought
Name People that I May Know who have Worked with a Coach
Most successful people have worked with a coach at some point in their career. Here’s a short list:
Oprah, Steve Jobs, Eric Schmidt, Bill Gates, Marc Benioff, Metallica, Bill Clinton, Serena Williams
How Do I Pick A Career Coach?
Most coaches will offer a complimentary discovery session. When you speak to a coach you’re interested in, be sure to ask:
- Are you accredited?
- How much experience do you have?
- Can you relate to what I’m going through (have you experienced what I’m experiencing?)
After the call, assess how comfortable you would feel getting very candid with this person. You must feel safe to share and understood for the coach-client relationship to thrive.
Finally, you must ask yourself a few questions:
- Am I ready for change?
- Am I open to learning new things about myself?
- Will I commit to making the time and space to create the change I crave?
The most dramatic and effective transformations happen when it’s the right match and the client and the coach are dedicated to helping create the right change. when you find the right one, you won't need to ask again what is an executive career coach and how can it help me.
What Happens After the Discussion With An Executive Career Coach?
I’ve spoken to hundreds of people about their disappointment or disengagement in their career. I find that, after this conversation, people walk through one of three doors:
- Just having the conversation and hearing the need for change out loud causes them to start looking and they eventually find something on their own.
- People get swept back up in the day-to-day and put the search on hold. They reemerge 6-12 months later and are typically even more miserable and beginning to crack.
- People decide to hire a career coach and instantly feel better knowing they have a partner to help them stay authentic to who they are and someone who keeps them accountable on their journey to change.
When to Hire An Executive Career Coach: One Leader’s Journey to Decide
The option to hire an executive career coach wasn’t even on my radar. Until I unexpectedly became a team manager. Our prior manager had left the company on short notice, and we were in shock. More surprising was the news that I’d be taking her place. It was the first I’d heard of it. Until then, I’d been a writer, working alongside UX designers, researchers, and technologists at a large, multinational tech company. I enjoyed my role and wasn’t looking for a change. Executive coaching wasn't something that I needed at that time. Life had other ideas.
I was parachuted into new territory, besieged by demanding obligations on all sides: deliver key initiatives, build morale, mediate conflicts, advocate for resources, liaise with senior leadership. So much for being an introvert.
Our team was relatively new, and still proving our value to the company. If we stopped delivering impactful work, we didn’t know what our fate would be. People were counting on me, and I wanted to fill the leadership gap. But I felt unprepared. As I thought about where to turn, my mind went in many directions.
If you’re also at a crossroads, and wondering what route to take, here are the options I considered, why I chose to hire an executive career coach, and how the results went way beyond my expectations.
Seeking a mentor
My first instinct was to find a mentor, someone who’d have words of wisdom for every challenge that crossed my path, someone who can help me develop the skills of a leader. With growing self-doubt, I craved immediate insights so I wouldn’t let anyone down as I navigated the steep learning curves ahead.
I wasn’t sure where to find this savior on short notice though. And I didn’t want to request too much of someone’s time. Sure, I could (and did) get help from other managers, and it was always useful. But what I really needed was ongoing, consistent, long-term support, beyond what a mentor could provide.
Going it alone, DIY-style
There’s no shortage of content on leadership and management. If you’re someone who likes to research, this is a tempting option. On the surface, it seems convenient to go at your own pace, picking and choosing where to focus.
The hitch? Diving into this bottomless well of information gets exhausting. Team culture, operations, planning, performance, feedback & coaching, hiring, and on and on. Some of it wasn’t applicable right away…but surely it would be in the future! Keeping track of it all became another item on my already long to-do list.
In the meantime, I was still on my own, trying to apply theoretical best practices to the messiness of everyday life. I was gaining knowledge, but not clarity.
Searching for community
After trying to learn on my own, I swerved back to wanting personal support. Live classes seemed like a promising route, so I researched relevant courses that offered expert guidance along with a community of peers.
Still, I hesitated. I wondered if the curriculum would be tailored enough to the crises I was dealing with in-the-moment, and if the timing would fit into my schedule. Plus, there was a concern in the back of my mind that I couldn’t put my finger on yet.
Understanding the benefit of executive career coaching (after first dismissing it)
When I first thought about the option to hire an executive career coach, it didn’t seem to match my objective. In my state of overwhelm, I was hoping for quick relief from crises-of-the-week, not deeper introspection that would entail a slower path.
And yet, as I met prospective coaches, they asked questions that prompted me to reassess what I was searching for. I realized I’d been defining success through other people’s expectations (or at least, what I assumed them to be). In that lofty vision, I was guiding the team toward a North Star, smashing our goals, and dialing up our positive impact.
Missing from that vision was the question: “what do I want, for myself?” None of the solutions I’d looked at so far felt right because I was trying to solve the wrong problem. That’s when I made the decision to hire an executive career coach, so I could untangle the threads.
Although the leap to manager life wasn’t planned, I could be intentional about how I approached it and what came next. That meant slowing down rather than rushing full speed ahead in a reactive state. I couldn’t plot my route before I knew where I was going. If that resonates with you too, I’d recommend pausing to reconsider what questions you might be missing.
Getting started & building confidence
Amy was highly recommended by a former coach I’d worked with. In our first call, she asked perceptive questions, identified the most pressing issues, and outlined a path forward. She was also the one person who read between the lines of my leadership request. This filled me with a sense of relief and clarity. It was a process I could commit to because it took into account needs I hadn’t yet articulated, even to myself.
After I signed up, we got to work. Whatever I was trying to solve, Amy provided fresh ideas and feedback that shifted my perspective. With each challenge, things got easier to handle. I learned to play to my strengths and define my own style, without comparing myself to others.
Going deeper & looking inward
What started as leadership coaching transitioned into much more. Amy saw that the goals I’d put forward didn’t reflect my true needs. With her prompting, new questions surfaced: What was meaningful to me? Was I on the right path to get there?
As I developed more control over my schedule, space opened up for deeper reflection. Through exercises and activities, Amy guided me to investigate new possibilities, counter limiting beliefs, and distinguish a “yes” from a “no.” It wasn’t easy. Along the way, I got stuck in dead ends. Multiple times. But Amy was my secret weapon. At each impasse, she asked probing questions that expanded my horizon and led me past resistance.
Breakthrough
Today I’m in a much different place. Unexpected answers arrived once I ventured beyond my perceived limits. It’s not what I imagined when I embarked on a quest for advice. I’m grateful that in addition to building leadership skills, we explored the richer path of unknowns. For the first time in ages, I’ve chosen my next direction, rather than letting others decide for me, and I’m excited for what’s next. Amy gave me the courage to make big changes I never would have considered before I met her.
Could an executive career coach help you?
If you’re a leader who’s feeling stuck, I’d highly recommend working with executive career coach Amy Sanchez. You’ll grow in ways you can’t yet envision and emerge with wisdom, confidence, and a plan.
Bravely written by Sara T., Former Head of Global UX Studio at a large, multinational tech company
Explore Services Tailored for You
Don't forget to check out some other amazing content I've prepared for you.
How to Manage a Difficult Boss
Going to work every day with a boss you don’t click with ranks up there with getting a tooth pulled without novocaine. It’s downright painful. I’ve been right there with you, a couple of times. And I’ve made some mistakes while trying to manage the situation. Lucky for you, those mistakes have turned into valuable learnings…
Getting Fired From A Job? What To Do When You Get Laid Off
Last Modified On: March 27, 2024, Author: Amy Sanchez So you suddenly find yourself unemployed. Rest assured, you’re in good company. Most anyone who has taken a risk in their career has lost their job at some point. Getting fired from a job and dealing with layoffs may feel overwhelming and uncertain, but remember, you’re…
How Slowing Down Can Make You More Productive and Successful
This past month, I have been working every possible moment to get my business up and running. I’ve been building, creating, networking, pouring over spreadsheets, thinking about my social media strategy, etc. I’ve been consumed with optimizing my time with tasks to reach my objective and stalking my inbox waiting for new leads to come in. Then, the day…
Unhappy In Your Career? Here’s How to Make the Career Change
There are various times in life when we are asked what we want to do with our career. At that age, we don’t even know if there is a thing called ‘Career Change’. From a very young age, people start asking us, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s found relatively…
How to Pull Yourself Out of a Work Rut
If you’ve been feeling unhappy in your job for awhile, chances are you might feel stuck in a rut. This is absolutely normal and completely understandable. It’s hard to commit so many of your waking hours to a job that no longer fuels your fire. Longer term, your answer is likely that you need to…
What is an Executive Career Coach?
Last Modified On: February 18, 2024, Author: Amy Sanchez Beep, beep, beep- as Sasha’s alarm goes off, she slowly opens her eyes and lets out a loud sigh. Just like hundreds of days before this, it’s time to get up, complete the morning routine, and head into work. Years ago, when she accepted her VP role at…