Executive coaching sessions with Barbara have made a huge difference to the effective management of my career. I am able to actively manage opportunities, events and behaviours, through the insights that coaching has given me, to consistently achieve goals rather than being sidetracked or set back.

SR Senior Manager BT

Questions


1. What is coaching about?

Executive coaching is enabling senior people to develop and get the result they want. It is increasingly part of the range of solutions that successful businesses use the help their key people to develop and reach their targets.

The fundamental part of coaching is the dedicated time the individual gets to target the issues that are important to them, with someone who is impartial and totally focussed on them. It enables them to talk through the area of concern and to clarify their thinking with someone who has a different perspective and who is also dispassionate, objective and non-judgmental.

Coaching is not about someone giving advice or telling people what to do, it’s about them finding what the best solutions and actions are for themselves.


2. Who can benefit from coaching?

Coaching has been really beneficial for people who are aiming for promotion, supporting those who are growing and developing into a new role. It is not only for people who have challenges or issues, but also for those who want to improve and hone already excellent performance, or who want to launch into a completely new direction.

We have also worked with people who know they can do more, yet are not achieving their full potential, and with others who felt they were working really hard, expending lots of energy but didn’t seem to be getting where they wanted to go.

All of them had 3 things in common:

  • They knew they wanted things to be different but were not sure how to make the change.
  • They knew that if they just took the first step of getting a coach that they would be able to move forward.
  • They took action, made changes and achieved their results they wanted.

3. How much is the investment?

There are a number of ways of structurin your coaching. A typical face to face coaching session lasts for 2 hours and costs £600.
A series of 30 minute calls can be as little as £100 per session.

Some clients pay a monthly retainer, others opt for telephone coaching.  We create a programme that not only fits what you want to acheive, but that also fits your pocket!
 


4. What does a typical coaching programme look like?

Every programme is different, because it is tailored to the specific needs of the client. Most are made up of 6/8 sessions over as many months. Some are just 2 or 3 sessions. Others, for people who are looking to make significant changes over the course of a year, will want 12 sessions over that time.

So if you are considering just a few sessions or a year long coaching programme, it will be customized to suit your needs.


5. How often do I need to see my coach?

This depends on how quickly you want to see results and how much time you can devote to taking action. Usually it’s between 3 to 4 weeks from one session to the next.


6. Where do sessions take place?

We find a suitable venue that is convenient for both coach and client. Sometimes this is at your business premises or at my office, sometimes it’s helpful to go elsewhere.


7. Can we do telephone sessions?

This is an effective method particularly when time is tight. Some clients like to have telephone sessions between face to face meetings.

If this is for you, we decide at our initial meeting how and when that happens.


8. I’ve had some negative feedback about how I come across at work, can you help?

We can do a 360 degree feedback process, to clearly identify the behaviours that need to change and the actions you need to take.

We also offer a service where we can come and observe your team in action, give feedback and design a plan to address any issues. For example, this was particularly useful where a client had been given feedback, about behaviours and body language in meetings, this was hampering their ability to communicate effectively. We were able to pinpoint the behaviours and give the client some different choices of behaviour that was more helpful.


9. Why do people get a coach?

  • Increase confidence and personal impact.
  • Improve communication and influencing skills.
  • Set compelling goals and achieve them.
  • Get rid of your blocks, Stop procrastinating and get on with it!.
  • Get motivated.
  • Find out how you can work smarter.
  • Fulfil your potential and achieve dreams.
  • Work on feedback, take action and take yourself to the next level and beyond.