What is Coaching?
Coaching is a profession that has synthesized the best from psychology, business, evolution, philosophy, spirituality, and finance to benefit the entrepreneur, the professional, and the business owner.
Why Does It Work?
Coaching works because of three unique features:
Synergy—Client and Coach become a team, focusing on the Client’s goals and needs to accomplish more than the Client would alone.
Structure—With a Coach, a Client takes more action, thinks bigger, and gets the job done, thanks to the accountability the Coach provides.
Expertise—The Coach knows how to help entrepreneurs make more money, make better decisions, set the best goals, and restructure their professional and personal lives for maximum productivity.
Who Works With a Coach?
Entrepreneurs, business owners, professionals, and people in transition use a Coach to support them to solve, create, or plan, personally or professionally.
What Is Coached?
A sample list of what a Client and Coach can work on includes, but it NOT limited to the following:
Business planning, budgeting, and goal planning and achieving
Integrating business and personal life for balance
Turning around a difficult situation
Making key decisions and designing strategies
Improving communication skills
Quitting smoking
Losing weight
Separation or divorce
New or existing relationships
101 More things...
How Does a Coach Do This?
Coaching is delivered by scheduled sessions, usually three to four times per month, by phone or in person, depending upon the needs of the Client. The Client brings an agenda of items to the session to be explored. If a specific goal is on the agenda, the Client and Coach will create a strategy for achieving that goal.
What Should I Look For in a Coach?
The right Coach brings out your best, consistently. Ask the Coach about his or her track record with Clients similar to yourself. Ask for a free session to determine how you feel when working with this Coach. After this session, ask yourself the following questions: Do I feel inspired to act? Do I feel comfortable working with this Coach? Can this Coach stay one step ahead of me?
What Is Said About Coaching?
"The brain of a human being may be compared to an electric battery in that it will become exhausted or run down, causing the owner of it to feel despondent, discouraged and lacking in pep....The human brain, when in this depleted condition, must be recharged, and the manner in which this is done is through contact with a more vital mind or minds. The great leaders understand the necessity of this recharging process, and, moreover, they understand how to accomplish this result. This knowledge is the main feature which distinguishes a leader from a follower."
From The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill
"Having witnessed the results of personal coaching in people's lives for many years, if you were to ask me today, "What is the one thing a person could do to get better, and be almost certain of success?" I would answer, "Get a coach."
From Who Are You Really And What Do You Want?
Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D., Author of The Self-Talk Solution
Are You Coachable?
If you can agree with these statements, even if hesitantly, you are ready for coaching and for the life you want.
I am ready for a change in my life.
I am open to moving in a different direction.
I can keep my dreams and goals to myself in the event I do not have a supportive environment for positive change.
I have a general idea of what I want to accomplish, where I want to go, or who I want to be.
I am free from the past or ready to give it up, and I am ready to work on my future.
I can give up arguing for my limitations (excuses as to why I can't move forward).
I want to improve my relationship with myself, first and foremost.
I am willing to look at my self-defeating behaviors and work hard on letting them go.
If being right means staying stuck, I am ready to be wrong.
I have the time and funding to commit to coaching until I have achieved my goals.
I will be truthful to my coach about my progress or lack of progress.
I will take 100% responsibility for my feelings, my actions, my failures and, most of all, my successes.
My Coaching Philosphy
Based on my belief that all people are coachable to at least some degree, and that there are no challenging clients, only challenged coaches, utilizing the guiding principle of Coach U that “people contribute,” I allow my clients to show me how to coach them.
I coach utilizing the core competencies of the ICF in a manner that will facilitate change, personal growth and the attainment of goals in an expedient and efficient manner. I am a laser coach who believes in getting to the core of what holds clients back, quickly and efficiently. Without the removal of the emotional attachment to the status quo, the client will unconsciously find ways to resist and sabotage. The client “sees” what he or she has been conditioned to see. With probing strategic questions, I stretch my clients to expand their perceptive filters.
I coach by first getting a vision of the client’s goal; then, through backward planning, I coach the client to develop a strategy for attaining that goal. I coach in a strong, direct format, and I hold my clients accountable for their strategic steps.
The client has the answers but is often uncertain of them. I coach to the inner wisdom of the client but with the understanding that the “right” direction for the client is often muddied by the agenda of others. Through exploration of the client’s core values, the client can then build a platform from which to operate.
In a work environment, an understanding of the client’s core values and the alignment of those values within the work environment is paramount to the client’s success. Once alignment is established, a vision is created and strategies are developed to achieve that vision.
How I Coach
I mostly coach over the phone; you can call from anywhere, provided you can give your full attention and focus. After an initial session, we will schedule subsequent sessions, the duration and scheduling of which varies depending upon your needs. Fees are based on a monthly contract, the length of which also varies depending upon your needs.
An example of a coaching contract is as follows: The coaching is for small business issues: development of a mission statement, creating an organizational chart, and creating the job descriptions for each position.
He has asked for a six-month contract on a month-to-month basis. (I require up front payment of only one month at a time, and I do not require a binding commitment to any length longer than one month.
Initial session is up to 1 hour - which is used to assess his needs.
Four sessions per month are then scheduled at an appointed time for 45 minutes each.
The monthly fee is due at the beginning of each month. Payment can be made with a credit card or by check.
How Much Does Coaching Cost?
My fees for most clients begin at $325.00 per month, which includes four 45 minute calls per month. This fee includes email access and a review of business materials. The length and number of calls per month can vary depending on your needs. In-person meetings and group coaching are also available. In-person coaching sessions are available, but the travel time and expense will be added to the fee.
