What Executive Coaching Costs and How It Is Priced

Executive coaching for senior leaders is usually priced as an engagement over several months, rather than session by session.

That makes a single number hard to quote without knowing the scope. This guide covers how engagements are put together, what moves the cost up or down, and what to ask any coach before you sign.

What an engagement usually includes

A typical engagement with a senior leader includes:

A kickoff session to agree the objectives
A 360: confidential interviews with colleagues, or a validated assessment such as the Leadership Circle Profile
A written development plan with a small number of priorities
Regular coaching sessions over 4 to 12 months
Check-ins with the leader’s manager, and HR where relevant, when the organization is paying

Not every coach includes all of these. When you compare quotes, compare what is in them.

What drives the cost

Length and cadence. 6 months of sessions every 2 weeks costs less than 12 months of weekly sessions.
The 360. Interviewing 8 to 10 colleagues takes hours of conversations and synthesis. Some coaches price it separately.
The leader’s level and scope. A C-suite executive or a leader with a global remit usually means more preparation and more stakeholder work.
The coach’s experience and credentials. The International Coaching Federation awards three credential levels (ACC, PCC and MCC). Master Certified Coach requires the most coaching experience.
Who is paying. A company-sponsored engagement carries more structure, such as meetings with the sponsor, than a leader working privately.

Company-sponsored engagements

When an organization pays, the contract is usually with the organization, and the budget often sits with HR, talent or the leader’s business unit. The sponsor agrees the objectives with the leader and sees the development priorities. Sessions and the 360 report stay confidential to the leader.

Here is how a sponsored engagement runs at Better Together Group, stage by stage.

Self-funded engagements

Some leaders pay for coaching themselves. The structure is simpler: there are no sponsor meetings, and everything in the work stays with the leader. The decision to start is usually faster, too.

See Coaching & Advisory for working with Claudia directly.

Is it worth it?

Results depend on the leader, the sponsor and the context, and no coach can guarantee them. What an organization can do is make the value visible: agree 2 to 4 development priorities at the start, name the behavior shifts that would show progress, and review them with the leader’s manager at the midpoint and the end.

Is executive coaching tax deductible?

It depends on who pays, why, and where you file. Ask your tax advisor before you assume either way.

What to ask a coach before you sign

What exactly is included, and what is priced separately?
How many sessions, over what period?
Is there a 360, and who sees the results?
What will the sponsor see, and what stays confidential?
How will progress be reviewed, and by whom?
What is the cancellation policy?
Which credential does the coach hold, and how much of their work is with leaders at this level?

More on choosing a coach: How to Choose an Executive Coach.

How Better Together Group prices engagements

Each engagement is quoted after a first conversation, once the leader, the context and the scope are clear. Company-sponsored engagements typically run 4 to 12 months and include the 360, the development plan and three sponsor touchpoints. Confidential advisory is offered as a monthly retainer.