Executive Coaching: Can It Be Done Over the Phone?

Coaching as an industry has never been slow to adapt to the changing way we live our lives. And executive coaching, dealing with the very top levels of professional and personal development, has been leading the way. Engaging an executive coach is one of the most important things you will do to either enhance your own career or to allow your employees to reach their full potential.

If you are an executive or you are a business owner trying to develop your staff, time is one of your most precious commodities. However, advances in the way coaching can be delivered to meet your needs has made it possible to engage coaches who will deliver these services over the phone and, more frequently, over other types of Internet technology. These methods sometimes allow the coaching experience to better fit in with your life schedule. It’s not as if the concept of phone conferencing,,is a new one more and more board meetings are taking place through the use of sophisticated methods of telecommunications.

Advantages and Disadvantages

The major advantage for most people would be the convenience of this type of coaching since it is designed to be delivered in a way that will fit around other commitments. And as executives find the difficulty of maintaining any semblance of a work-life balance is increasing, being able to access this type of counseling on the move, or even on the way home from the office, presents a great advantage.

While some critics argue that the lack of  ‘face time’ between coaches and clients may lack some of the depth of traditional communication coaching techniques, the executive mind usually is geared to work outside of the box. Executives are unique in that they are often forced to communicate without the “personal touch,” and so will be used to and confident in using the phone and Internet in lieu of face time. Any loss of empathy or focus will be marginal when coaches are dealing with this group of people.

Augment the Experience

When you engage an executive coach, phone coaching may well be the main type of coaching you opt for. It does not, however, need to be the only type. Many coaches offer a number of ways in which they deliver their services; you may find it helps to receive most of your coaching over the phone, but you want to have a number of personal one-on-one sessions as well.

Many coaches use groups and seminars as a way of delivering your coaching needs. These methods provide an excellent chance to not only receive coaching, but also to mix with your peers and gain valuable perspective on the lessons you are learning.

You are not tied to receiving coaching in one way or another, and a good coach will be able to offer you a number of services designed to meet your needs.