The International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching Volume IIX Issue 1 May 2011 Reviewed Section © European Mentoring & Coaching Council – May 2011 ISSN 1815-804X Page 99 of 153 Executive Coaching As a Leadership Development Accelerator Jose Manuel Abstract Executive coaching works. This is confirmed by the positive results obtained from the analysis of the majority of the interventions carried out (in the small but growing body of empirical research). However, in order for coaching to become a more powerful tool, an instrument to enhance leadership learning processes, there is a basic need: to consider the coaching factors that lead to effectiveness from both the executive and the coach perspective. Taking this into account, that is, the need to use a reference operating method involving the executive coaching, we are presenting a framework which intends to make up both the best practices related to business-focused interventions and the best practices carried out in processes of a more psychological nature. The proposed approach is based on the consideration that coaching’s main goal must be the contribution to the acquisition of expert performance. In this process, based on both the behavioural and business management approach, the coach must analize the antecedents – what happens before the behavior- and the consequences – what happens after that behaviour. This is essential for a real contribution to accelerate the change process and the leadership improvement. Key words: executive coaching, leadership, behavior, expert performance. 1. Executive coaching and leadership development Urgency in the workplace has had a dramatic impact on the speed of business change. Companies in any field need to accomplish more in less time than they used to. The response time available to fend off competitors is approaching zero. The new economy leaders need to learn in different ways, deciding what to learn, when and how. The best way for managers to add extra value to their companies is to reduce the time it takes employees to learn and apply the skills and information needed to compete in the new mercurial marketplace. Leadership development needs to be accelerated. The traditional learning methods are no longer appropriate. Training programs are commonly designed using multiple training techniques and multiple outcome measures (Conger & Benjamin, 1999). Among them, on-the-job training (93%) and external seminars (90%) have usually led the rankings of most frequently utilized methods (Saari, Johnson, Mclaughlin & Zimmerle, 1998). A wide variety of formal training programs are occurring in organizations: formal training continues to be the primary type of managerial leadership development intervention, while job assignment remains a close second (Collins, 2001). In recent times, development through job experiences, such as on-the-job-training, job-performance evaluations and feedback programs, participation in special projects or task forces, coaching or mentoring, job rotation, succession planning, and career planning have emerged as a powerful source of learning for managers (McCauley & Brutus, 1998). Other activities like action learning and 360-degree feedback are increasingly key elements of leadership development initiatives.