Executive Coaching is powerful tool in leadership development and as a transition tool, in many reputable & successful fortune 500 companies. It is seen as a viable lever in the development of high potentials and in the retention of top talent, organizations that use coaching report that they’ll likely increase its use in the coming years.

IBM has more than sixty certified coaches among its ranks. Scores of other major companies have made coaching a core part of executive development. The belief is that, under the right circumstances, one-on-one interaction with an objective third party can provide a focus that other forms of organizational support unable.

“This is because there is a great demand in the workplace for immediate results, and coaching can help provide that.” How? By providing feedback and guidance in real time, says Brian Underhill, a senior consultant at the Alliance for Strategic Leadership (Morgan Hill, California). “Coaching develops leaders in the context of their current jobs, without removing them from their day-to-day responsibilities.”