Executive Coaching Intake Form: Template, Example and Tips

An executive coaching intake form collects what you need before the first session with a senior leader: their role and organisation, what the sponsor expects, what the executive wants for themselves, who else has a view on their leadership, how success will be judged and what stays confidential. The free template below covers all of that in eight sections, plus a short stakeholder questionnaire you can send to a boss, peers or direct reports. You can copy it as written, change the bracketed fill-ins, and have it in front of your next client today.

We make Coachful, so here is where it fits: in Coachful you send this form as intake questions on your booking page or as a form in the client's branded home, the coaching agreement is signed before the first call, and the answers stay on the client record next to sessions, notes, goals and invoices. Any tool will do the job, though, and the comparison further down covers PDFs, Google Forms, e-signature tools and practice software. Start with the decisions, because an executive intake has more parties to it than a personal one.

What decisions should you make before sending an executive coaching intake form?

Decide who the client is, who sees what, and how success will be measured before anyone fills in a field. In executive work the person being coached and the organisation paying are often different, and the form has to reflect that split.

If you have already made these choices in your coaching agreement, copy them across so the form and the contract say the same thing. A mismatch between "the sponsor receives a summary" in one document and "everything is confidential" in the other is the most common source of trouble in corporate engagements.

What is in the executive coaching intake form template?

The template has eight sections for the executive and a separate five-question form for stakeholders. Replace everything in [brackets], delete what does not apply, and keep the confidentiality section even if the engagement is self-funded.

Part A: Executive intake form

Introduction (shown at the top of the form)
Thank you for making time for this. Your answers help me prepare for our first session on [date] and give us a starting point we can come back to at the midpoint and the end of our work together. Most people take 25 to 35 minutes. Answer in as much or as little detail as you like; we will talk through everything. Who can see these answers is explained in Section 8.

Section 1. You and your role

1. Full name, preferred name and pronouns.
2. Job title, organisation and business unit.
3. Time in your current role and time with the organisation.
4. Who do you report to, and how many people report to you directly and in total?
5. In two or three sentences, what are you accountable for this year? Include the budget, revenue or headcount you are responsible for if that helps describe the scope.
6. Has anything changed in the last 12 months: a promotion, reorganisation, merger, new boss, new board, change of strategy?
7. Best email and mobile number, your time zone, and the name and email of an assistant who manages your calendar, if any.

Section 2. Why coaching, why now

1. Whose idea was coaching: yours, your manager's, HR's, the board's, or a mix?
2. What prompted it at this point? Describe the situation, not only the goal.
3. If your organisation is sponsoring this engagement, what do you believe [sponsor name or role] hopes will be different by [end date]?
4. Is that the same as what you want? Where does it differ?
5. Have you worked with a coach, mentor or adviser before? What helped, and what did not?

Section 3. Your leadership today

1. What do people come to you for? What would your team say is your greatest strength?
2. Describe a recent week. Where did your time go, and where would you have liked it to go?
3. Which relationships at work matter most to your success in the next year? Which feel strained or underdeveloped?
4. Think of a decision or meeting in the last three months that did not go as you wanted. What happened, and what did you do?
5. Which feedback have you heard more than once, from a review, a 360 or informally, that you have not yet acted on?

Section 4. Goals for this engagement

1. List up to three things you want to be different by [end date]. For each, say what you would see or hear if it worked.
2. Which of these matters most to you personally, and why?
3. What is likely to get in the way: time, politics, your own habits, something else?
4. Is there a topic you already know you do not want to work on in coaching?

Section 5. Other perspectives

1. Have you completed any assessments in the last three years ([for example: a 360 review, a personality or style instrument, an engagement survey for your team])? Would you be willing to share the reports with me?
2. Would you be open to me gathering short written input from people you work with? If yes, list three to six people (name, role, relationship to you, email). Include at least one person you find difficult to work with.
3. Is there anyone I should not contact, or anything I should know before I do?

Section 6. Starting point and measures

1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how effective do you feel in your role right now? What would move it up by two points?
2. On a scale of 1 to 10, how sustainable is your current workload and pace?
3. Which business or team indicators, if any, should move as a result of this work ([for example: retention in your team, time to decision, a project milestone])?
4. How would you like to review progress: a midpoint conversation with me only, a three-way review with [sponsor], a repeat stakeholder pulse, or a mix?

Section 7. Working together

1. Which format suits you best: video, phone, in person at [location], or a mix? Any days or times that never work?
2. How do you prefer to receive things between sessions: email, a message in the client app, a short written summary after each session?
3. How do you like to be challenged? What should I do if I notice you avoiding something?
4. Is there anything about your health, family or circumstances you would like me to know so I can work with you well? (Optional. Share only what you are comfortable with.)

Section 8. Confidentiality, consent and data

• What we discuss in sessions stays between us. [Sponsor name or role] will receive [only attendance and session dates / the agreed goals and a final summary we write together / brief progress updates I share with you first]. I will not share session content, your answers on this form or stakeholder comments attributed to individuals without your agreement.
• Exceptions: I may need to break confidentiality if I believe someone is at serious risk of harm, if I am legally required to, or [any other exception in your agreement].
• Coaching is not therapy, medical care, legal or financial advice. If something we discuss calls for one of those, I will tell you and suggest you see a qualified professional.
• Your answers are stored in [system name] and kept for [retention period] after our engagement ends, then deleted. You can ask for a copy or for deletion at any time by writing to [email].
• [ ] I have read this section and agree to these terms.
• [ ] I give permission to contact the stakeholders I listed in Section 5.

Part B: Stakeholder input form

Introduction (sent by the coach, with the executive copied or informed)
[Executive name] has started a coaching engagement and has named you as someone whose view would help. This form has five questions and takes about ten minutes. Your answers will be combined with others and shared with [executive name] as themes, without your name attached [unless you are their direct manager, in which case your comments may be recognisable]. Please reply by [date].

1. How do you work with [executive name], and for how long?
2. What does [executive name] do that you would like them to keep doing?
3. What one change in how they lead would make the biggest difference to you, your team or the organisation?
4. Describe a specific moment in the last six months when you saw them at their best, or when something did not land.
5. Anything else you think would help them in this coaching work?

If you want a shorter version for a first chemistry call, keep questions 1 to 4, 9, 11, 18 and Section 8, and send the rest after the agreement is signed. For more question ideas, see ten executive coaching intake questions with a review and nine prompts for a useful first conversation.

Why does each section matter, and what should you watch for?

Each section either prepares the first session, sets a baseline, or protects the relationship. The table shows what to read for when the answers come back.

What must executive coaches add to the template?

Add your own confidentiality terms, the sponsor's reporting arrangement, a scope-of-practice line, and the data protection details that apply where you and your client are based. The template gives wording for each, but it cannot know your contract.

• Three-way agreement terms. The ICF Code of Ethics asks coaches to agree clearly with all parties on roles, responsibilities and confidentiality when a sponsor is involved, and to explain the limits of confidentiality. Read the current text on the ICF Code of Ethics page and make sure Section 8 matches what your agreement says. Coachful's coaching contracts page shows how agreements are sent and signed.
• Scope of practice. Executives under pressure sometimes disclose anxiety, low mood, drinking more, sleep problems or conflict at home. Keep the line that coaching is not therapy or medical care, and decide in advance what you will say if someone describes thoughts of self-harm, a mental health crisis or a workplace safety issue: pause coaching on that topic and point them to a clinician, their organisation's employee assistance service or emergency services.
• Sensitive and third-party data. Stakeholder comments are personal data about other people. Collect only what you will use, report it as themes, and say how long you keep it. If you or your clients are in the European Union or the UK, the General Data Protection Regulation applies to this data, including health details someone volunteers in question 32. Other countries and US states have their own rules; check with a lawyer where you work.
• Commercially sensitive information. Senior leaders may mention unannounced restructures, deals or performance cases. Add a line asking them not to share inside information they are not allowed to disclose, and check whether the organisation needs you to sign its own non-disclosure agreement.
• Conflicts of interest. If you coach more than one person in the same organisation, say so and explain how you keep each engagement separate.

What does a filled executive coaching intake form look like?

Here is a shortened example for a fictional client. The person, company and figures are invented to show the level of detail that helps; they are an example, not a real case.

Example only. Fictional client.

Section 1. Dana Okafor (she/her). Vice President, Operations, at a fictional logistics company, Northern Freight Group, UK division. Eight months in role, six years with the company. Reports to the Chief Operating Officer. Six direct reports, around 340 people in total. Accountable for on-time delivery across four depots and a cost reduction programme this year. Promoted from depot director after a reorganisation; new COO joined four months ago. Assistant: Sam, sam@example.com.

Section 2. Coaching was suggested by HR after my mid-year review, and I agreed. The trigger: my COO said I am "still running a depot, not a function." I think he wants me to delegate more and be visible with the executive team. I want that too, but I also want to stop working until 9pm. First time with a coach; had an informal mentor who mostly gave advice.

Section 3. People come to me when something is going wrong on the floor. Last week: about 60% firefighting, 10% on the cost programme, almost no time with peers. Strained: the Commercial Director, who I think sees ops as a cost centre. Recurring feedback: "jumps in too quickly." Recent miss: I presented the cost plan to the exec team and got pulled into depot detail for 20 minutes.

Section 4. (1) My direct reports handle depot escalations without me; I would see fewer than two calls a week. (2) The exec team asks for my view on cross-functional decisions. (3) I leave by 6:30pm four days a week. Most important: number 2. Off limits: nothing.

Section 5. 360 from last year, happy to share. Stakeholders: COO; Commercial Director; two direct reports; HR Business Partner. Please speak to the Commercial Director last.

Section 6. Effectiveness 6/10. Sustainability 4/10. Indicators: escalation calls per week, my attendance at the monthly strategy forum. Review: midpoint with you, three-way at the end with the COO.

Section 7. Video, never Monday mornings. Summary by message after each session. Be direct. Nothing to add on health.

Section 8. Both boxes ticked. COO receives agreed goals and a final summary we write together.

From this, a coach would open session one with the gap between "delegate more" and "stop working until 9pm", ask about the new COO, and check the sustainability score of 4 before setting a pace for the engagement.

How should you send and store the form?

Send it from the same place you keep the client record, so the answers are there when you prepare each session. The table compares common options; vendor prices are as listed in October 2026 and change often, so check each vendor's own page.

For a deeper look at signing and form tools, read coaching intake and agreement software. Whichever you choose, keep the stakeholder responses out of shared folders that the sponsor can open.

How do you set up this intake form in Coachful?

Add the questions to your booking page or as a form, attach your coaching agreement so it is signed before the first call, and let the answers land on the client record. Then the same record carries the engagement through check-ins, habits, programs and invoices. Here is the order most executive coaches use.

This short walkthrough shows the Intakes area, where prospects and intake calls are tracked:

Step 1. Put the short questions on your booking page

Booking pages in Coachful support intake questions, so a prospect booking a chemistry call can answer Section 1 and questions 9 and 11 before you speak. Availability rules, buffers, minimum notice and time-zone detection help when an assistant books across regions, and two-way Google, Apple/iCloud and Outlook sync keeps your calendar honest. Calls can use built-in video or automatically created Zoom, Meet or Teams links. The Intakes page then shows upcoming intake calls and which prospects converted.

Step 2. Send the agreement before session one

Coaching agreements with e-signature are sent before the first call and stored on the client record. Put your Section 8 confidentiality terms in the agreement too, so the executive sees the same words twice. If a corporate client has already signed their own contract on paper, the Agreements tab takes the signed PDF.

Step 3. Send the full form and the stakeholder form

Send Part A as a form in the client's branded home once the agreement is signed. Part B goes to the stakeholders the executive named, by email or your usual survey tool, and you record the themes on the client record. Coachful's forms and questionnaires page covers the form types. Intake answers sit on the client record alongside goals, notes, tags, sessions and payments, and Michelle, the built-in AI assistant, can brief you before a session from that live data. Keep stakeholder comments summarised as themes in your notes rather than pasted verbatim.

Step 4. Turn the goals into check-ins and habits

Section 4 goals become goals with progress bars on the client record. Morning and evening check-ins give you a regular read between sessions, so pair them with the Section 6 scales rather than waiting for the midpoint to see whether sustainability is improving. For Dana in the example, a habit such as "hand one escalation to a direct report" would show streaks between sessions.

Step 5. Deliver the engagement as a program

If you run a fixed six- or twelve-month engagement, build it as a multi-week program with weekly goals and tasks, or start from one of more than 40 program templates. Group leadership cohorts get a group created automatically on enrollment.

Step 6. Invoice the sponsor or the executive

Payments run through your own Stripe Connect or Razorpay account, with one-time payments, subscriptions or payment plans, and an invoice for each transaction. Manual invoices cover organisations that pay against a purchase order. Coachful charges a 0% platform fee; only Stripe or Razorpay processing applies.

What the executive sees

The executive opens your branded home inside the Coachful app on desktop or phone. They see their next session, any form or task due before it, their programs, progress and documents, including the signed agreement. Session reminders go by email, plus SMS or WhatsApp once messaging is enabled.

Coachful also counts coaching hours and distinct clients against ICF ACC, PCC and MCC thresholds, which helps if executive engagements make up most of your logged hours; see ICF hour tracking. More on the niche setup is on the Coachful for executive coaches page.

What is Coachful, and who is it for?

Coachful is a coaching platform: one subscription covers booking, payments, contracts, program delivery with habits and check-ins, courses, a community, a website with funnels and email, and an AI assistant, with one login for the coach and one branded app for the client. It suits coaches who deliver programs rather than only sessions, solo coaches growing into a small team, and anyone replacing four to six separate tools. Team plans add coach seats with per-coach availability and staff permissions, which helps boutique executive coaching firms.

What it does not do: it is not HIPAA-certified and is not for clinical records or insurance billing; it has no PayPal; it has no Salesforce or HubSpot integration and no multi-stage sales deal board for large teams; and it has no routing forms that pick a coach from form answers. The client app ships under the Coachful listing with your branding, not under your own App Store account. To start, take a free trial and request the free build described below. Current plans: Lite: $29/month for up to 5 clients; Solo: $49/month for up to 20 clients; Pro: $99/month with unlimited clients; Studio: $199/month with unlimited clients.

Why Coachful stands out: a free white-glove service. From Create, choose "We'll build it for you · FREE", describe what you want (a form or worksheet like this intake, a website, a funnel, a program, an email sequence), attach up to 8 reference links and up to 10 files, and the Coachful team builds it inside your account, usually within about 24 hours. Nothing is invented: no fake credentials, testimonials or prices, and gaps are left for you to fill. A leadership coach with a Squarespace renewal days away, for example, got one clean homepage with a repeated "talk with me" button. It does not include recording videos, logo design, ad management or ongoing marketing. Details are in the white-glove service guide.

What are the most common mistakes with executive intake forms?

Most problems come from unclear confidentiality, forms that are too long for a busy leader, and answers that are collected and never used. Watch for these:

• Letting the sponsor write the goals. If Section 4 is filled in by HR, you are coaching to someone else's agenda. Ask the executive to write their own goals and compare them with the sponsor's in a three-way meeting.
• Promising total confidentiality and then reporting to HR. Say exactly what the sponsor receives, in the form and the agreement, and stick to it.
• Sending everything at once. Thirty-two questions before a chemistry call is too many. Split the form: a short version on booking, the full version after signing.
• Collecting stakeholder names without consent. Always get the executive's permission, tell stakeholders how their comments will be used, and report themes rather than quotes that identify someone.
• Asking only for strengths and goals. Questions 16 and 17 about recent misses and repeated feedback give you far more to work with.
• No baseline. Without Section 6 scores, the end-of-engagement review becomes a matter of opinion.
• Storing answers in the inbox. Executive answers often include commercially sensitive detail. Keep them in one secure place with a stated retention period.
• Never reading it again. Reopen the intake at the midpoint and the final review. If you want to score answers automatically, see how to automate intake form scoring.

Is this template legal, medical or financial advice?

No. This executive coaching intake form is a practical starting point, not legal, medical or financial advice. Confidentiality, data protection and contract rules vary by country and state, and corporate clients often have their own procurement and privacy terms. Have a lawyer in your jurisdiction review the confidentiality and data sections and your coaching agreement before you use them with organisations. If a client discloses a mental health concern, a health condition that affects their work, or a risk of harm, refer them to a qualified clinician or emergency services rather than handling it in coaching.

Where can you find more intake templates and questions?

If you coach outside the executive niche, the general five-section intake form with a filled example works for most practices, and fifteen coaching intake form questions gives more prompts to mix in. Career coaches can use the career coaching intake form. To generate a version with your own sections and wording, try the intake form generator.

Frequently asked questions

What should an executive coaching intake form include?

It should cover the executive's role and organisation, why coaching is happening now, the sponsor's expectations, the executive's own goals, other perspectives such as past 360s and stakeholder names, baseline measures, working preferences and a confidentiality and consent section. The template above has all eight in that order.

How long should the form be?

Aim for 25 to 35 minutes for the full version. If that is too long before a chemistry call, send a short version with role, reasons and confidentiality on booking, and the rest after the agreement is signed.

Should the sponsor see the intake answers?

Usually not. Most executive coaches share only agreed goals, attendance or a jointly written summary with the sponsor, and keep the intake answers between coach and executive. Whatever you decide, write it into the form and the agreement so everyone knows in advance.

How do I gather stakeholder input without running a full 360?

Send the five-question stakeholder form in Part B to three to six people the executive names, with their permission. Combine the answers into themes, share them with the executive, and repeat a shorter version near the end to see what changed.

Can I use this template for leadership coaching inside my own company?

Yes, but internal coaches should be even clearer about confidentiality, because the coach and the sponsor work for the same employer. Check your organisation's HR and data policies and adjust Section 8 to match them.

Is the executive coaching intake form template free?

Yes. The template on this page is free to copy and adapt for your practice. Replace the bracketed fill-ins and have a lawyer review the confidentiality and data wording for your location.

Where should I store executive intake answers?

Keep them in one secure place with access limited to you, and state the retention period on the form. In Coachful, intake answers stay on the client record with sessions, notes and payments, and you can export all client data as a ZIP. Coachful is not HIPAA-certified, so any clinical records belong in a clinical system.

What is Coachful's free white-glove service?

It is a free build service on every Coachful plan. You describe what you want, such as this intake form, a website or a program, attach references, and the Coachful team builds it inside your account, usually within about 24 hours, without inventing credentials, testimonials or prices.

Can I collect the intake form when an executive books a call?

Yes. Coachful booking pages support intake questions, so the executive or their assistant answers them while booking. The answers appear on the client record before the call.

How do I use the intake form after the first session?

Reopen it at the midpoint and final review, compare the Section 6 scores with fresh ones, and check each Section 4 goal against what you can now observe. Moving the scores into regular check-ins makes this easier because the trend is already visible.