The term “Coaching” refers to two opposing concepts. High-performance coaches work with athletes, singers, actors, and other elite performers. These coaches provide direction, guidance, and advice on how to improve already strong skills. In team sports, a coach is essential for both individual performance and coordination of complex team efforts.
In the world of life skills, coaches are trained not to provide direction or advice. Rather, they are taught techniques designed to elicit the client’s capabilities and strengths. Using a safe space and powerful questions, life coaches help the individual find their own path to success.
Our approach to Executive Coaching is a blend of those two approaches. Executives are high-performing individuals leading high-performing teams and have many capabilities that they bring to the table. At the same time, executives and their teams need guidance and advice to take advantage of the science of and deep experience with people, teams, and organizations.
Carol Kauffman PhD and I have written and spoken about “Infinity Loop Coaching.” This is our model for blending performance-based coaching with life coaching, designed specifically for executives and their teams. Our approach requires a coach who has knowledge and experience in business settings, as well as a deep understanding of people and systems. The coaches at Berman Leadership Development practice this style of coaching, balancing the innate capabilities of our clients with the knowledge of high performance based on both research and decades of experience.
That is why our coaches represent the pinnacle of our field – people with advanced degrees, from the best schools, with decades of experience in business and/or coaching. Our coaches have walked in executives’ shoes and understand all aspects of the business leader’s world.