distinction, and many coaches speak of the continuum between business and
personal life encountered during any engagement; but, for the most part, ex-
ecutive or leadership coaching is meant to meet organizational needs.
Within that domain, we have made further differentiations. The following five
categories seemed to provide adequate “boxes” for all of the coaches that
were interviewed. A qualification is necessary, however. Some coaches were
very firmly members of their particular box. Others recognized that although
they belonged mainly in one category, there were aspects of their coaching
that occasionally crossed over.
Coaching Leaders/Behavioral Coaching
This is the largest and most inclusive category. Typically, the focus of such
coaching is on a leader ’s behaviors, style, vision, or practice. The coach
works with the coachee to understand and optimize
his or her effectiveness in
key relationships.
Career/Life Coaching
All coaching involves change, but coaching for transition focuses on change that
is a part of distinct shifts in level or circumstance. Some coaches work on
guiding a leader or leadership team through a major organizational shift such as
occurs during a merger or acquisition. Others work at optimizing a leader ’s
capabilities as required by a new level of responsibility. Still others define the
career options for an individual who is seeking a new position, level of
responsibility, environment, or role.
Coaching for Leadership Development
Leadership development coaches work to instill a capability in the leader or
leadership team to bring the organization to another level of effectiveness. In
some cases, this means helping the leader become a coach himself or herself.
Coaching for Organizational Change
To some degree, coaching for organizational change is another catchall cate-
gory, defined more by its variety than by any unifying approach. However,
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