Step up to your next level and
inspire your people to achieve great results

As defined by the ICF, coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential, which is particularly important in today’s uncertain and complex environment. Coaches honor the client as the expert in his or her life and work and believe every client is creative, resourceful and whole. Standing on this foundation, the coach’s responsibility is to: Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve, Encourage client self-discovery, Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies, Hold the client responsible and accountable. This process helps clients dramatically improve their outlook on work and life while improving their leadership skills and unlocking their potential.

Overall, be prepared to design the coaching partnership with the coach. For example, think of a strong partnership that you currently have in your work or life. Look at how you built that relationship and what is important to you about partnership. You will want to build those same things into a coaching relationship. Here are a few other tips: Interview more than one coach to determine “what feels right” in terms of the chemistry. Coaches are accustomed to being interviewed, and an introductory conversation of this type is usually free of charge. Look for stylistic similarities and differences between the coach and you and how these might support your growth as an individual or the growth of your team. Discuss your goals for coaching within the context of the coach’s specialty or the coach’s preferred way of working with an individual or team. Talk with the coach about what to do if you ever feel things are not going well; make some agreements up front on how to handle questions or problems. Remember that coaching is a partnership, so be assertive about talking with the coach about any concerns.

Currently all coaching sessions take place using online conferencing software, or by phone.  Once the Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, coaching sessions can also be scheduled in person.

Measurement may be thought of in two distinct ways: external indicators of performance and internal indicators of success. Ideally, both are incorporated. Examples of external measures include achievement of coaching goals established at the outset of the coaching relationship, increased income/revenue, obtaining a promotion, performance feedback that is obtained from a sample of the individual’s constituents (e.g., direct reports, colleagues, customers, boss, the manager him/herself), personal and/or business performance data (e.g., productivity, efficiency measures). The external measures selected should be things the individual is already measuring and has some ability to directly influence. Examples of internal measures include self-scoring/self-validating assessments that can be administered initially and at regular intervals in the coaching process, changes in the individual’s self-awareness and awareness of others, shifts in thinking that create more effective actions, and shifts in one’s emotional state that inspire confidence.

The length of a coaching partnership varies depending on the individual’s or team’s needs and preferences. For certain types of focused coaching, three to six months of working may work. For other types of coaching, people may find it beneficial to work with a coach for a longer period. Factors that may impact the length of time include: the types of goals, the ways individuals or teams prefer to work, the frequency of coaching meetings and financial resources available to support coaching.