In Focus/Executive coaching: Coaching and performance: Substantiating the link

In today's increasingly competitive, fast-paced, and turbulent business environment, organizational success largely depends on having leaders who can articulate a vision, collaborate and communicate effectively, and draw out the full potential of those they lead. It has been estimated that up to 45% of an organization's performance is linked to the quality of its executive leadership, so it's clear that effective leaders are key to gaining a competitive edge. One increasingly popular way in which organizations are working to develop better leaders is executive coaching. Organizations typically turn to executive coaching to address two 2 P's: potential and problems. In working with emerging leaders, executive coaches can act as an impartial sounding board free of organizational politics. They provide personalized, honest feedback and motivation to identify individual strengths and weaknesses, and they help high-potential employees develop into the organization's future top-level management. But some critics dismiss coaching as a fad.