FAQ'S Coaching

What is Coaching?

Coaching is a collaborative alliance between a professional coach and an individual or team. The coaching partnership is designed to support you to focus and achieve more of the results you want in life: business and personal. The coaching profession has developed over the last 20 years to become a successful, well-defined discipline.

What has contributed to the growth of the coaching industry?

Coaching is a powerful tool that assists people and organizations to deal with change. Corporate restructuring via downsizing/mergers has lead to increased career transition in the workforce and increased stress. There is a great deal of pressure on employees and leaders to generate and maintain high levels of production in a competitive environment, while coping with their own fears about job security and performance. Coaching supports people to: navigate change more effectively, clarify what is most important to them and take charge of their own lives.

Who works with a coach?

Leaders, managers, professionals, entrepreneurs, business owners and people in transition are some of the people who work with coaches. Anyone willing to learn, grow and take action to get where they want to go can benefit from coaching!

What are some reasons an individual or team may work with a coach?

• There is a lack of clarity regarding direction or goals
• Career and personal life are out of balance creating undesirable consequences
• There is a need to accelerate action to achieve desired results
• There is an ineffective communication style or behavior that is impairing one's results
• There is a desire to gain greater confidence, skills or knowledge
• An important action step that will stretch one's comfort zone is required
• There is a goal to transform work or personal life toward more fulfillment
• There is an aspiration to more fully express one's potential

What are the benefits of Coaching?

An individual or team can measure the benefits of the coaching relationship based on tangible external results and the sense of greater internal, personal satisfaction. For example, coaching will assist a client to:

• Gain greater clarity about one's strengths, values and goals
• Enhance problem solving & decision making skills
• Design an action plan
• Experience "shifts" or different perspectives to approaching a challenge or opportunity
• Increase levels of energy and productivity
• Increase communication and relationship effectiveness
• Increase confidence to carry out goals
• Experience greater fulfillment in work/personal life
  

How is Coaching delivered?

Usually, the coaching relationship begins with a one-on-one interview either in person or on the phone. At this time, both the client and the coach will define the parameters of the alliance based on the priorities and desired outcomes of the client. Coaching sessions can be delivered in person or on the phone for the agreed upon length of time. The content of coaching sessions are strictly confidential. The duration of the coaching relationship varies based on the client's agenda and goals.

What can I expect from coaching?

Coaching is a partnership between client and coach. The coach holds the client as whole, complete and able to create his or her future vision. The coach celebrates you, enjoys you and is completely accepting and non-judgemental. The coach's focus is completely on you and what you want in life, not just your goals. The coach's role is to:

• Profoundly listen in order to understand the individual's or team members' circumstances, challenges and inquires as to what is not being said
• Help client clarify strengths, values and goals
• Ask provocative questions to foster shifts in thinking & new perspectives
• Provide tools, structures or resources to assist the client to move forward
• Enhance client self-awareness and learning through objective assessment tools, observation, feedback and ideas
• Champion and encourage client potential and validate client progress
• Encourage growth by challenging client to stretch in directions that are in alignment with goals
• Be a sounding board for facilitating the expansion of fresh ideas, alternative strategies and identifying opportunities
• Be a catalyst to focus client planning, problem solving, decision making and forward movement

For a successful coaching relationship, the coach will request that the client:

• Create the agenda for each coaching session
• Be open to observations from the coach that will enhance self-awareness
• Assume full ownership for actions and decisions
• Be open to different perspectives, new challenges and opportunities that are in alignment with client goals
• Be willing to move forward in life