Abstract
Senior executive nursing roles demand excellence and rigor in both the technical and interpersonal domains of leadership. Many nurse leaders have begun seeking innovative self-development programs and practices to assist them as they strive to improve their effectiveness as leaders in complex organizations. One practice that has gained in popularity is that of engaging a leadership "coach." To understand this relatively new trend in healthcare leadership, the authors interviewed 4 coaches and 4 nurse leaders who had been coached. In this article, they present their overall findings about the effectiveness of coaching as a leadership development tool and offer recommendations for leaders who are interested in engaging a coach.