A recent post in the Wall Street Journal blog, Independent Street, posed the following question: Executive Coaching - Worth the Money? I am obviously biased, but there are ample hard data and anecdotal data to answer that question in the affirmative. I believe coaching is most effective when it is used for personal or professional development purposes rather than as a last ditch effort to “fix” someone who is under performing. That said, coaching can have a very powerful and positive impact in any situation if the person being coached is open, willing to look in the mirror, and ready to make some changes.

Executive coaching can be expensive, it’s true. But, it’s no more expensive than other executive development programs. And, most of those programs don’t include what coaching can offer - personalized and customized one-on-one attention.

I attended a presentation earlier this week by an experienced executive who encouraged the audience members to ask for a professional coach when negotiating an employment offer or when successfully completing an important project for their current employer. I thought that was really good advice. What do you think?