Get Answers to Your Most Important Coaching Questions

What is business coaching and how does it work?

Coaching is the process of self-reflection, discovery and commitment to address situations you are trying to overcome.

When working with an experienced coach who knows how to draw insights from you and provide objective feedback, you develop the ability to see your circumstances the way others do.You become more confident about making decisions that can change your situation and improve your outcome.

​Great coaching invokes a sense of clarity about your choices, keeping you on track and accountable for the commitments you make. Business coaching improves your ability to improve your organization's performance and achieve the success you want.

How is coaching different from consulting?

With coaching, the focus is on what you do.  The concept behind coaching is to help you become a better performing professional by revealing and working through the obstacles holding you back. As the coaching client, you do the heavy lifting!

​A consultant, by contrast, performs the majority of the work needed to improve the area of your business that needs help. Think of a gym membership.  You sign up to improve some aspect of your physical condition or overall health.  You do the work, not the trainer! With coaching, you are the benefactor of the improvement.

How do I know if coaching will work for me?

If you are at a point in your life, career or business where you feel you can achieve more but are unable to do it by yourself, you are a candidate. Coaching requires a willingness to change what's not working while embracing better thinking and behaviors that will enable you to achieve what you want.

​If you are open to changing and willing to work with someone outside your immediate circle, coaching can be an excellent way to improve your outcome.

What is the role of the coach?

The coach acts as a guide to help you establish a new direction.  The coach works is a reflection to offer you feedback and challenge you on things you need to hear.

​The coach is a mentor to encourage you to explore new ways of working through your most challenging issues.  The coach is your accountability partner and will hold you to the decisions you make and the actions you need to take.

How will performance coaching help my business?

Your business is a reflection of you.  If you want your business or organization to operate smoother and more profitably, you first have to improve how you run it.  Performance coaching focuses on helping you sharpen your focus and develop the disciplines that support your role.  Our type of coaching helps you evaluate and measure the steps you take and the improvements you make so you can systematically advance your own performance as a business professional.

Is coaching more effective in person or remote?

This is largely a question of personal preference.  However, I can tell you that the amount of focus, flexibility and efficiency is much greater when you coach by phone.  Phone coaching removes many distractions that come up when you meet in person.  Phone coaching also allows the coach or the coachee mobility or privacy if a busy office is not appropriate for the call.  Finally, if face to face interaction is important to you, we offer video conference services at no additional charge.

What is your criteria for working with someone?

I have two criterion.  1).  The client must recognize that their efforts are what drives improvement.  If they are unwilling to do what's required to achieve their goals, coaching will not work.  2).  Clients must be real about their circumstances and be honest about how they got there.

​If they are not willing to take responsibility for the factors that they are trying to overcome, coaching will not work.

What should I expect from coaching?

Your speed and level of achievement is largely dependent on you:  your participation on calls, your willingness to do the work between calls, and your overall desire to change what is not working and adopt what will.

​Your coach will help you clarify your goals or the areas most meaningful for you to change.

How long are coaching sessions and what happens?

Coaching sessions run from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on the level of work needing to be done and your level of investment in the process.  With all coaching sessions, I address the fiollowing:

• Updates about significant events in your life, career or business
• Review of tasks you committed to- did you do them, what was the outcome, what did you learn, what should happen next
• Discussion about next steps in your plan- what will you need to learn; what should we discuss that might affect your actions
• Review of options you need to decide on and actions you agree to take
• Feedback on session high points

How much does coaching cost?

Depending on what you need to achieve and the complexity of your circumstances, coaching fees could range from $800/ month to $3,600/ month.  All coaching packages include available professional development resources, spot calls between scheduled sessions, self assessments and review of work product.

How do I know you are capable of helping me?

Coaching is a very personal relationship.  So, determining if a coach is capable of helping you with the areas of your career or business you are interested in should include reviewing their areas of expertise, reading about how they coach on their website, reading reviews about the results of other clients and speaking to them personally.  I offer a free 30 minute consultation so you can determine if who I am and how I coach is what you want.

How long will it take to see results?

​This too, depends largely on your level of participation and willingness to try new things.  Generally speaking, my clients see noticeable improvements in their career performance or business operations within 4-7 months.  Again, you are the primary factor in the speed and quality of your own development.

What will I do once my coaching ends?

You should feel more confident and clear about performing at a new, better level.  You will continue practicing the things you learn and experience while in coaching so you can continue to improve on your own.  As a client of mine, you will always have the opportunity to check in with me for spot help or new perspectives on their areas you are involved in.

What should I expect as a client?

Expect to get clear about what is really taking place in your career or business.  Be willing to be open and honest about where you are and what you are willing to take responsibility for.  Get comfortable receiving feedback that others may never have told you.  Finally, be willing to honor your commitments or be help accountable by your coach as to why not.  You will go through various levels of self awareness, struggle, behavior change, skill building and ultimately a new more confident you.  At the beginning of every new client coaching start, I provide a booklet on what you can expect from working with me.

Will you coach my employees without my involvement?

No.  At a minimum, I need to understand what outcome you expect from your employees if I decide to work with them.  I also need to know that they are willing participants in the coaching process.  More importantly, because much of how they perform is dictated by how you lead and manage, you and I may need to spend some time together beforehand to accurately determine your employees professional needs.

Can coaching focus on business situations without getting into personal issues?

The focus of our coaching is to help you improve or overcome limitations in your business or with your executive level position.  However, the reason you have these challenges may come from personal issues which will need to be explored.

Is coaching mostly for people who struggle in their business roles?

No, coaching works best for people who recognize they have more to accomplish and want help reaching levels of performance they have never seen before.  Regardless of why you believe coaching can help you, it's what you do once you work with a coach that counts.

Are your coaching programs 'packaged' or 'customized' for each client?

Our coaching services are all customized to suit the needs of our clients.  Once you request your free consultation and we have you complete our business and professional diagnostic survey, we create a custom development plan for you to consider and agree upon. 

Does the coach need experience in the client's industry to be effective?

No.  While it might help in terms of insights that the client could benefit from, the area of experience that will help the most is a thorough understanding of how to run and grow a business.  For executives, having experience in leading people, teams, departments or divisions is all that is necessary for a great client experience.  The rest of the progress comes from you, the client.

Will my coaching sessions be confidential, even if my company is paying for it?

Yes, all client sessions are confidential.  Your supervisor or HR department may want to know how you are doing.  You should be the one to update them.