This has been a tough business week for me. As many of you know, I am not only an executive coach, but also run a number of businesses.

In one of my businesses this week a potential lead investor backed out, a relatively key partner decided to terminate our relationship, and another key partner had a major personal crisis. All of this has me shaking my head and wanting to scream.

Fortunately, I have an executive coach. This week, all she did was let me vent, encourage me, help me see possibilities, and keep me from making rash decisions.

Perhaps the number one skill an executive can have — especially an entrepreneur — is resilience, the ability to bounce back in the face of tough circumstances.

The best executive coaches help executives be resilient, without coming across as preachy or holier-than-thou. It is not easy to be compassionate and empathetic while also helping the executive tap into his or her source of strength. Nor is it easy to let someone vent, and just be there for him or her, being supportive during a tough time. The top executive coaches leave their clients in a state of seeing more possibilities, of finding new strength to keep on going.