Q: Why work with a coach?
A: The number one reason people say they got ahead in their career or within their business was because someone helped them out. A coach is an experienced and trusted advisor professionally trained to help you maximize and realize your full potential. Coaching is more than just giving you advice. Coaches help you take on specific professional projects, personal goals, and transitions by analyzing your current situation, identifying challenges, and devising a plan of action designed to achieve specific outcomes. Coaches also act as an accountability partner for reaching your goals and improving performance.
Coaches are appropriate in every stage of your career or business growth. People hire a coach because they want to do even more tomorrow than they can do today. They want to improve their output and see more growth, they want to stop playing small, and they want to do those things quickly and to the best of their ability.
Q: How should you select a coach?
A: You should select a coach based upon their background and areas of expertise as well as the fit or feeling you get from speaking with them. Do you find them knowledgeable? Do you find them inspiring and motivational? Do your personality styles match? Does their coaching style match your learning style? What is their coaching philosophy? All coaches are different and have different ways of approaching the same challenge. Make sure you spend the time to find out if their style is going to work for you. The best way to do this is through an interview or initial consultation.
Q: How are the sessions used?
A: Sessions are used to go through a process that will help us clearly define your target and develop a plan to get there. Throughout the process we will evaluate and adjust the tactics that aren’t working and enhance the ones that are to ensure success.
Q: Do we meet face to face or over the phone?
A: Coaching sessions can be done in person, via phone, or via a video conferencing service. The preference is really yours.
Q: What are my responsibilities as your coach?
A: It is my responsibility to guide the process and bring clarity to the plan – not give you the plan. It is also my responsibility to uncover the real reason why your goals are important, help you recognize roadblocks, and hold you accountable for working toward those goals.
Q: What kind of workload should you expect?
A: Each session will include discussion around the feasibility of completing the next set of steps based upon the other areas of your life. We will discuss possible barriers for the week and what might be done to mitigate them before they happen. If something unforeseen happens during the week that prevents you from completing what you had hoped – no worries – we’ll evaluate and adjust during the next session.
Q&A: You might have some questions...so let me answer a few of them here...
Q: What does the process of us working together look like?
A: I generally work with people for a minimum of 3 months at a time. During this time period, we will work together in weekly, 1-hour sessions. In between our sessions, there will be homework or assignments that will need to be completed before the next session.