Executive Coaching for Social Work Faculty

Executive coaching considers the challenges and opportunities of leaders and organizations. Social work faculty face unique challenges that require academic expertise, leadership acumen, and management skills. While executive coaching has been a long-standing practice in the corporate world, its relevance to social work faculty is relatively unrecognized. This paper examines the science of executive coaching and its alignment with the research, teaching, and service responsibilities of social work faculty. It also presents a framework for how executive coaching can align with professional development for social work faculty. While not all social work faculty aspire to someday hold administrative roles, there may be opportunities for leadership throughout their careers for which executive coaching can position them for success. The implications of executive coaching for social work faculty include the opportunity to examine their potential leadership capabilities, enhance job satisfaction, and serve as social impact leaders for students, colleagues, and the profession.