As the world continues its transition to the new virtual environment, executive coaches and businesses alike have adopted mobile applications as a means of managing their practice and maintaining engagement with clients and employees. In this insight article, we shed light on the most popular software and applications used by executive coaches to supplement and support their practice.
“Our future success is directly proportional to our ability to understand, adopt, and integrate new technology into our work.” - Sukant Ratnakar
Coaching software
There are many software platforms available for coaches. Many of these platforms offer coaches the ability to organize their coaching sessions virtually; keeping track of client’s notes and goals all in one place. Many also provide a place for coaching session scheduling and progress tracking. These programs can help coaches improve the impact of their coaching practice by giving clients a way to revisit their coaching session goals and check-in periodically with their own progress.
The following are a few apps used by coaches worldwide. There are many more software programs available, and therefore, we encourage you to view this as an informative introduction to the type of options available for your coaching practice.
Kori D. Miller of Positive Psychology shares that the “MasterCoach app provides a strengths-based, action-focused experience for coaches and clients” (2021). The MasterCoach Institute shares that the app is based on their “Online Enterprise Coaching Programme.” This program shares with leaders a 3-step coaching model and how to use their MasterCoach App.
This app is focused on identifying the strengths of individuals and provides action plans based on these strengths, which are then used as coaching templates. To maximize coaching impact, the app has a section that helps executive coaches and their clients “follow through” by keeping “track of all agreed action steps, and [requesting] your client to update progress regularly.” Reviews of the MasterCoach App are generally positive, often stating the value of having client information in one database.
Coach Accountable is a service that helps bridge the gap between coaching sessions. It reminds coached clients to accomplish their goals through a “game plan,” record keeping, and reminders. Coaches can also use the app to further “document” the “wisdom” given in coaching sessions, thus helping “clients actually do the work.” Coach Accountable encourages follow through with plans made during coaching sessions. The reviews for Coach Accountable are promising and Capterra reports Coach Accountable as an emerging app favorite for 2021.
eMentorConnect was identified by Capterra as one of the top executive coaching apps. This program offers appointment scheduling, curriculum management, goal management, mentor/coach matching, and progress tracking. eMentorConnect claims to “save time” by “matching and managing your participants,” “increase program engagement” with a “customizable platform,” measure “program success,” and improve “participant matching.” eMentorConnect has an overall 4.9 out of 5 star rating.
Chronus is a software platform for coaches that claims to increase “mentoring program growth” by 88%, a ten-fold increase of ROI, and a 50% “increase in program engagement.” They seek to help executive coaches and businesses “engage, develop, and retain” their clients or employees. They have received the Brandon Hall Gold award for excellence in technology, been identified as one of the top 5000 “fastest-growing private companies in America”, and been awarded the Stevie Award for customer service team of the year. Their software is customizable and uses their proprietary “matchIQ” algorithm. Executive coaches can use this to track the progress of their clients, while giving clients access to their coaching plan outside of the traditional one-to-one coaching session.
Together is a software platform that helps executive coaches “launch and manage internal mentorship programs.” They offer online registration, scheduling, development plans, and reporting. The program has been identified as a top executive coaching software app by Capterra and has a 5-star rating.
“It is not what technology does to us, it is what we do to technology. Get smart with technology, choose wisely and use it in a way that benefits both you and those around you.” - Headspace.com
Mindfulness apps
Mindfulness has been shown to positively impact the executive coaching industry. See Dr. Ozzie Gontang’s analysis of how impactful mindfulness is for the executive coach and their clients here. The following list is only a handful of the many mindfulness apps available for download. Each app has its own pros and cons. We advise trying several apps to find what works best for you.
The Headspace app gives users a library of “tension-releasing workouts, relaxing yoga, focus music playlists, and more” to help users incorporate “mindfulness [as] part of [their] daily routine.” Headspace states that their library of meditations can help users “learn to manage feelings and thoughts with the lifelong skill of everyday mindfulness.” They also offer informative articles so app users can further apply mindfulness techniques to their lives. Headspace has a 4.9 out of 5 star rating in the Apple app store.
Courtney Ackerman of Positive Psychology states that The Mindfulness App “is a good app for beginners” and is an “app designed to train you in mindfulness” with guided meditations (2021). The primary goal of The Mindfulness App is to “help you to become more present in your daily life.” They have received a 4.7 out of 5 star rating on Apple’s app store.
Mindfulness Daily is an app that focuses on building the habit of mindfulness. This app reminds users to practice mindfulness at designated points throughout the day. The app has a “structured guided routine,” making it easier for users to habitually practice mindfulness. The Mindfulness Daily app has an average 4.7 out of 5 stars on the Apple app store (Ackerman, 2021).
Ten Percent Happier is an app that seeks to help users “learn to meditate from the world’s top mindfulness experts.” This app was developed from a book called 10% Happier by Dan Harris and claims that users will be 10% happier when practicing meditation. The Ten Percent Happier website also has several articles on mindfulness, answering several common questions about mindfulness meditation.
“IQ and technical skills are important, but emotional intelligence is the sine qua non of leadership” - Daniel Goleman
Emotional Intelligence apps
Emotional Intelligence is also highly beneficial for executive coaches. Being able to acknowledge emotions helps people respond differently to situations, instead of reacting to them emotionally. The following apps are said to help with emotional intelligence development.
The Mood Meter app seeks to help users “build emotional intelligence that lasts a lifetime.” The app helps people expand their emotional vocabulary, gain insights about their feelings, regulate their feelings, check-in with themselves, and view how their emotions are affecting their decisions, relationships, and performance. The Mood Meter bases its platform on the “RULER program” which has the following core skills: “recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulate emotions.” On their website, they claim that the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence says “The Mood Meter develops emotional intelligence over time. Learning to identify and label emotions is a critical step toward cultivating emotional intelligence.”
Although this app initially seems similar to many of the above mindfulness apps, it specifically encourages users to acknowledge their current emotions. They offer users a list of emotions to identify with and then provide several activities to help manage this emotion. There are currently over 20,000 five star ratings for the My.Life app. In 2019, they were awarded the best app by Healthline.com and were a 2020 app of the day in the Apple app store.
“The intelligent use of science and technology are the tools with which to achieve a new direction” - Jacque Fresco
Other apps
The following apps can also be applied to the executive coaching practice in a variety of ways.
This app is a development of the Positive Intelligence program created using “Shirzad Chamine’s New York Times best selling book Positive Intelligence,” and his lectures at Stanford University. The goal of Positive Intelligence or PQ training is to determine your mental fitness. “Mental fitness is a measure of the strength of your positive mental muscles (Sage) versus the negative (Saboteur).” This app helps users increase their PQ score and mental fitness with various mindfulness strategies, 10-second PQ reps, community, and live video sessions. The Positive Intelligence program is a widely accepted and praised program. Their app currently has 4.7 out of 5 stars on Google Play’s reviews section and is used by Yale University, Google, and Stanford University, among other major businesses.
It is a well-known and researched fact that fitness and physical health has a direct effect on mental wellbeing, career performance, and relationships with others. Because of this, fitness is a common goal amongst many individuals. The FitOn app offers multiple fitness workshops and classes of varying types and degrees of difficulty. The app also offers nutrition information and meditation sessions. This app has a 4.9 out of 5 star rating on the Apple app store.
For an extra boost of positivity, this app provides users with a short and positive quote every day. Their goal is to increase positive thinking in their users and inspire them to greatness. This app has a 4.5 out of 5 star rating on Google Play and has been featured in the New York Times and Harper’s Bazaar.
The Main Takeaway
As the coaching field continues to grow in participation and age, so has the use of mobile phone apps in today’s society. To stay up-to-date with the current trend of app usage by business leaders and society as a whole, executive coaches are encouraged to consider what apps can supplement and support their coaching process.
“The number one benefit of information technology is that it empowers people to do what they want to do. It lets people be creative. It lets people be productive. It lets people learn things they didn’t think they could learn before, and so in a sense, it is all about potential” - Steve Ballmer
References
Ackerman, Courtney. “Top 14 Apps For Meditation and Mindfulness ( Reviews).” PositivePsychology.com, 24 May 2021, positivepsychology.com/mindfulness-apps/.
Capterra. “Mentoring Software.” Mentoring Software - Review Leading Systems, www.capterra.com/sem-compare/mentoring-software/?gclid=CjwKCAjwjdOIBhA_EiwAHz8xmwOFl-1bOpynvlCD8YcsKdYR7ETp2HuF-4IPS_whq-PXtJwLmrE5sxoCmKsQAvD_BwE.
Capterra. “CoachAccountable Pricing, Alternatives & More 2021.” Capterra, www.capterra.com/p/156610/CoachAccountable/.
Miller, Kori D. “20 Helpful Coaching Apps and Software to Upgrade Your Practice.”
PositivePsychology.com, 25 May 2021, positivepsychology.com/coaching-apps-software/.
Murray, Becki. “The Best Well-Being and Meditation Apps.” Harper's BAZAAR, Harper's BAZAAR, 5 May 2020, www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/beauty/mind-body/g31467242/best-wellness-meditation-apps/.
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