Executive coaching has grown into a booming industry — fueled by certification programs, coaching bodies, and an ever-expanding pool of “certified coaches.” But scratch the surface, and you’ll find questions worth asking — about both the value of coaching engagements and the competence of those flooding this growing space.
How it all started ..
The pioneers of executive coaching were rarely trained as “coaches” as is understood today. It started as an extension of counselling — with learning & development professionals and psychologists in training and corporate learning taking up the exercise.
Those who understood people and business — former CEOs, business leaders, general managers — were often more effective. What gave them credibility wasn’t a certificate — it was that they had been there. They had ridden the highs and lows of leadership. Their coaching was not just built on frameworks, but on lived, hard-earned experience.
Then one day, some smart one with possibly some good intention of standardising the concept – formalised a packaged body of knowledge, frameworks, and models for others to be part of the system. Something as recent as the early 1990’s. Then came others, and introduced more frameworks. Commonsensical frameworks packed with fancy words, well branded through professional networks, and supported with deep conviction – packaged as – What is coaching, What it means to be a coach, and How to coach. And, then came others, and they expanded their network – added chapters etc.
The Rise of Packaged Coaching
Today, coaching is often reduced to a packaged product — modular programs, standard toolkits, and – The Coaching Certification.
To be fair, many of these certifications go beyond regular workshops. They include practical rigor, guidance from experienced coaches, and are often delivered by former business leaders who themselves got certified, and professionals with reasonable experience formally or informally coaching business leaders.
Relevant for some — especially those with the right background and inclination. But not always valuable for others. If you are already capable, they can make you more structured, shape your ideas and help you deliver better. But ultimately, it’s still a packaged body of knowledge.
A Word on Certifications
On a related note — I’ve never personally loved the concept of degrees or certifications.
I understand their relevance, especially for employers or clients trying to filter through applications or pitches. But I’ve always felt certificates are just a foot in the door — never the true measure of competence.
Even when I delivered workshops and sold certification programs, I would tell participants – These sessions will give you a body of knowledge, a framework, and some insights. They won’t transform you.
They’ll help you look at your business problems differently — but the real learning happens when you do it. Not when you’re taught how to do it.
The acting workshop is the easy part. The stage performance is the real test. And, beyond that – ensuring that you get adequate opportunities to perform – that’s the real deal.
“The “coach factory” model encourages conformity over nuance. Templates over lived understanding. That’s not the kind of support leaders need.”
Who’s Coaching Whom?
You can’t coach a business leader unless you understand leadership. You don’t need to be a CEO — but you need to have been close to the heat. You need to know what it feels like to take a tough call, miss a target, navigate market shifts, or lead an unpopular change.
I’m not a certified coach. I haven’t taken on formal coaching roles.
But I’ve had deep, structured conversations with functional heads, founders, and CxOs — as part of broader consulting engagements. Some of these were routine weekly or fortnightly discussions, exploring business challenges, possibilities, and work on the way forward.
In retrospect, I’ve used parts of coaching frameworks — but never in a textbook way. Every case is different. What works best is the context at hand — not a model. It’s about understanding the messiness of real situations and engaging meaningfully.
That’s the missing piece in many coaching engagements today. When the coach hasn’t been near the realities of business, the session becomes a theoretical, abstract conversation. Detached. Sometimes sterile.
And often, many new coaches struggle to even uncover or visualise meaningful “what-if” scenarios.
The Ambiguity of Outcomes
One of the trickier aspects of executive coaching is that it’s hard to measure. There are rarely clear metrics. Leaders may feel good after sessions — but what actually changed?
Did their decisions improve? Did the team dynamics shift? Was there any breakthrough?
Too often, coaching turns into a feel-good, semi-therapeutic chat sprinkled with reflective questions.
That’s not coaching. That’s just a comfortable (and expensive) conversation.
Coaching as a Fad
There’s also a growing risk of coaching becoming another L&D fad.
Some organizations sign up for it because others are doing the same. Some leaders treat it as a checkbox on their development plan. And for some coaches, it’s a career switch — chosen because it sounded meaningful, came with a certificate, and seemed doable.
The result? Coaching that exists in form — but lacks substance.
The Certification Trap
Let’s be honest — coaching certifications are a business. Like any business, they need to scale. That means more enrolments, lower entry barriers, and standardized content.
This inevitably leads to a growing pool of professionals with shiny certificates — but little readiness.
The good ones stand out. But the noise is real.
The “coach factory” model encourages conformity over nuance. Templates over lived understanding. That’s not the kind of support leaders need.
What Should Organizations and Leaders Watch Out For?
- Don’t confuse certification with capability. It may be necessary, but it’s not sufficient.
- Context matters. Deeply. Choose coaches who understand your business world.
- Set grounded expectations. Coaching isn’t therapy or mentoring. Know what you want from it.
- Look for real traction. There should be movement — in clarity, conviction, or decision-making.
- Avoid comfort coaching. If it’s always comfortable, and never challenging — something’s off.
What Should Aspiring Coaches Consider?
- If you want to take up a certification, go ahead. Treat it as a body of knowledge that can help you — but don’t assume it guarantees success as a Coach. It’s already lost its novelty — and may soon stop being even mildly aspirational.
- Be realistic. A certificate won’t make you a great coach. It won’t become a fallback career unless you’re inclined to push forward.
- One personal suggestion — If you really want – do it while you’re still in a large organisation. That gives you space to practice, build credibility, and evolve.
- Once you’re out of the mainstream, it becomes tougher. Especially if you’re at a mid-level role, or not good at reaching out to people.
So, what’s the final word ..
Coaching — when done well — is powerful. It can unlock clarity, support growth, and trigger transformation.
At a simpler level, it enables non-judgemental conversation – that can itself help bring clarity to the cluttered and decision fatigued mind of many business leaders.
But for that to happen, we need to go beyond the buzzwords and badges. We need more coaches with real experience, curiosity, and the ability to think in real time — not just follow a script.
Otherwise, it’s just another line item in the budget. Another well-meaning, but forgettable, conversation in the executive’s calendar.
Here’s a blunt thought …
If coaching is just reflective prompts and repackaged “what do you think?” questions, maybe a good AI — trained on real scenarios — could do a better job. Even if you talk to a regular AI app , one sitting on your phone – they can do a fairly good job. Try it.
It’s faster. Much cheaper.
And with AI-based coaching apps growing by the day — what happens to that fancy certificate if all it signals is… certification?
Have you tried coaching ? Have you been on either side of the table ? What’s been your experience with executive coaching?
