What Is Executive Coaching and What Do Executive Coaches Do?

If you’ve ever wondered what executive coaches actually do, you’re not alone. With coaching becoming a staple in boardrooms, leadership retreats, and development programs, the curiosity around this profession is growing. Simply put, executive coaches work with leaders to unlock potential, sharpen leadership skills, and drive personal and professional growth. But this isn’t a one-size-fits-all service. Executive coaching is tailored, strategic, and deeply personal. Let’s explore what to expect from executive coaching—and whether it’s something worth considering for your leadership journey.
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Executive Coaching

What Executive Coaches Help You With — The Core Services

So, what does an executive coach do? Think of them as a trusted thinking partner. Their role is to challenge, support, and guide you through your leadership development. They don’t tell you what to do—instead, they help you see options you might have missed and find the best path forward.

Key focus areas

  • Clarifying goals and priorities: Whether you’re transitioning roles, scaling a team, or navigating uncertainty, a coach helps map out the big picture and break it down into manageable steps.
  • Improving communication and influence: From boardroom presentations to performance conversations, coaches help polish your message and your presence.
  • Sharpening strategic thinking: They provide a sounding board to work through ideas, pressure-test strategies, and strengthen decision-making.
  • Managing team dynamics and conflict: A coach can offer tools and frameworks to improve how you lead others—especially under pressure.
  • Building resilience and self-awareness: Executive coaches help leaders understand their triggers, habits, and blind spots—then work to shift them.

If you’ve ever thought, “I need someone who gets the pressures I’m under, but isn’t emotionally invested in the outcome,”—this is where coaching comes in.

Click above to see how we can help you unlock your potential.

What Makes a Great Executive Coach?

A great executive coach doesn’t give lectures. They listen deeply, ask powerful questions, and hold space for reflection and progress. So what separates an average coach from an outstanding one?

What to look for in an executive coach

  • Real-world experience: Many top coaches have held senior leadership roles themselves. They understand the stakes.
  • Emotional intelligence: The ability to read between the lines, spot resistance, and respond with empathy is essential.
  • Accountability with care: Good coaches will support you, but they’ll also keep you honest. They hold up the mirror and ask the tough questions.
  • Custom approach: No two clients are the same. Skilled coaches adapt their style and techniques to suit your goals, challenges, and personality.

Importantly, great coaches know it’s not about them. The focus is always on helping you develop into the leader you want to be.

Why Executive Coaching Works: Benefits for Leaders and Teams

Still wondering what to expect from executive coaching? The benefits go far beyond performance metrics.

Here’s what coaching often unlocks:

  • Sharper leadership presence – You’ll learn to lead with clarity, calm and confidence—even in high-stakes situations.
  • Greater self-awareness – Understand how your behaviours impact others, and where your strengths truly lie.
  • Improved team outcomes – When leaders grow, teams follow. Coaching often leads to better collaboration, trust, and results.
  • Faster decision-making – With the right tools and frameworks, you’ll feel more confident making critical calls.
  • Long-term career development – Coaching often sparks a renewed sense of purpose and direction.

More companies are recognising that executive coaching isn’t just for those struggling. In fact, it’s most powerful when used to fine-tune top performers or prepare leaders for bigger roles.

Click above to see how we can help you unlock your potential.

Executive Coaching: Trends & Users

Executive coaching isn’t just for the C-suite anymore. It’s now widely adopted across leadership levels in both corporate and educational settings.

Here’s what’s happening out there:

  • Fortune 500 companies invest heavily in coaching as part of their leadership development strategy.
  • EMBA programs are increasingly offering coaching to students—sometimes to over 80% of cohorts.
  • HR leaders see coaching as a way to retain top talent, develop emerging leaders, and foster a healthy culture.
  • Start-up founders and scale-up CEOs use coaches to navigate growth pains, align teams, and build resilience.

In short, executive coaching has gone from “nice to have” to “essential” for many high-performing teams.

Executive Coaching vs Mentoring vs Therapy: What’s the Difference?

One of the most common misconceptions about coaching is that it’s the same as therapy or mentoring. Let’s clear that up.

  • Executive coaching vs. mentoring: Mentors typically offer advice based on their personal experience. Coaches, on the other hand, won’t tell you what they would do—they help you uncover your own best answers.
  • Executive coaching vs. therapy: Therapy explores emotional and psychological issues, often looking at the past. Coaching is action-oriented and focused on the present and future. It’s about moving forward, not digging into childhood.

This is why executive coaching feels practical and energising. It’s about making progress, gaining clarity, and becoming more intentional in how you lead.

Take the Next Step in Your Leadership

If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Am I leading as effectively as I could?”—you’re already on the path to growth. Executive coaching is the next step.

Whether you’re navigating big changes, preparing for your next role, or simply want a fresh perspective, working with a coach can be the game-changer you’ve been looking for.

Don’t let leadership feel like a solo mission. Peeplcoach will help you find an executive coach who fits your style—and start building the kind of leadership legacy you’re proud of.

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Jo Hart

Jo Hart is the Chief Operating Officer at Peeplcoach, where she focuses on optimising the systems and processes that drive the delivery of accessible, high-quality coaching.

With over 23 years of experience, Jo’s career has spanned finance, operations, project management, optimisation, learning and development, and leading project teams. She has worked both locally and internationally, supporting organisations in achieving efficiency and effectiveness across industries such as financial services, health services, information technology, insurance, media, and retail.

Jo has held significant roles at Deutsche Bank, Adecco Group, and the Australian Association of Social Workers. Known for her love of challenges, Jo is dedicated to contributing to her team’s efforts in delivering development opportunities that enhance engagement and help people and organisations reach their full potential.

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Richard Tootill

Richard is the Sales Manager at Peeplcoach, bringing over 10 years of experience in solution sales across leadership development and coaching, recruitment, and SaaS technologies within the IT and digital space. He has worked in various environments, including global corporates, fast-growing companies, and start-ups, with a career that includes roles at Oracle, Seek, and Elmo Software. Richard has primarily focused on driving new business in the B2B space, working with some of Australia’s most well-known organisations, including Fortescue Metals Group, Multiplex, Commonwealth Bank, Arup, and Austrade, to name a few.

In all his roles, Richard’s passion lies in solving challenges for both individuals and organisations, helping people be the best they can be. His goal is to help organisations succeed and empower individuals to reach their full potential by finding what they love to do.

Richard also holds a Bachelor of Business from Griffith University (QLD), majoring in sports management.

Michael Rainey

Michael is the Projects Manager at Peeplcoach, responsible for ensuring seamless operations across various processes, from launching new coachees on the platform to onboarding Peeplcoach coaches and introducing new content.

With over 25 years of experience, Michael’s career has spanned roles in finance, human resources, training, learning, and organisational development. He has contributed to the success of organisations such as CBA, Mercedes-Benz, Lumo Energy, Yarra Valley Water, and Bendigo Kangan Institute of TAFE. Michael holds a Bachelor of Education & Training, a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours), a Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Management, and a Graduate Diploma in Psychological Studies.

His mission is to develop and enable others, equipping them with the tools they need to reach their full potential while driving the organisation’s success.

Email: Michael.Rainey@peeplcoachstg.wpenginepowered.com

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Zana Ballantyne

Zana is both a Master Coach and the Head of Coaches at Peeplcoach. In her role, she is responsible for recruiting, growing, developing, leading, and inspiring a team of passionate and talented coaches, all dedicated to making coaching accessible to everyone.

She currently leads a team that supports emerging and developing leaders across Australia, New Zealand, the US, the UK, Singapore, and India. With over 25 years of experience in people development and leadership across continents, Zana is renowned for driving people-led organisational change and cultivating positive cultures. Her expertise includes working with various levels of leadership in industries such as GE, Coles, ADP, Consumer Affairs, and Ambulance Victoria, with notable clients including Asahi, Dulux, Inghams, Latrobe City Council, and Bega.

Zana holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Organisational Coaching and is a qualified practitioner and facilitator in DISC, LSI, GSI, NLP, MBTI, and Change Acceleration Process (PCI). As a leader and coach, she excels in uncovering hidden challenges and empowering individuals to find actionable solutions. Her approach prioritizes building capability, creating high-performing teams, and driving sustainable business results through people-first strategies.

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Margaret Haarhoff

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Karin Moorhouse

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James Chisholm

James Chisholm is the Co-Founder and Executive Coach at Peeplcoach. He brings over 25 years of business leadership experience performing roles in executive general management, board directorship, business development, leadership coaching, team facilitation and operational leadership. His career has covered multiple industries including building technology services, asset management, renewable energy and not-for-profit with large multi-national corporations, private companies and SMEs including Honeywell and WATCH Disability Services. 

With extensive local and international experience, James has led teams of up to thousands of employees across varied countries and cultures and enjoys working with diverse groups of people to achieve outcomes with a sense of purpose and alignment with his personal values. In addition to his leadership and executive coaching work, James frequently facilitates leadership and executive team sessions where constructive culture and high performance are the desired outcomes.

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Christine Khor

Christine Khor is CEO, Founder and Lead Coach at Peeplcoach and is passionate about the role that coaching has in accelerating performance for individuals, teams and organisations and making Peeplcoach the best leadership coaching platform she can!

Before becoming an executive coach and launching Peeplcaoch, Christine started her career In marketing management with global organisations such as Kraft Foods, Hallmark Cards and Simplot Australia.

After a successful career leading teams, Christine started the recruitment and executive search company Chorus Executive where she has partnered with hundreds of organisations and thousands of individuals offering recruitment, search and business, career and executive coaching services. In 2020 launched Peeplcoach with the mission to make coaching accessible to all employees within an organisation, not executives only.

As an executive coach at Peeplcoach, Christine partners with all levels of employees within an organisation from emerging leaders to executives. With her c-suite and start-up business and leadership experience Christine brings a commercial and pragmatic approach to her coaching sessions. Christine holds several qualifications including a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Business Administration, Post Graduate Diploma in Policy Studies and Graduate Diploma in Organisational Change and Executive Coaching.

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