All About GMAT Math

All About GMAT MathAll About GMAT MathTime 75 minutesQuestions37 questionsQuestion Types Problem SolvingTopics tested Data SufficiencyArithmeticAlgebraGeometryProblem SolvingProblem Solving is the classic standardized test question type. You will be presented with a question and given five possible answer choices. Problem Solving questions test basic math skills, an understanding of elementary mathematical concepts, and the ability to reason quantitatively. Some questions require only simple computations or manipulations others require multi-step problem-solving. When approaching Problem Solving questions, it will be important to decipher question stems quickly and determine what the best approach is for any given question, based upon content, timing, and your own strengths and weaknesses. Click here for sample Problem Solving questions.Data SufficiencyData Sufficiency questions are unique to the GMAT, and considered by many test-takers to be the more challenging question type. To master Data Sufficiency questions, you will need sufficient practice with this question type, as well as a proven method to approach every question. Each Data Sufficiency question consists of a question and two statements of data. Test takers must determine whether the statements provide sufficient data to answer the question. Your success on Data Sufficiency will require a clear understanding of the directions and how to eliminate answers efficiently, which will come with strategic, guided practice. Click here for sample Data Sufficiency questions. No CalculatorsCalculators are not allowed on the GMAT exam, and therefore scratch-work is extremely important. The administrator will provide you with a booklet of 5 noteboards for scratch work that may be replaced after you have used them all. You may not remove ansicht from the testing room. All scratch work must be returned at the end of the test session. You will need to use these noteboards strategically, to make all of your computations for the quantitative section, as well as to eliminate answer choices as you go. Preparing for the GMAT Quantitative SectionPreparation is extremely important for the GMAT exam, which is a computer-adaptive exam and therefore requires specific strategies and sufficient practice to become comfortable with the format and testing experience. When preparing for the GMAT quantitative section, you will want to spend time reviewing the math content tested on the exam, as well as learn a variety of strategies for common question types. Your goal by test day is to have numerous options for tackling any given question, whether it be a traditional math approach, a test-taking strategy, or making a strategic guess. Realistic practice will make a difference in your comfort level with the exam and your success with particular question types. Whether you decide on private tutoring, a classroom course, or online preparation, make sure that you allow sufficient time to prepare for th e GMAT exam in order to get the score you need for your target business school. For more information about GMAT preparation and business school applications, please see www.kaptest.com/business. About Kaplan Test Prep & AdmissionsKaplan Test Prep and Admissions, a division of Kaplan, Inc., is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With 4,000 classroom locations worldwide, a comprehensive menu of online offerings and a complete array of books and software, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 80 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as English language and professional licensing exams. To prepare students for the GMAT exam, we offer a variety of comprehensive, realistic preparation options, including one-on-one private tutoring, classroom courses with flexible schedules, Advanced classe s for high-scoring students, online courses for the ultimate option in flexibility, and admissions consulting to help you submit compelling applications to business school. Our website features tips on each aspect of the business school application, free GMAT practice, and free event listings. Our mission is to help every student realize their potential and achieve their educational and career goals. Were eager for the opportunity to help you do the same.

11 unproductive habits youre going to want to quit

11 unproductive habits youre going to want to quit11 unproductive habits youre going to want to quitThe reason I study productivity is because Im an unproductive person. I truly am.I sleep too much. I talk too much. I read too much. I listen to music all day. I watch movies. I buy gadgets that turn me into a zombie.If it wasnt for my productivity ordnungsprinzip, I wouldnt get anything done. I wouldnt even write this article. But if you browse social media, all you see is super productive, healthy, and wealthy people. Is that really the case?I dont know. I just know this You cant be productive 24/7. And a big part of being productive is about getting rid of unproductive habits we all have.What follows is a list of eleven unproductive habits that I learned to do less, or eliminate. Do you have a few of these habits? Dont worry, were all unproductive at times. But if you have five or mora, it might be time to change.Lets start.OverworkingSome days I can work 12 or 13 hours straight. I just take a break for exercising and eating. And I can keep that up for a few days. But after a few days, there always comes a crash. Big time. I struggle. I cant get stuff done. I dont even want to get stuff done. Its not good. So I learned to be more calculated with how much I work. Like Ernest Hemingway,stop working at the height of your day.WorryingWhat if I go broke? What if I lose my job? What if she doesnt love me? What if I get krebs? What if this plane crashes? What if I lose my sight? What if I? You got your head so far in the sand like an ostrich that you cant see how self-absorbed that way of thinking is. Heres the thing YOURE NOT GOING TO DIE RIGHT THIS SECOND. Get over yourself. Stop worrying. And do something useful.StubbornnessWe deal with people all the time. Do you ever think Why should I listen to this guy? Or What does she know? I dont know. Maybe more than you do? We just dont know until we listen to others. When youre always cynical and stubborn, youre actually sabotagingyourself.Ignoring your healthThe way you feel determines the quality of your work. If youre always tired and feel bad, how do you expect to do great work? When youre in good shape and eat well, your work will reflect that.Checking thingsWhat are you doing? We often say something like I was just checking Instagram, or something like that. But checking is not a useful activity. It might be a verb, but its not a real action. When I started blogging, I always checked my stats for no reason. Then I thought Whats the outcome of checking? Nothing. So stop doing it.Not having goalsEvery time successful people say, I dont have goals, I know they are full of shit. Who can be successful at anything without aiming for it. Dont believe the stories. People just want to make you believe they became successful without effort.Set a goal, and then work towards it.Saying yesMost people are afraid to say no. Maybe you dont want to let people down. Maybe you are uncomfortable with the word no . I dont know. Doesnt matter, really. What matters is this If you keep saying yes, youre living someone elses life. Think about it. Deep down, we all know that its true. Were not even in control of our own time. Want to be in full control of your life? Say no to a million things and yes to a few things that matter.Relying on your memoryNot writing down your thoughts, ideas, tasks, etc, is insane. Why? Because youre wasting a lot of brain power when you rely on your memory. When you write everything down, you can use your brainpower for other things. Like solving problems. Thats actually useful and advances your career.Neglecting your personal educationWoohoo I finished college. Goodbye lame old books Who learns one thing and stops forever? I dont even know why we have that idea planted in our brain. I always thought that learning stops when you get out of school. But the truth is Yourlifestops when learning stops. Invest in yourself. Learn something. Read books. Get courses. Watch v ideos. Do it from home or go places. It doesnt matter. Just learn new things. Youll be more productive and more excited about life.ComplainingWe all know, and yet, we alldo it. Complaining is one of those habits we always try to quit. But it never lasts. Im no different. Thats why I always remind myself that complaining is a waste of effort. Just the awareness of that will help you to stop.Lack of focusMany successful people say that theability to focusis the number one reason theyve made it big. And its no surprise. The people who are all over the place never seem to get anywhere.Often, people dont understand why I focus on whatnotto do. The reason is that I like to learn by inverting. Its the same strategy Warren Buffett andCharlie Mungerused to become the most well-known investors of the world.When you want to become successful or productive, look at how you become the opposite. Turn things upside down. Thats what weve done in this article too.By simply avoiding these unproductiv e habits, youll automatically become more productive. When you combine this with a handful of productivity tips (see here), you have a reliable system.And I always rely on my system to work smarter, better, happier, and effectively. It took me years to figure out that having a system is a good thing, and a few more years to create one, but it was worth it.Because now, I get to be a productive person.Not bad for an unproductive person, right?This article first appeared onDariusForoux.com.

The best (and worst) states to begin a start-up

The best (and worst) states to begin a start-upThe best (and worst) states to begin a start-upStart-ups are cool. You can learn a lot working at a start-up given that you know its a start-up and everyone is figuring out what works on the fly (this is also a metaphor for life).However, if you have a brilliant idea that the world needs to see, and youre thinking about starting up a start-up, its best to know where to start up a start-up before you close down before you even start up.Phew.Lucky for you, weve already done the research. Welcome to the point of this study.Today, were looking at the best states to start up a start-up. And that was my last use of alliteration, I promise.These are the 10 best states in America to open a start-upMassachusettsCaliforniaColoradoWashingtonNew YorkUtahVirginiaMarylandOregonTexasWell, well, well Silicon Valley actually isnt the best place to be in the start-up world after all.Why?Lets dive a little deeper into the data.Summary of findingsMassachu setts is the best state for start-ups each establishment received an average of $2.5 million to begin operationsCalifornia, home to the aforementioned Silicon Valley, comes in at second on the list the state still had the most deals for start-ups at 586Colorado, Washington, and New York round out the top five statesMississippiranks as the worst state to begin a start-upWyoming,South Dakota, Montana, andAlaskaround out the bottom fiveHow we did itFor this study, we created an index using data fromPricewaterhouseCoopersQ2 2018 MoneyTree ReportandThe Kauffman datenbankindex.Each state was ranked across four categories involving start-upsThe states Kauffman IndexOverall deals for start-upsDeals for start-ups per-capitaThe amount start-ups were funded per-capitaThe Kauffman Index separates states by larger and smaller distinctions, then ranks each state 1 to 25 based on their rate of startup growth.The other three figures are self-explanatory, but all come from PwCs data.Amount per-cap ita comes from dividing the total amount of money funded for start-ups by the states population.Deals per-capita comes from dividing the total number of deals by the states population.Note thatLouisiana, West Virginia, andOklahoma, along with the bottom five states, had no deals or funding available in the data.Wrapping upOverall, PwCs report states that a record $23 billion was invested across 1,416 deals nationwide during Q2.So theres no time like the present to grab a patent for your game-changing idea of sunglasses for dogs and get to shakin and movin.Now, lets check out where each state ranksThis article first appeared on Zippia.

You could get paid to binge watch TV all day

You could get paid to binge watch TV all dayYou could get paid to binge watch TV all dayDream job alert here. Lets be honest, at least some of your weekend is usually devoted to having a major binge-watching session if not weekday nights. A recent survey found that 45% of adultshave pulled an all-nighter in the last year to watch a TV show, withmenbeing slightly more likely to do so than women. Theguiltiest age groupis 25-34-year-olds, of whom just under 50% have stayed up all night to watch TV.But what if you could get paid to sit on your couch and fall into a deep TV coma?HowToWatch.com is hiring someone to watch TV and get paid for it. It would pay $20 per hour for 100 total hours which comes out to a cool $2,000 for doing something youre probably already doing. Its the perfect gig if you have some free time coming up or work from home and are good at multitasking.However, there are a few caveats. You cant just watch your favorite shows from the 90s or that new Netflix series youv e been dying to check out. The job requires you to watch 14 hours of live content (this means sports, news and broadcast programming) on streaming platforms includingDIRECTV NOW, fuboTV, Hulu with Live TV, Philo, PlayStation Vue, Sling TV, and YouTube TV (but the subscriptions will be covered by HowToWatch.) Plus, you cant totally veg out as you have to take detailed notes about the different platforms performances. It would also be nice if you could share some of your thoughts on social media once in a while. The hours must be completed by November 1, 2018.You can fill out the application here by October 4th.

The Forbidden Truth About Best Wizard Build Uncovered by an Expert

The Forbidden Truth About Best Wizard Build Uncovered by an Expert The Argument About Best Wizard Build Gemming a Wizard At Level 70 you are going to want to be cramming the most powerful Topaz gems you may craft into almost every available socket youve got on your equipment. Weve got guides for each and every class. What other mounts you use is not so important. Its definitely a great idea though. Noxxic has some great pointers if youre searching for inspiration. Two or three things to bear in mind here is what kind of campaign the DM is operating. Thanks for reading, and revel in wizard-ing this up AC issues people attempt to solve with higher dex since you dont have armor. You are also going to be getting Hold Person which is likely to make your damage crazy. So long as you havent taken damage in the past five seconds you get a protective shield that absorbs the subsequent 60% of your Life in damage. In addition, it has a far higher damage as time passes over frost tr ap. Best Wizard Build - What Is It? So many things can be carried out with this build it makes for a significant diverse and intriguing character for sure. Keep these critical things in mind while you progress Mind blank provides outright immunity to plenty of things. Keep attention to how many spells of a particular level you are still able to cast. This will allow you to concentrate on your other abilities while additionally benefiting from this slot all the moment. The remaining 4 abilities ought to be attributed in ways which make sense for the character youre building. Dont be concerned about the EXP aspects. You need to understand how much damage your dealing, and how much it is possible to take. Some spells will produce a lot of difference when you get them. Nonetheless, this is offset by the ability to do ridiculous damage to large quantities of enemies at one time. Maybe youre simply eager to set your newfound magical skills to the test in the surface of danger. The Staff is an excellent weapon and usually an excellent alternative for a Wizard and their future classes use. You may also join the discussion on our FB fan page. Finding the right stats has a much greater impact vs. getting the ideal stats, for now. Inside this guide, well supply you with tips and info about how to play the Control Wizard class. The Battle Over Best Wizard Build and How to Win It By utilizing such platforms, theyd have the ability to look after data concerning the students. There are four common specializations that fit nicely with the great majority of play-styles. It definitely helps your character in the bulk of cases. There are a big selection of builds with regard to skills. If You Read Nothing Else Today, Read This Report on Best Wizard Build Some of them is able to damage your allies. During battle youll be able to use only spells which are inside the book. Then you may choose to get either the Storm or Winter skills initially, based on pref erence. 5th and 6th levels are where you truly start to shine. Best Wizard Build Explained In case you have any ideas how we could enhance this build, or when you believe the Firebirds Finery Meteor wizard is not appropriate for this title, please tell us in the comments below. Wizards have a highly effective capstone. You ready the list of wizard spells which are available that you cast. Whats important is to receive the most suitable insignia bonuses, and several different mounts can provide the a variety of bonuses. You are going to be able to keep decent survivability and superior mob control. While at four stacks you should use different elemental attacks to grow the length of this buff by 2 seconds. Fracture will also enable you to drop aggro. Or only go total CON for a whole lot more survivability. But it is all dependent on how much you depend on scrolls. To prepare the combo, you will want to find yourself a wonderful pack of mobs. Only your very first ulti s hould change to your secondary sub class change. You dont have to have the spell prepared.

Importance of Building a Great Recruiting Team - Spark Hire

Importance of Building a Great Recruiting Team - Spark HireFor any staffing agency starting out or first-time recruiter, one of the keys to industry success is buildinga great recruiting team.There are 7 steps that will help you to build an unstoppable recruiting team. Step 1 Determine the Recruiting GoalsWhat are your recruiting goals? Are you recruiting for a specific industry or are you recruiting for any industry and position? Will you focus on temporary placement or permanent placements? Each of unterstellung questions will help you to define bedrngnis only your recruiting goals but also type of processes, systems, and people you need to have in place on your team.When there is a clear defined recruiting goal, everyone understands what the end result needs to be.Step 2 Develop Good SystemsIt is important to have good systems in place for your recruiting team. A recruiting database that will store client and candidate information is a huge resource to any recruiter.The ability to easily search for candidates, document historical notes, and upload resumes and other documents is something that will allow your team to recruit with ease.Step 3 Establish a Rewarding Compensation PlanYou can hire the best recruiters in the world, but if your compensation plan is not rewarding they will leave. Research compensation plans in your industry. What are other recruiting agencies doing and how can you do it better?Think about ways you can offer higher compensation for recruiters based on individual performance as well as team performance.Step 4 Hire the Right PlayersWhen you have the right goals, systems, and compensation plans in place you will have a better gunst der stunde at hiring and retaining top recruiters. However, if you hire the wrong players you will fail.Hire for culture fit and attitude. Team players are a must if you want to have a top recruiting team.When you have recruiters who share knowledge and insight, you have a solid team. Look for team players who are driven to succeed while keeping your company culture in mind.Step 5 Hold the Team AccountableAlways hold your team accountable as a whole and as individuals. Make sure that you have a way to track the team and each recruiters numbers.If you want to maintain accountability on your team everyone will need to know their individual numbers and team numbers in order to understand where they are excelling and where they can improve.Its a good idea to track calls, interviews, submissions, and placements. Each of these numbers will show how your team is successful and where they can improve when unsuccessful.Step 6 Always CommunicateCommunication is key to a great recruiting team. Daily huddles with the team to discuss priorities and stucks are important for your team to be successful.In addition, weekly huddles with individual team players is important in order to review and provide help where needed.When you have constant and clear communication, your players know where they st and and what is expected.Step 7 Always Provide TrainingTraining never stops. If you want to have the best recruiting team, you will provide continuous training whether it is internal or external training. Make sure that your team is always learning something new and always working towards improvement.Consider having subject matter experts on your team. For example, if someone on your team really enjoys learning databases perhaps they would enjoy sharing with your team the techniques learned within your recruiting database.Keep an open mind and always ask your team what they would like to learn about.

This algorithm can accurately predict when patients are going to die

This algorithm can accurately predict when patients are going to dieThis algorithm can accurately predict when patients are going to dieCan you teach an algorithm to know when you are most likely to die? One Stanford University research team is answering yes, reporting in a new paper that they have taught an algorithm to predict patient mortality with startlingly high accuracy.Having an algorithm know your expiration date can sound like a dystopian concept, but the Stanford researchers said that they created the algorithm to benefit patients and doctors by improving the end-of-life care for ill patients. The researchers cited past studies that found the overwhelming majority of Americans would prefer to spend their brde days at home if possible, but only 20% get that wish realized. Instead of getting to spend their final days at home, up to 60% of patients spend their last days in the hospital receiving aggressive medical treatments.Looking for an inspiring way to start your day? Sig n up forMorning MotivationIts our friendly Facebook robot that will send you a quick note every weekday morning to help you start strong. Sign uphereby clicking Get StartedBy creating a deep learning algorithm to predict patient mortality, doctors can better inform patients about their end-of-life options before it is too late, allowing more patients to get their spiritual and cultural final wishes met, the paper argues.Research Theres an algorithm that can predict patient mortality for critically ill patientsTo train itself and make its predictions, the algorithm was given the electronic health records of about 2 million patients from two hospitals between 1995 and 2014. From there, the researchers identified around 200,000 patients suitable to be studied, and selected a smaller group of 40,000 patient case studies to be analyzed. The algorithm was then given the following marching order Given a patient and a date, predict the mortality of that patient within 12 months from that da te.Related from LaddersNew study This is the one emaille mistake thats unforgivable (dont let t happen to you)6 things not to say in a job interviewThese are the 9 most annoying phrases people use at work, according to a new surveyThe results were highly accurate.Nine out of 10 patients died within the 3-12 month window the algorithm predicted they would die in.Relax, doctors wont be losing their jobs to machinesBut the algorithm is not going to be replacing doctors anytime soon. The algorithm could only predict when selected patients were going to die, but not why or how. The scale of data available allowed us to build an all-cause mortality prediction model, instead of being disease or demographic specific, Anand Avati, a PhD candidate at Stanfords AI Lab and one of the authors of the paper, said.For palliative care physicians, the algorithms focus on the timeline is still useful since their work focuses beyond the initial patient diagnosis and why someone is sick. If patients are told about their mortality after the three-month window, its too late to start proper end-of-life care, while being told more than a year out is too early to prepare for palliative care.But more and more professionals need to learn to work with AIThe researchers said that doctors are still needed to fairly interpret the algorithms probability scores for both ethical and medical reasons. We think that keeping a doctor in the loop and thinking of this as machine learning plusthe doctor is the way to go as opposed to blindly doing medical interventions based on algorithms, Kenneth Jung,one of the authors of the paper,said.Commenting on the AI-based ordnungsprinzips power,physician Siddhartha Mukherjee said, Like a child who learns to ride a bicycle by trial and error and, asked to articulate the rules that enable bicycle riding, simply shrugs her shoulders and sails away, the algorithm looks vacantly at us when we ask, Why? It is, like death, another black box.

How to be someone that everyone wants to work with

How to be someone that everyone wants to work withHow to be someone that everyone wants to work withToxic work environments can make you feel like youre running on empty your performance suffers, you have feelings of extreme anxiety, and end up bringing your heavy heart homeonly to lash out at those you loveafter work.Pair this with working crazy hours, and youve got a recipe for disaster. Americans work too much its a fact. A 2014 Gallup survey found that full-time workers in the U.S. reported working 47 hours a week on average. The same survey found that half of all full-time employees reported they usually work more than 40 hours, and almost four in 10 said they work a minimum of 50 hours.No matter what your hours are,youcant control everything at work- but you do have the power to react positively to whatever comes your way, andencourage others to do the same. Not only will you lift your own mood and build resilience, which is a key skill to rising in your career, but youll also gain a reputation that will make you sought-after.Heres how to reap the benefits of positivity, while still being a real human who has to confront bad days.Focus on what you can controlDont get too caught up in thatsarcastic response the office snark gave your presentation during the team meeting,or the fact that your manager didnt quit grasp your vision for your latest project the way you thought he or she would.How others think and behave will always be up to them (even if its far from nice). Instead of worrying, come up with a way to move forward. Youre in control of how you react to discouragement or being provoked. Why is that a useful reminder? Because remembering your ownautonomy make you a stronger performer.Follow the golden ruleTreat others how you want to be treated. In other words, be kind.Emma Seppala and Kim Cameron wrote about the impact of positive work environments on productivity in the Harvard Business Review.Engagement in work - which is associated with feeling valued, secure, supported, and respected - is generally negatively associated with a high-stress, cut-throat culture, they wrote. Similarly, Google found thatpsychological safety is the key to an effective team.the safer team members feel with one another, the more likely they are to admit mistakes, to partner, and to take on new roles, Google wrote. Being kind and making others feel comfortable around you should make things run more smoothly.Get to know your co-workersIf you dont take the time to learn about the people you spend so much time with every week, how do you expectto work well together?Try making small talk. Ask about their lives, get to know them as people. Instead of relying on Slack, email and text messages, talk to them face to face, which allows for bonding. As much as technology has changed the world, humans still like to size each other up and take each others measure. Let your expression and tone express who you really are, and you may find people respond bette r than they would to a formal professional mask.Forbes contributor, psychiatrist and executive coach Steven Berglas commented on getting more confident at doing this ina 2012 Forbes article.Building self-confidence is a two-leiter process. The first phase involves purging yourself of self-doubt in the second, you build up your confidence. Its like erecting a skyscraper First you clear the site and lay a solid foundation, then you stack the superstructure. How high you gohow much confidence you musteris up to you, Berglas told Forbes.If you go out on a limb and talk to someone who wouldnt be your first choice to go for drinks with after work, you might find that you have something in common.Just dont push it. Set boundaries by talking about office-friendly subjects while on the job. Seeming interested without being intrusive is a delicate balance.Gratitude will change your workday - and your lifeWhether its the fact that you dont have work tomorrow because its Friday, or that you we re able to strike up a promising conversation today with an company executivewho has never seems to have noticed you in the hallway, dont forget to be grateful.This can also help you when youre having a bad day at work.Psychologist Robert Emmons wrote about how gratitude can help people fight stress in an article for UC Berkeleys Greater Good. There is scientific evidence that grateful people are more resilient to stress, whether minor everyday hassles or major personal upheavals. The contrast between suffering and redemption serves as the basis for one of my tips for practicing gratitude remember the bad, Emmons wrote.Being grateful can also help your company, which is where your manager comes in.Charles D. Kerns, PHD, master of business administration wrote about this idea for Pepperdine Universitys Graziadio Business Review. When an employee believes his or her superiors are grateful for his or her work, the employee will benefit by having an improved sense of worth to the organi zation. This improved sense of worth can lead to performance improvement, thereby benefiting the organization, Kerns wrote. When you feel better, you work better.Have a life outside of workYour job shouldnt be the biggest thing in your life. If it is, youre more likely to be unhappy.Ran Zilca wrote about a data analysis of the Happify app, where the data science team analyzed what makes people satisfied at work, in the Harvard Business Review. The bottom line Satisfaction at work is influenced by factors such asbenefits, pay, relationships, and commute length. But all of this boils down to two things being important, regardless of your circumstances (1) having a life outside of work, and (2) having the money to afford it. If you have a job that grants you both of these, you might be happier than you realize, Zilca wrote.Strive for work-life balance. It makes you happier, healthier, and more effective at work.The best part of being a joy to work with? Offices are subject to emotional contagion - so everyone around you is likely to be nicer too.

A Managers Guide to Coaching for Executives

A Managers Guide to Coaching for ExecutivesA Managers Guide to Coaching for ExecutivesAt some point in a managers career, there may be an opportunity to consider hiring an executive coach. Here are 10 questions and answers that managers may have about executive coaching. What Executive Coaching Is An executive coach is a qualified professional that works with individuals (usually executives, but oftenhigh potential employees) to help them gain self-awareness, clarify goals, achieve their development objectives, unlock their potential, and act as a sounding board. They are not consultants or therapists (although many have consulting or therapist backgrounds) and usually refrain from giving advice or solving their clients problems. Instead, they ask questions to help an executive clarify and solve their own problems. What Executive Coaches Do Executive coaches provide a confidential and supportive sounding board for their clients. They ask questions, challenge assumptions, help provide clarity, provide resources, and yes, sometimes, with permission, provide advice. They often administer and help interpret360-degreeand behavioral assessments, conduct confidential interviews to help a client gain self-awareness, and establish development goals. What It Takes to Become an Executive Coach Unfortunately, (or perhaps, fortunately, if you are interested in becoming a coach), not much. Just about any retired executive, consultant, ex-HR or training practitioner, ortherapist can call themselves an executive coach. There is no formal or required certification, although many have turned to theInternational Coach Federation(ICF) for formal certification. Who Hires Executive Coaches Companies used to hire executive coaches to come in and fix broken executives. Nowadays, most companies hire executive coaches as a way to invest in their top executives and high potentials. Its no longer a stigma to have a coach its a status symbol. While executives can hire their own coaches (usually CEOs or business owners), its more common for companies (often Human Resources) to recommend a coach to an executive as a part of an executive development program. The coachee could be newly promoted (transition coaching), be facing a number of challenges (usually involving people relationships), or is being groomed for larger roles. And yes, coaches are leise hired to correct behavioral problems and help leaders resolve interpersonal conflicts. When a Manager or Company Should Not Hire an Executive Coach An executive should not hire an executive coach if They dont believe they need coaching, are not interested in feedback, and dont believe they need to change (or dont want to).They are looking for business advice or consulting, i.e., someone to solve their problem for them.Executive coaching is only a last-ditch, Hail Mary token attempt to fix a failing executive who is already on their way out the door.The executive is not at the appropriate level in the organization to justify the expense of coaching.The executives manager should be working with the executive (coaching should not be simply a way to outsource challenges). What the Typical Executive Coaching Process Looks Like While there are many variations, executive coaching usually involves a series of phases, starting with intake, assessment, goal setting,and development planning, and then progressing through the development plan, with periodic check-ins with the executives manager. The process is over when the development goal(s) is achieved, or when the coach and/or coachee decides that it should stop. The typical duration of a coaching engagement is seven to 12 months. The Confidentiality of Executive Coaching When it comes to executive coaching, conversations are completely confidential between the coach and coachee. If an organization is paying for the coaching services, they may receive periodic status updates (dates, milestones achieved), but nothing else is shar ed without the coachees permission. Where Executive Coaching Happens Face-to-face is ideal, given that so much ofcommunication is non-verbal and it helps in building rapport initially. Its becoming more common to coach virtually over the phone (or through Skype). How Much Executive Coaching Costs Coaching is a $3 billion per year industry worldwide, and, as the Harvard Business Review estimated, the median rate for an executive coach is$500 an hour. Many coaches will charge for a six or 12-month engagement, but some will work on an hourly basis. Where You Can Find an Executive Coach There are many ways to find an executive coach. Your own company may already work with a number of trusted coaches. Executive recruitment or outplacement firms often provide coaching services or work on a referral basis with independent executive coaches. Word of mouth referrals from other executives can be a source in fact, many of the most successful coaches dont even advertise. When selec ting an executive coach, chemistry is important, so its best to interview a few for fit.There are also several resources for locating an executive coach, including The Center for Creative LeadershipThe International Coach Federation(ICF)The Coaches Training Institute(CTI)Right ManagementThe Marshall Goldsmith Coaching Network