Services

Career Coaching

What is coaching?

Coaches help people set better goals and then reach those goals. They ask their clients to do more than they would have done on their own. Coaches help their client to focus better so as to produce results more quickly. They provide clients with the tools, support and structure to accomplish more. Clients get focused and produce faster because they have a coach.

How is coaching different from therapy or just talking to a best friend?

Coaching is similar to consulting, however, the coach stays with the client to help implement the new skills, changes and goals, and to make sure that they really happen. Coaching is not psychotherapy (although some of the best coaches were trained originally as psychologists and psychotherapists). Coaches don't get into the past as much or deal with the depths of understanding human behavior. That knowledge may come as clients move forward toward personal and professional goals that will give them the life they really want, but it should not be the focus of a coaching relationship. A best friend is wonderful to have. But is your best friend a professional who you will trust to work with you on the most important aspects of your life and/or business?

What is the basic philosophy of coaching?

Simply put, coachings goal is to help us discover what we really want, and that we can get what we want faster and more easily by having a coach who's trained in achieving this.

Who hires a coach and why?

• People who want more out of life and business.
• People who want to grow.
• People who want to do things more easily.

What can hiring a coach do for you?

• Establish a greater understanding of yourself and others.
• Learn to elicit increased cooperation from others in all areas of your life.
• Develop a solid sense of self confidence, clarity and balance.
• Focus on a clear vision of what you want to create, including strategies to get you there, and a path to overcome obstacles.
• Experience less apprehension, worry, tension and doubt.
• Strongly enhance your leadership skills.
• Integrate your purpose, strengths and natural gifts.
• Build more productive relationships, both professionally and personally.
• Have more fun and enjoyment in all aspects your life.
• Take your goals more seriously.
• Immediately take more effective and focused actions .
• Stop putting up with what is dragging you down.
• Create momentum so that it's easier to get results.
• Set better goals, more exactly attuned to what YOU want.

Does the coach work on personal goals or business/professional goals?

A coach works on both of these. Many people use it more for professional goals than personal, but each person has a different reason for hiring a coach.

Why does coaching work?

Coaching works for several reasons:

• It creates synergy between the coach and client, creating momentum.
• Better goals are set; ones that naturally pull you toward the goal rather than goals that require you to push yourself to the goal.
• You develop new skills, translating them into more success.

Why is coaching becoming so popular?

1. Many people are tired of doing what they think they "should" do and are ready to do something special and meaningful for the rest of their lives. One problem is that many can't see what this is, or, if they can, they can't find a way to reorient their life around it. A coach can help them do both.

2. People are realizing how simple it can be to accomplish something that several years ago might have felt out of reach or like a pipe dream. A coach is not a miracle worker (well, sometimes they are), but a coach does have a large tool kit to help the "Big Idea" become a reality. Fortunately, people now have time and resources to invest in themselves in this kind of growth.

3. A coach challenges you and takes the time to find out what winning in life means to you. A coach is your partner in living the life you know you can accomplish, personally and professionally. A coach is someone to hold you accountable for your life, to make sure you really do live up to your potential. No matter where you are in life there is always a desire for more; more success, more money, closer relationships, a deeper feeling of meaning in life, etc. It is the nature of people to want to attain more, become more, be more, and we all struggle with how to get what we're looking for. Most people believe that "hard work and doing it on your own" are the keys to finding the life, success, money or happiness that they seek. They believe that a price must be paid to attain what they want, and often that price is poor health, not having enough time to enjoy life, strained family relationships or lessened productivity. The saddest part is that even though this effort may result in more of something, it is often not the something you had in mind, and you end up back where you started, or worse; further from your real intentions.

4. Athletes and performers know about this trap. They know they need someone else; a trained someone else to help them set goals, discover real needs and work effectively toward ultimate goals of excellence. They are willing to hire a coach or a teacher. No serious athlete or musician would expect to progress very far without one.

Can I hire a coach just for a short term, special project?

Yes. Some clients hire a coach to help them accomplish specific goals or projects. Usually, however, the client keeps working with the coach after that because there are even more interesting things to accomplish.

How long must I commit if I start working with a coach?

Most coaches ask for a three to six month commitment but usually let you stop immediately if coaching is not working for you right now. Very, very few coaches ask for a written agreement or contract. For the corporate client, however, a signed agreement is simply good business.

What does it cost to hire a coach?

Most coaches, working with individuals, charge about $300 to $500 per month for one half-hour call per week. Executive coaches charge more and some clients work with a coach for an hour or two a week. It all works about to about $150 to $250 per hour. Obviously, corporate coaching or programs are more, often running $1,000 to $10,000 per month. Coaching can be done on the telephone, on-line or in person, and it is strictly confidential.

Here is a list of just a few things people talk with a coach about:

Successes

Wins are the purpose of coaching. When you reach a goal, accomplish a task or have something great happen to you, share it with your coach.

Problems

Just communicating with someone who cares takes away some of the sting. Once you've been heard, the solution (and there is ALWAYS a solution) can present itself.

Upsets

Coaches are trained to listen to your upsets, help sort out what happened, design a plan to get through this one and help prevent it from happening again.

Insights

When you see a truth it helps you realign yourself and your vision.

Shifts

The world will look different, and what motivated you before is replaced by something better and clearer. Shifts are turning points worth sharing.

Feelings

Your coach will not try to talk you out of your feelings, but will acknowledge them and help you to use them to better yourself.

Would you like to work with someone who listens very well, really hears what you say, wants you to succeed, endorses you, is constructive, suggests courses of action, makes requests and helps you stay focused? Together, you and I develop goals, make agreements for action and then discuss the resulting accomplishments or difficulties.

As your coach, I am your sounding board, facilitator, counselor and awareness raiser. In absolute confidentiality, I'll assist you to access and develop resources to facilitate your growth and overcome whatever obstacles block your path to clarity, prosperity, peace, success and fulfillment.

Join a select group of forward-thinking people who are, like you, unique individuals from diverse backgrounds: leaders in business, politics, medicine and philanthropy. The thread that binds these individuals is their desire to create, lead, influence and contribute in all aspects of their lives. In most clients I find a strong drive to live a full and balanced life; a life of congruence where words and actions align with purpose to bring out their true authentic self. Results include more energy and productivity, greater happiness, enthusiasm and deep satisfaction. These are key ingredients to achieve personal and organizational success.

Executive Coaching supports you to develop and hone the skills you need, and gives you the confidence to take on bigger challenges and greater responsibility. To lead others you must first lead yourself. Coaching is about self-discovery and unleashing your unrealized potential. I help establish specific, clear personal and professional outcomes that are aligned with your deepest values and purpose; outcomes that stretch you to actualize your potential and then create the life you want.

Services provided include:

• Assessment
• Decision-making
• Planning / goal setting
• Industry research
• Job search strategizing and implementation
• Problem-solving
• Resume writing
• Interview prep
• Salary negotiations
• Balancing work and family

Executive coaching focuses on developing greater levels of productivity and enjoyment in employment and other life settings.

E-mail the office for more information!