4 Advantages of Working With a Specialized Executive Coach

The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Modern Leadership & The Unique Edge of Clinically-Informed Executive Coaching

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, leadership extends beyond traditional management and strategy. Emotional intelligence (EQ or EI) is a critical competency for effective leaders. Research supports that emotionally intelligent leaders are more resilient, effective, and foster better workplace environments. As a result, they are better able to enhance individual and organizational performance than leaders lacking EQ.

EQ consists of 4 main skills which are: self-awareness, self-management, awareness of others, and relationship management. You may be wondering how this translates to leading others in the workplace? Daniel Goleman, an emotional intelligence expert, breaks this down further by outlining 12 emotional intelligence competencies for effective, emotionally intelligent leadership. These competencies are:

1. Emotional Self Awareness
2. Self Management:
   • emotional self-control
   • adaptability
   • achievement orientation
   • positive outlook
3. Awareness of Others/Social Awareness
   • empathy
   • organizational awareness
4. Relationship Management
   • influence
   • coach and mentor
   • conflict management
   • teamwork
   • inspirational leadership (Goleman & Boyatzis, 2017)

Leaders and executives have an important responsibility to continuously reflect and develop their emotional intelligence in order to effective positive performance, growth, and change. There are many benefits to continuously improving emotional intelligence skills.

Benefits of Continous Development of Emotional Intelligence: The Core of Modern Leadership

1. Strong Relationships

Leaders with high emotional intelligence excel at building and nurturing relationships. A 2020 study published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology found that leaders with high EI are more effective in developing high-quality relationships with their subordinates, which enhances job satisfaction and performance (Miao, Humphrey, & Qian, 2020).

2. Enhanced Communication

Effective communication is the cornerstone of leadership, and emotionally intelligent leaders are attuned to the emotional nuances of conversations. Research published in the Harvard Business Review in 2017 indicates that emotionally intelligent leaders are better communicators, as they can convey their messages empathetically and clearly, fostering a positive organizational culture (Goleman, 2017).

3. Improved Conflict Resolution

Workplace conflicts are inevitable, but leaders with high emotional intelligence handle them with sensitivity. A study in the Journal of Applied Psychology found that leaders who exhibit high levels of emotional intelligence are more effective in conflict resolution, leading to improved team dynamics and performance (Mayer, Caruso, & Salovey, 2016).

4. Increased Adaptability

The modern business environment is characterized by constant change. Leaders with strong emotional intelligence are more adaptable, as they manage their emotions and remain resilient in the face of challenges. The American Psychological Association emphasizes that emotionally intelligent leaders can better handle stress and adapt to changing circumstances, which is crucial for organizational success (APA, 2017).

The Unique Edge of Clinically-Informed Executive Coaching

Executive coaches with corporate experience are valuable. They may provide valuable advisory for how to tackle strategic set-backs and industry-specific challenges. However, those with a clinical psychology or counseling background bring an added dimension that can be particularly beneficial in today’s emotionally charged work environments. Traditional executive coaches can give you pointed tips and advice, but may run into challenges when providing support for how to manage the human experience that comes with these challenges. Executive Coaches with a clinical background are better equipped to help identify patterns, address emotional, cognitive, and behavioral barriers, and provide effective strategies for managing their responsibilities despite these experiences. Additionally, they are better able to spot and refer a coaching client to therapy if the personal need arises.

Clinical Experience vs Non-Clinical Experience

Those with clinical backgrounds, such as Clinical Psychologists and Licensed Professional Counselors, have extensive education and training in complex human behavior and systems. They are trained in research, assessment, diagnosis, and intervention, lending them an upper-hand at understanding, diagnosing, and strategizing interventions for complex issues. Their understanding and experience with effecting change in groups enables them to scale development and training to teams and entire organizations.

At minimum, Clinical Counselors hold a Master’s Degree which often includes 3 years (2 in some accelerated programs like mine) of advanced education in addition to at least one clinical experience where they begin providing counseling services requiring at least 500-800 direct client contact hours in counseling individuals or groups. To become licensed they must:

• meet a minimum of 1,900 supervised post-graduate experience in counseling individuals and/or groups
• pass a state exam exhibiting professional psychology, laws, regulations, and ethical competencies
• maintain a minimum of 40 continuing education credits each year to maintain licensure

I’m a bit of a unicorn in that I completed a secondary master’s program in Organizational Behavior with my MA in Counseling. This additional program provided training and field experience in executive coaching and organizational consulting. Despite popular beliefs about therapy, it can involve a heavy degree of coaching as well. Some therapy, and I’d argue effective therapy, involves coaching techniques. Coaching, however, will never involve therapy. Clinically informed coaches will understand and know this boundary, and never cross it. For example, I utilize a lot of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy/Training which can be very directive and uses many coaching techniques.

When it comes to Coaching, it’s much less regulated in that anyone can call themselves a Coach. This presents challenges because despite there being a coaching certification, many people can complete these in a fairly short amount of time. The barrier of entry is much lower.

This is all to say, there are still wonderful, experiences, and professional coaches out there. It really comes down to what you want to address and how much deep change you’re looking to create.

1. Deeper Understanding of Human Behavior

Change is difficult for most people. Clinically-informed executive coaches possess a deep understanding of human psychology, a razor-sharp ability to spot and diagnose issues in individuals, groups/teams, or systems, and are better able to address complexity with actionable steps for change. According to a 2018 article in the Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, this expertise allows them to identify underlying emotional and behavioral patterns impacting leadership effectiveness, leading to more sustainable personal growth (Kilburg, 2018).

2. Advanced Emotional Regulation Techniques

Leaders are most effective when they are able to regulate their emotions and respond with intention rather than reactivity. Whether leading difficult conversations, resolving conflict, communicating during a crisis, or managing multiple demands, leaders are constantly faced with stressful and sometimes high-stakes situations that evoke *natural* emotional responses. Therefore, leaders must be able to manage these emotions so as not to let them impede their connections and performance.

Executive coaches with clinical training are well-versed in emotional regulation and stress management. Research in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology shows that coaches can provide leaders with practical tools to manage their emotional responses and maintain composure in high-pressure situations (Brackett, Mayer, & Warner, 2019).

3. Enhanced Empathy and Insight

A clinical background equips coaches with heightened empathy and the ability to understand complex emotional experiences. This connection fosters a supportive and transformative coaching relationship. Leaders, in turn, extend this empathy to their teams, creating a more inclusive and supportive workplace culture (Cherniss, 2017).

4. Comprehensive Approach to Well-Being

While some coaches provide valuable advisory and helpful skill-building techniques, an executive coach with a clinical background is better able to spot and address barriers to change, planning, and integration of skills that enable someone to sustain learned behaviors and thinking patterns. Clinically informed coaches adopt a holistic and integrative approach to leadership development, considering both professional competencies and mental well-being. This comprehensive approach prevents burnout and promotes long-term success, as highlighted by the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies (Boyatzis & McKee, 2020).

How to Develop Emotional Intelligence and Become an Emotionally Intelligent Leader

It’s easy to see the benefits of emotional intelligence not only improve leader and executive careers, it also improves personal well-being. Emotional intelligence is a skill set that can be developed with a skilled and clinically informed executive coach. If you’d like to learn more about how to develop your emotional intelligence, reach out!

References

• American Psychological Association. (2017). The role of emotional intelligence in effective leadership.
• Brackett, M. A., Mayer, J. D., & Warner, R. M. (2019). Convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of competing measures of emotional intelligence. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 24(2), 200-217.
• Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2020). Resonant leadership: Renewing yourself and connecting with others through mindfulness, hope, and compassion. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 27(1), 56-66.
• Cherniss, C. (2017). Emotional intelligence: Toward clarification of a concept. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 10(2), 415-438.
• Goleman, D. (2017). What makes a leader? Harvard Business Review, 95(6), 93-102.
• Kilburg, R. R. (2018). Executive coaching: Developing managerial wisdom in a world of chaos. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 54(3), 279-283.
• Mayer, J. D., Caruso, D. R., & Salovey, P. (2016). The ability model of emotional intelligence: Principles and updates. Emotion Review, 8(4), 290-300.
• Miao, C., Humphrey, R. H., & Qian, S. (2020). Leader emotional intelligence and subordinate job satisfaction: A meta-analysis of main, mediator, and moderator effects. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 93(3), 772-803.