I don't know how many CIOs have hired executive coaches to help them or their top managers develop their leadership skills and decision making, but over the years I've run into CIOs who have coaches or tried their hand at coaching. How helpful is it?

A survey of HR managers and coaches titled "Executive Coaching: State of the Art" indicates that while the ROI of executive coaching is hard to calculate, it may produce more value than many think. While 34 percent of HR managers see "the credibility of coaching as mediocre or even worse," only "9 percent rate the value of coaching unfavorably" and 44 percent rate the value as "very high." Since HR managers say the average coaching engagement costs $215 an hour, it better produce results! The survey also has information on who gets coaches, how coaching services are delivered (in person, over the phone, etc.) and other data.

The survey was co-sponsored by Penn State Executive Programs, the Tandy Center for Executive Leadership at Texas Christian University, Sherpa Coaching LLC, and the Cincinnati Business Courier.