November 21, 2009 – Winnipeg Free Press

Everyone is familiar with sports coaching — from Olympic athletes to parent coaches for five-year-old hockey players and infant swimming programs. Yet it has taken quite some time for coaching to enter the business world as a recognized and accepted strategy for leadership development.

With succession planning and leadership becoming two of the top issues of concern for organizations, executive coaching is continuing to gain popularity.
According to a recent study by the American Management Association, leadership development is the main reason for hiring an executive coach. This includes transitioning to a new job, especially if the job role consists of a promotion to a more senior level. Coaching is used when a leaders’ performance is off track and he or she is considered “at risk.” Executive coaches are also used for career development through which high-potential leaders are given guidance on personal skill development as well as their career path within the organization.

At the same time, executive coaching is increasingly moving away from the stigma of being perceived only as a solution to a problem; rather, it is more frequently utilized and seen as a means of improving the engagement of employees.

Coaching in this case is provided to boost performance based on positive skills rather than focusing on fixing areas of challenge. Read story.