One could easily forgive Marilyn O'Hearne's friends for thinking she was making an odd career choice when she told them years ago that she would become a coach. 

"People looked at me and said: 'What kind of coach? Soccer? Tennis?'" said O'Hearne, who has been an executive coach for more than seven years. 

Rather than teaching youngsters the offside rule or helping players with their serve, O'Hearne decided to help corporate honchos sharpen their leadership skills as an executive coach. 

With 400 members joining each month, the International Coaching Federation, a leading organization in executive coaching, 
O'Hearne and others have fulfilled an emerging need for business executives to have another perspective to better manage 
businesses and employees. Coaches also serve as confidants who offer a fresh, outside view of a company.