Executive coaching

Executive coaching is a working relationship between a leader and a professional coach, set up to change specific behaviours over a defined period. It usually starts with some form of assessment, such as stakeholder interviews or 360-degree feedback, agrees a small number of goals, and then works through regular sessions. A good coach asks more than they tell, gives direct feedback, and connects the work to real situations in the leader’s calendar.

The term covers a wide range of practices. Some coaches focus on communication and presence, some on strategy or team leadership, some on a career transition. Qualifications and methods vary a great deal.

For a family successor, coaching often has a second audience: the parent who arranged and usually pays for it. That raises questions a general executive coach may not meet often, such as what the parent sees, how confidentiality works between the generations, and how the coaching relates to the family’s succession plan. The articles is executive coaching worth it for a successor? and how to choose a coach for your successor look at these questions.

Coaching, mentoring or consulting?

These are often confused. Mentoring is usually an experienced leader sharing their own experience and advice, often informally and over a longer time. Coaching is a structured process aimed at specific changes in how the leader behaves. Consulting gives the organisation expert advice or a solution. The article executive coaching vs mentoring for successors sets out the differences.

Why it matters for preparing a successor

Coaching is most useful when it is tied to the successor’s real moments, such as board meetings, a first company address or a hard conversation with the parent, rather than to general leadership topics. It works alongside the family’s governance and legal planning, not in place of it.