An exploration of coachees’ felt experiences of coaching, where the coachee has been marked out for promotion

In my research project I explore coachees’ felt experiences of coaching where the coachees have been marked out for promotion (Executive Talent).

The purpose of the research is to help improve the effectiveness of coaching and the aim is to give the Executive Talent coachee a voice and platform from which we may gain a greater insight into how Executive Talent coachees feel about their coaching experience. This is driven by my dilemmas around how and for whom we value it.

Executive coaching is a fast growing international industry. Corporate organisations spend significant amounts of training and people development budgets on coaching their senior executives on route to, or following, a promotion.

The unique contributions this research makes to the field of executive coaching for promotion are: the insights are gained from the Executive Talent coachees’ stories from their own perspectives; the stories are about their felt experiences; and are about coaching for promotion, three perspectives currently lacking in the literature.

This qualitative research used the method of individual conversations with 12 Executive Talent coachees to collect the data which I analysed using thematic analysis.
Major findings were: Executive Talent coachees feel more engaged and focused on the coaching when they: feel valued; feel supported by their employing organisation throughout the coaching engagement; and use the coaching experience to reflect on what is important to them from a holistic point of view and not just in respect of a potential promotion. Other findings included: Executive Talent coachees preferred structure with coaching goals, clear expectations, and an arm’s length relationship with a coach who has knowledge and experience in their industry.