Kathryn Foxhall described executive coaching in her article in Monitor of Psychology as follows:
"... is about helping an executive identify his or her strengths and weaknesses and address both, but other areas of focus many include:
Serving as a sounding board for strategic decision-making.
Coaching a newly promoted employee who has never supervised before.
Helping employees manage their stress.
Helping a team "fight fair" as its members divide up resources for their parts of a make-or-break product development.
Aiding in the "management of uncertainty" in these days when there can be five or six "right" strategies that could be pursued.
Mediating conflicts between executives. A coach often has a kind of temporary authority, say several of the experts, to tell top leaders what no one else can."
Reference:
Foxhall K. (April, 2002) More psychologists are attracted to the executive coaching field, Monitor on Psychology, 33, (4 )