Does Executive Coaching Work?

Anyone considering coaching should absolutely ask: does executive coaching work?

Transitioning from therapeutic work to executive coaching, I was cynical - not because I didn't believe in the effectiveness of coaching, but because I didn't believe the coaching 'biz' could equal the ethical depth and rigour of clinical work. I've been pleasantly humbled.

In 2004 the Harvard Business Review published 'The Wild West of Executive Coaching' (Sherman and Freas). In referencing this article I hope to embody an ethical position synonymous with coaching - to empower my interlocutor.

Reading Sherman and Freas I'm struck by reminiscence of some therapeutic literature - i.e. admissions of the dearth of quantitative evidence, and an appeal to the subtle complexity of relational work that evades quantification.

Short answer: yes, in my opinion coaching works. The caveat being that the relationship serves the coachee, transparency is privileged, and contracting is a continuous process rather than a one-off.