Leadership coaching or executive coaching?
Both are real options. They differ most on who signs the cheque, which decides almost everything else: the fee, the sales cycle, and what you have to prove before anyone pays.
Leadership coaching
The approach to the deep seam.
- Hourly
- $150 to $400/hr
- Crowding
- Lightly worked
- Who buys
- A rising manager, usually funded by their employer.
- Where work comes from
- LinkedIn, HR and L&D referrals, Coaching bodies
- You need first
- A credential for most corporate buyers. Assessment tools.
- The catch
- You are inside a procurement process. The work is well paid and the sales cycle is months, not weeks.
Executive coaching
The deep seam. Hardest to reach, richest to work.
- Hourly
- $200 to $500/hr
- Crowding
- Lightly worked
- Who buys
- A senior leader, coached on the company’s budget against the company’s objectives.
- Where work comes from
- HR and L&D referrals, Conference speaking, Coaching firm networks
- You need first
- ICF or EMCC credential for most buyers. Documented case studies. Professional liability insurance.
- The catch
- The barrier is credibility, and it cannot be shortcut. Buyers filter on credential and track record before they ever hear your positioning.
The short answer
Executive coaching pays about $7,000 more a year at the midpoint. That gap is real, but it is not free: it usually comes with a harder entry and a longer sales cycle.
Leadership coaching is easier to enter. A credential for most corporate buyers is the main gate, against icf or emcc credential for most buyers on the other side.
If your background already points at one of them, take that one. Credibility you already have is worth more than a slightly better band you have to spend three years earning.