Executive Coaching: Step 1 is Contact

We talked about definitions and levels and what steps you take within an executive coaching process. In the following vlogs I want to take you through each executive coaching step one at a time. This first step is called the contact step.

From the moment an executive contacts me to be coached I am in some form of contract or alliance with them. Let's say they've heard someone else speak about me and they call me: Hi, Jim, has talked about you. I'm looking for an executive coach, are you willing to work with me? I always ask to see them live the first time.

Sometimes they make the appointment, sometimes their secretary does it, which is a complication in your executive coaching relationship, which I’ll talk about later. Then we meet or they call. I usually look at their company, or their own profile, or some of their blogs to get some sense of who they are beforehand. Then they call me and tell me their story. And so it starts....