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Frequently Asked Questions:
What is Executive Coaching?
Think about winning athletes. What do they all have in common? A coach that encourages them to be their absolute best and keeps them focused on their goals.
Imagine, what an athletic coach can do for the body...an Executive Coach can do for your business and personal life.
Coaching offers a positive environment in which an individual can be heard and feel that their business lives are facilitated through the coaching/mentoring process.
Coaching is nothing new to the executive development arena; consultants for years have been applying a multitude of skills to help executives tackle change. The difference now is that Coaching has become a specific area of a consultants work as a means of focusing on the unique needs of individuals in organizations to effect change.
What is an Executive Coach?
An Executive Coach is an experienced business person and certified coaching professional that provide perspective and practical advice uniquely tailored to individual executives and their businesses. An Executive Coach can do the following:
- Help the client define business & management goals.
- Set objectives to meet those goals.
- Help maintain focus on both short- and long-term objectives & goals.
- Suggest appropriate approaches to achieve objectives & goals.
- Help monitor progress in achieving specific, planned targets.
Why does coaching work?
When you work with a coach, you develop a relationship based on trust and respect like no other collaboration and just for you! Together you work to get a clear vision of your goals, values and life passions. A coach is your partner, collaborator, mentor, facilitator, consultant and sounding board. When working with a coach dedicated to your personal vision of success, you are able to move forward with more clarity, speed and ease than would be possible otherwise.
How does coaching work?
Most coaching takes place by phone. We start with an intake meeting during which we clarify your goals and values, identify opportunities and obstacles (usually an obstacle is an opportunity!) and decide what needs to happen for your coaching to be a success. After the intake, we meet by phone at regularly scheduled times. Coaching continues between sessions as you implement the strategies you devise and learn from your expanded awareness.
Can coaching be effective over the telephone?
Absolutely 'yes' for about 90% of clients who feel that they can more authentically express themselves in telephone conversations than in face-to-face discussions. Telephone coaching allows the client to choose a coach that best suits their needs, not just one with a practice in the neighborhood. Some coaches believe that telephone coaching creates a dynamic based on energy and interest rather than on stereotypes that are conveyed through visual cues.
How do I know if my coach is the right coach for me?
That is a very important question. When hiring a coach it is extremely important to find the coach that "feels right" for you. You should interview at least three coaches and hire the one who makes you feel most comfortable. You should work with a coach that has the appropriate background and credentials.
Why Hire an ICF Certified Coach?
Certification from the International Coach Federation (ICF) is extremely important when considering which coach to hire. It means the coach:
- Has received professional training from a program specifically designed to teach coaching skills in alignment with the ICF Competencies and Code of Ethics;
- Has demonstrated a proficient understanding and use of the coaching competencies as outlined by the ICF
- Is accountable to the ethics and standards set forth by the ICF.
What is the ICF?
The International Coach Federation (ICF) is a consortium of professional coaches and organizations that have joined together under it's auspices to shape and govern the profession of coaching. The skills sets, competencies, ethics and standards are a collective agreement between coaches from all over the world who have made the commitment to maintain the very highest standards you would expect from any other profession. The ICF is to coaches what the American Medical Association (AMA) is to doctors or the American Psychological Association (APA) is to Psychologists, therapists and counselors.
Since coaching is a new profession (about 10 years formally) and certification and licensure are not yet required in Canada, the U.S. or in other countries, there are many individuals who are calling themselves coaches today. Many who call themselves coaches have not been formally trained in specific coaching skills and are transferring skill sets from other professions into their coaching. Often this results in an inadequate or ineffective coaching experience for clients.
How do I get started?
Please contact Evolution at (416) 481-3377 or 1.800.315.9137or email us at linda@evolutionconsulting.ca to arrange for a preliminary assessment and meeting to discuss your needs and coaching objectives.
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