Questions and Answers About Coaching

Or, questions, I’ve got questions

What is coaching?

Coaching is a partnership between a coach and an individual or team where extraordinary and lasting results are produced for the client. The coach’s job is to provide support to enhance the skills, resources and creativity that the client already has. While coaches provide feedback and an objective perspective, it is up to the client to take the steps necessary to produce the results they desire.

Coaches work with clients in many areas, including finances, career, health, relationships, money, fun and recreation and personal and spiritual growth. Coaches are trained to listen, to observe and to customize their approach to the individual client’s needs. We elicit solutions and strategies from the client; based on the knowledge that all clients are naturally creative, resourceful and whole.

As a result of the coaching experience clients identify and stop self-limiting patterns; and overcome obstacles by setting better goals, taking action, making better decisions and by using their natural strengths more often. Clients report that their personal and professional performances improve, and that their quality of life is enhanced as a result of coaching.

Wouldn’t a friend be as effective?

Coaches are trained to listen on a different level than friends and colleagues typically do. And we don’t give advice, because we see clients as naturally creative, resourceful and whole. Coaches are trained to listen for what is not being said, the conversation behind your words that is going on internally. We use tools and techniques designed to move you forward purposefully, with your goal clearly in sight. We ask powerful questions and use exercises that help generate new, dynamic thoughts. And we give you materials to read and assignments to complete, all with the intent of moving you closer to your desired result. And unlike some family and friends who are threatened by seeing you change, coaches believe that change and growth is usually in your best interest, as it leads to a happier, more fulfilling life.

How is coaching different from counselling and consulting?

Coaching is present and future oriented. Functional people focus on developing their strengths and in doing so become more fulfilled. The primary focus is on evolving and manifesting potential. Healing can be a side effect.

Counselling focuses on processing thoughts and emotions related to past traumatic experiences that are creating problems in an individual’s life. The primary focus is on healing.

Consulting is unlike coaching because consultants provide solutions for clients. Coaches see their clients as naturally, creative, resourceful and whole and therefore capable of finding their own solutions.

I hear about coaching all the time now, why has the industry grown?

The coaching field has grown for a number of reasons. Thanks to advances in technology, the world is changing at a more rapid pace than ever before. Coaching has proven to be an excellent tool for dealing with change. In the field of work, transition is more the rule today than the exception. Gone are the days where an employee stayed with the same employer for 50 years and received a gold watch when he retired. Today, people change careers more often and there’s more self-employment, creating a demand for more flexible, adaptable workers. These workers must demonstrate an ability to react positively to change if they want to remain in demand in an increasingly demanding workforce. Coaching helps them do that.

In addition, individuals who have experienced excellent results from coaching are telling others. While coaching was once solely a perk for executives, today people are hiring coaches for help in their professional and personal lives. And when you add the fact that there’s more emphasis today than ever before on taking charge of your life – just look at the titles in the self help and business sections of a bookstore and you’ll know this is true - the demand for a service that helps people focus on what matters most to them is no surprise.

Who hires a coach?

People who want to make the most of their lives and careers. Many people who hire a coach are often already successful, but want to take it to the next level, or find a better balance with other areas in their life. Coaching has been proven to help clients find more success, joy, love and money and reduce their stress, work distractions, obstacles and self-sabotage.

What are some reasons people decide to work with a coach?

On it’s website, The International Coach Federation lists a number of reasons that an individual or team might choose to work with a coach, including:

• Something is at stake (a challenge, goal or opportunity) and it is urgent, compelling or exciting
• There is a gap in knowledge, skills, confidence or resources
• A big stretch is being asked for or is required and it is time sensitive
• There is a desire to accelerate results
• A setback has created a need for a course correction at work or at home
• An individual’s style of relating is ineffective and undermines their personal goals
• They lack clarity around choices that have to be made
• Extreme success is becoming problematic
• Work and life are out of balance, creating unwanted consequences
• Core strengths haven’t been identified and maximized
• A desire for a less complicated and simpler life and
• Better organization and self-management skills are required.

People have found coaching helpful in:

• Starting or expanding a business
• Making a career choice or transition
• Evaluating life choices or purpose
• Improving personal effectiveness
• Finding or developing an intimate relationship
• Enhancing communication skills
• Finding balance in their home and work life
• Aligning themselves for a promotion and
• Leadership development.

What changes can I expect personally from coaching?

Although the experience is different depending on whom you ask, clients report common outcomes. My clients report that they are better able to effect change and to accomplish goals. They enjoy increased self-esteem, improved communication skills, enhanced relationships, better work/life balance and less stress. The are clearer about what is important to them, what their priorities are, how to get there and how they want to live their lives.

What can a business expect from coaching?

Smart businesses know the value of coaching. The Coaches Training Institute’s website reports that Manchester Inc. recently released the results of a study that quantified the business impact of executive coaching. The study included 100 executives, mostly from Fortune 1000 companies. Companies that provided coaching to their executives realized improvements in productivity, quality, organizational strength, customer service, and shareholder value. They received fewer customer complaints, and were more likely to retain executives who had been coached.

In addition, a company's investment in providing coaching to its executives brought an average return on investment of almost six times above the cost of coaching.

Among the benefits to companies that provided coaching to executives were improvements in:

• Productivity (reported by 53% of executives)
• Quality (48%)
• Organizational strength (48%)
• Customer service (39%)
• Reducing customer complaints (34%)
• Retaining executives who received coaching (32%)
• Cost reductions (23%)
• Bottom-line profitability (22%)

Among the benefits to executives who received coaching were improved:

• Working relationships with direct reports (reported by 77% of executives)
• Working relationships with immediate supervisors (71%)
• Teamwork (67%)
• Working relationships with peers (63%)
• Job satisfaction (61%)
• Conflict reduction (52%)
• Organizational commitment (44%)
• Working relationships with clients (37%)

Coaching asks that you:

• Focus on yourself, by asking the tough questions, facing personal hard truths and visioning your success
• Listen to your intuition, your assumptions, judgements and how you express yourself
• Practice self discipline in challenging existing attitudes, beliefs and behaviours while developing some new ones
• Make decisions and take action, however uncomfortable, in order to become the best that you can be
• Practice compassion for yourself and others as you try out new behaviours and experience setbacks and
• Have the courage to reach for more, to overcome internal and external obstacles, and to shift from being fear based to believing in abundance.

Coaching is primarily about the relationship between coach and client. So you should pick someone that you feel comfortable with, and who models a successful life. Pick someone who has attributes that you’d like to cultivate. Also check their credentials. What training have they had and is it recognized by the International Coach Federation?

Most coaches, myself included, offer a complimentary sample coaching session, which gives you a chance to “test drive,” your prospective coach. After your test drive, you should have a pretty good idea about whether or not you want to drive the car off the lot or continue kicking tires until you get the right model for you.

My life is good, could I still benefit from coaching?

Many of my clients are successful in all areas of their life, but want to move it to a higher level. I also have clients who are successful in most areas of their life but need help in one or two. And then I have other clients who find that success has created its own problems, so we work on that.

How can the success of coaching be measured?

There are external and internal indicators that indicate whether or not coaching has been successful. Some examples of external indicators include: goal achievement, increased income or revenue, positive performance feedback, promotions and increased productivity and/or efficiency. Internal indicators include changes in personal self-awareness and awareness of others, shifts in thinking which lead to more effective actions; and shifts in emotional states which increase confidence.

What if I try the complimentary coaching session and decide I don’t want to go any further?

There is no obligation or high-pressure sales pitch at the end of the call. I want to work with people who are ready to be coached and see the value of coaching. Trying to convince someone that coaching is right for them “right now,” just doesn’t work. I’ve found that people come to coaching when they are ready.

What happens if I decide after the complimentary coaching session that I want you as my coach?

We’ll hold a discovery session. It’s typically about two hours long and in it I learn about your current opportunities and challenges, what your priorities are and your desired outcomes. We’ll design our relationship so that it works for both of us while creating the results that you want.

Once the discovery session is completed, we’ll schedule our first coaching session. We’ll work together for 45 minutes a week, once a week, for the first three weeks of the month. The last one and occasional two weeks of the month is left free for clients to synthesize and integrate what they’ve learned and to decide where they want to go next.

Between scheduled sessions, clients are usually asked to complete specific actions that support the achievement of their personal goals. I often provide objective additional resources in the form of relevant articles, checklists, assessments, or models to support the individual or organization’s thoughts and/or actions. And if something involving your coaching process arises between sessions, you can always reach me by phone or email.

Why is coaching usually done on the phone?

Coaching can take place on the phone or in person; it’s up to the client. I coach in person and by phone, in addition to offering a walking and coaching package where you get exercise and great coaching. Most people prefer the phone for a number of reasons. They find the phone gives them the convenience of being able to call from wherever they are at the time of their coaching appointment, be it Tokyo or Vancouver. It also saves them travelling time.

If you’re wondering about effectiveness, coaches are trained to listen so that coaching over the phone is just as effective as in person. In fact, many coaches find it more effective because they don’t have visual distractions that can detract from intense listening.

How long will we work together?

I have found that a four-month minimum works best, because lasting change takes time to root and flourish. This gives you the time to learn new skills, develop new ways of thinking and practice new behaviours. But the time can be shorter, depending on the types of goals, the way individuals or teams like to work, the frequency of coaching meetings and financial resources available to support coaching.

Most coaches ask for a 3-6 month commitment. According to an International Coach Federation survey, the duration of a coaching relationship is on average 8.8 months. Many coach/client partnerships extend to several years and beyond as clients continue to pursue new and more challenging goals.

What is your coaching style?

I create a safe and respectful environment in which my clients feel both supported and challenged as they work toward their goals. My clients say that I’m encouraging, focussed, direct, insightful, firm and great at bottom lining things. I like to push you beyond your comfort zone, but not beyond your limits. As your coach, I’m your greatest advocate and will continue to believe in you and your abilities even when you’ve lost confidence in yourself. And I relish celebrating your many victories with you.

Why do you do this work?

I do this work because since I discovered coaching, I can’t imagine doing anything else. There’s something magical – and I don’t use that word lightly – about the synergy created in coaching and the impact it has on both my clients’ and my life. It is an incredible honour and privilege to witness the change in my client’s lives and to see how that excitement manifests, in the form of bigger dreams and more passionate lives.

I’ve had a variety of careers in my life and while each of them provided rewards and satisfactions, a little voice deep inside me was always whispering, “What is my purpose, what am I supposed to be when I grow up?” I was egotistical enough to believe that my broad experiences, both here and overseas, my love of learning, my fascination with human behaviour and being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness had to be for some higher purpose. And I was right. I want to share that experience and wisdom with you and get you excited about your life. Because even if you believe in reincarnation, the only life you have right now is the one you’re living.

What about confidentiality?

Our conversations are 100 per cent confidential. Unless you give me permission to tell someone that you are my client, they won’t hear it from me.

* Have some questions you'd like answered personally? Feel free to call or email me at (250) 388-6108 or info@arbutuscoaching.com

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