Frequently Asked Questions

Coaching is the art of helping people discover and unlock their full potential as human beings – moving them from where they currently are in their personal and professional lives, to where they would like to be.  This is accomplished by engaging them in powerful and thought-provoking client-driven conversations about their values, goals, dreams and intentions.  Coaches use deep listening skills, ask penetrating questions, and offer unwavering support – all in the context of a confidential relationship.  These skills enable individuals (as well as groups/teams) to gain clarity and direction in achieving the extraordinary future they choose for themselves.

Unlike counseling, coaching does not seek to provide answers for people’s problems, nor deal with their past.  It focuses solely on the present and on helping people take concrete steps that move them into their preferred future. As such, coaching is not therapy, counseling, mentoring, teaching, or treatment.  Rather, it is a powerful tool used to facilitate personal and/or professional change and transformation.

The client is the subject-matter expert of their own life and situation. As such, the agenda is 100 percent client-owed and client-driven. As a coach, my role is to discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve. I will use deep listening skills and powerful, thought-provoking questions to stretch the client’s imagination and conclude each session with clear, actionable plans toward helping achieve the extraordinary future the client desires to achieve.

We all have goals we want to reach, challenges we are striving to overcome, ideas we want to pursue, and times we feel stuck. A professional coach can help unlock your potential and set you on a path to thriving personally and professionally.

Coaching is designed for individuals who are functional, healthy, and ready to take action to accomplish a goal, set a direction, or solve a problem – in short, people who are ready for positive change in their lives.  It is also very effective with groups or teams and can dramatically improve their performance.

Though the options are limitless, some areas for which clients and found coaching beneficial include their work finances, health, relationships, education, and recreation. Other personal and/or professional areas of growth could include expanding career opportunities, managing your work/life balance, aligning of values, setting goals, acquiring new skills, decision-making, time-management, or managing conflict. Your coach will help you narrow (or expand) the scope of each session and ask you to paint a picture of what success would look (or feel) like so that you are clear at the conclusion of each session what you will do toward that end.

Among other things, coaching can exponentially increase your effectiveness and productivity. It helps clarify your thoughts, provide greater self-awareness, and provides clear direction. It will reinforce your commitment to change and promote greater follow-through. It can deepen your learning, expand your creativity, help create traction for getting you unstuck, and embolden you to press through quitting points. Coaching can help make you healthier, happier, and more effective.

Coaching is practiced on an individual basis by appointment with a coach and is largely done virtually (Zoom or WebEX) or by phone.  Virtual platforms are generally the most effective method of coaching maximizing a client’s time (no travel), energy, financial resources, and schedule.  It allows coaching to be done at optimum times and venues most convenient to both client and coach.  It also maximizes the coach’s ability to listen more deeply without conventional kinds of distractions.

Sessions normally last from 30-60 minutes in duration.  The length of the coaching process is fully dependent upon a client or team’s needs/preferences.  Most coaching begins with a three-month commitment which will be mutually negotiated between client and coach together for a specific amount of time per month.  In this regard, coaching offers great flexibility in its approach.

Your coach’s role is to ask powerful questions, act as a sounding board, provide objective assessment and observations, listen fully and actively, challenge your blind spots, and foster shifts in thinking that reveal fresh perspectives. You can expect a written coaching agreement after an initial consultation. You can expect homework and the possible recommendation of various assessments based on what you wish to work on. You can expect to be challenged with powerful questions designed to get you to expand your thinking. You can expect to walk away from each session with clear actionable steps that decided by you to which you also will decide how to remain accountable.

The most effective coaching partnerships begin with a client who is clear about what they want to accomplish (though perhaps not clear or uncertain of how to get there). As your coach,

• • I expect that you will set the coaching agenda based on personal and meaningful goals;
  • I expect you to assume full responsibility for your own decisions and actions;
  • I expect you will show up ready to engage the coaching process with an open mind and ready to imagine new possibilities and fresh perspectives;
  • I expect you will engage big-picture thinking and problem-solving skills;
  • I expect you will take the tools, concepts, models and principles we discuss and engage in effective forward actions.

Because coaching is a professional service, fees are charged.  Fees are negotiated at time of contract and dependent upon the situation/need. Fees vary widely based on the type of coaching (leadership, executive, business/organizational, or personal coaching), credentials and experience of the coach, frequency of sessions, and length of the coaching agreement. It is best to discuss these matters with a prospective coach. Taking advantage of a free consultation would be an optimal place to start.

ICF provides a great answer to this question. “Before you begin the process of hiring a coach, reflect on your objectives for the coaching engagement. Being clear on your goals during the hiring process enables you to find the coach best-suited to help you reach them. ICF recommends that you interview three coaches before you make a hiring decision. Ask each about his or her qualifications, experience and skills, and be sure to request at least two references.” Some great questions to ask a prospective coach might be:

• • What is your coaching experience?
  • What is your coach-specific training? Do you have a specialty?
  • What types of businesses do you work with most often and at what levels?
  • What is your coaching philosophy?
  • Are you certified in the use of any specific assessments?
  • Are you a member of ICF and do you hold a credential?

ICF is the only globally recognized professional coaching certification. They set the bar as the gold-standard of professional coaching. Selecting a coach who holds an ICF Credential ensures that you’re working with the best in the industry and demonstrates a coach’s commitment to professional excellence.

Search for a credentialed ICF coach here.

If you or your volunteer/professional team are ready to move forward to achieve your goals or increase your performance, coaching might be just what you need.  You can get in touch with me by using the “connect” tab.   At that point, we can begin to explore the possibilities for you together.