Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What's the difference between Team and Individual coaching?
A: Individual coaching involves one coach, coaching one person to achieve her or his goals. Individual coaching recognizes and takes into account the team environment that the person being coached is working within, but does not attempt to bring the coachee’s teammates, managers, employees or other stakeholders into the process. Confidentiality in an individual coaching context prevents the coach from sharing anything in the coaching sessions with anyone else, unless specific exceptions are agreed to in writing by the coach, coachee, and organizational sponsor (such as a manager or HR department).
Team coaching as performed by WineFlash involves at least two coaches, coaching a leadership or work team that typically consists of 2-12 people who work interdependently to accomplish a shared, specific goal or set of goals. Team members are “interdependent” on each other when their routine work requires them to communicate with and collaborate with each other for the entire team to succeed. Typically, teams have a single leader or manager who is accountable for the overall success and quality of the work performed. Team coaching involves both meetings between the coaches and the entire team, AND individual coaching of team members to help them meet the commitments they make to support agreed-upon team goals.
Q. Why would someone who already has a record of achievement want an Executive/Leadership Coach?
A: Here’s just a few things coaching can help already-successful people with:
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Identify, better understand, and focus on harnessing your strengths even more effectively
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Supercharge your ability to motivate and inspire your peers, the people who report to you… even your superiors
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Improve and strengthen professional relationships both within your organization, and with key external stakeholders
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Gain insights to evolve your thinking to keep up with your ever-changing business environment
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Achieve a healthier work-life balance without sacrificing (and perhaps even enhancing) your contribution to the organization
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Reduce stress and the related issues that can make your life less joyful than it should be
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Overcome an obstacle that is preventing you from accomplishing something that’s important to you
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Achieve even greater focus and concentration on what matters most to you, by developing strategies to minimize distraction
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Help with acquiring a new skill or replacing old habits with newer, better, and more productive ones
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Navigate with confidence and energy through significant professional transitions such as a promotion, organizational changes, even job loss.
Q. What is the “Leader/Manager Enrichment Program?”
A: The framework for the Leader/Manager Enrichment Program borrows from time-tested and evidence-based approaches to coaching and leadership development including Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey’s “Immunity to Change” model for individuals and teams; Sam Silverstein's Theory of Accountability; and foundational coaching practices such as Appreciative Inquiry, Active Listening, SMART goals, and others. It is wrapped inside the International Coaching Federation’s Code of Ethics which emphasizes trust, transparency, and confidentiality as key characteristics of any successful coaching process. The Leader/Manager Enrichment Program can flex to the specific needs of individual clients and organizational sponsors. Coaching should never be about imposing a rigid structure on the process, though certain elements and principles should always be present. This flexible, yet principled framework allows for a pragmatic approach to best fit the specifics of each coaching relationship.
Q: Does Executive/Leadership Coaching work? Are the benefits worth the investment?
A: You can read about this more in the Forbes article Unlocking Potential: How Executive Coaching Transforms Organizations. Here’s an excerpt: “…executive Coaching is a proven way to develop individual, team, and organizational performance across industries. A Metrix Global study found that executive coaching has a 788% return on investment (ROI) based on factors including increases in productivity and employee retention.”
AND here are the caveats: In order for the benefit to be worth the investment, any person who receives coaching must bring a spirit of fearlessness, an honest desire to try new things, and above all a commitment to follow through on the plans and action items the coach helps them to create for themselves. New insight without new behavior amounts to little or no impact.
Q. Do I have to be an “Executive” to benefit from Executive/Leadership Coaching?
A: This program can be for anyone who is responsible for leading an entire organization, a business unit, a team, or a working group. While “leading” and “managing” encompass two distinct skill sets, in practice a person with “management” responsibilities is also expected to demonstrate leadership, and vice versa. That’s why I refer to my clients as “Leader/managers.” I find a symbiotic relationship between these skillsets so that as a person enhances one of these skillsets, their capacity to excel in the complimentary skill set is increased. While the scope of responsibility differs for Leader/managers in the C-suite vs. front line supervision and work process management, the core skillset – which includes things such as excellent communication, domain knowledge, decision-making, teaming behaviors, self-improvement, prioritization, ability to focus, and the ability to inspire, are foundational to greater success at any level.
Q. I’ve heard that coaches make their clients figure out their own answers and don’t like to give advice. What if a more directive approach is called for?
A: While it’s true that the ICF’s approach stresses the notion that a coach’s role is to help their clients access the wisdom they already possess, Executive/Leadership coaching can often leverage the experience of the coach to play other roles, such as facilitator, mentor and consultant. The coaching profession is evolving to recognize that coaches with bona fide experience and credentials in given industries and professions may offer guidance from their experience when appropriate.
In any event, the specific services the coach provides should be discussed and agreed to before the engagement begins. Clients should understand the coach's professional background to determine wither their coach has the necessary qualifications to offer specific business or professional advice. All this should be discussed before an agreement is signed so the expected role of the coach is clearly spelled out for all parties.
Q. What can I expect a coaching meeting with you to be like?
A: Good coaching conversations can be lively and fun; and/or intense at times. Most of all, they should produce “Aha!” moments for you.
I provide you with the safe space and the encouragement to fully explore the topic or area you’ve chosen to focus on. I encourage you to do this fearlessly, honestly, and completely. This means that you can expect me to ask thought-provoking questions, to wait for your answers, and to encourage you to think both more broadly and more deeply. My goal is often to help clients expand their vision to see an issue they’re grappling with from an enlightening new perspective. My questions and observations often lead to something like, “Wow, I’ve never thought to ask myself that!” That’s always a good sign.
Q. What if some of the things holding me back as a leader or manager are personal in nature?
A: Then you’re a great candidate for coaching services. It can be a personal trait, such as a tendency to be distracted, a fear of making presentations, or so many others. Or it may be a set of difficult circumstances that drain your energy away from professional life. To the extent that such things impact a person’s professional performance, they are squarely within the scope of Executive/Leadership coaching. When I have coached business leaders through such circumstances, they have reported game-changing breakthroughs.
AND a caveat: Coaches are not mental health professionals and should not attempt to help a person heal from past traumas. A coach helps their clients to concentrate on their PRESENT and FUTURE. If during coaching an unresolved issue from the past prevents you from moving forward as desired, your coach should suggest the involvement of the appropriate professional rather than play a role he or she is not trained for.
Q. I'm interested in starting an executive/leadership coaching program for my organization. What are my next steps?
A: Let’s talk to explore together whether we agree the services I provide are a good match for the needs of your organization. I am well-connected within the professional coaching community and can adapt to situations that we think call for a program that includes more than just one coach. You can contact me via e-mail or book a free consultation.
Q. I want coaching just for myself - on my dime. What should I do next?
A: Let’s begin with a free consultation that can last up to 45 minutes, during which we will both have an opportunity to ask each other questions and more deeply explore whether we’re a good fit for each other. You can schedule that consultation here.
Q. What makes me your best choice as a Leadership/Executive coach?
A: Great question. Let’s face it: you have many options. Do some research to find the right coach for you. Find someone you feel comfortable enough with to share deeply and honestly. Good coaches are non-judgmental and don't insist that you see things their way - and they'll offer you a no-obligation consultation to let you assess whether he or she is right for you. A good coach is never offended to know that you are considering them along with other candidates.
Q. I’ve heard that coaching is a confidential conversation, but my organization needs to stay informed, so we know whether the coaching is valuable. How does that work?
A: When an individual is making the financial investment in their own coaching, every word said during the coaching engagement is treated confidentially. WineFlash Coaching will never share anything with any third party except as legally and ethically bound by the coaching agreement we sign (e.g., a person is planning to harm self or others). Coachees are free to share with others as they wish.
When a sponsoring organization such as an employer is making the investment in coaching for their people, we negotiate a written agreement that carefully spells out the information WineFlash Coaching is permitted to share about the coaching conversations, and with whom. WineFlash attempts to negotiate the maximum confidentiality for all its corporate-sponsored work, but this must be balanced with WineFlash's accountability to employers who are paying to provide coaching to its employees.
All parties to the coaching agreement including clients must sign a clearly-worded confidentiality agreement before any coaching begins. This helps to establish trust between the sponsoring organization, the person being coached, and the coach. This trust is essential if the coaching is to provide any value.
WineFlash Coaching will always refrain from making recommendations about any person’s fitness for promotion, reassignment, disciplinary action, termination, or any other personnel action.
As a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and Center for Executive Coaching (CEC), I follow the ICF Code of Ethics. This code includes rules on confidentiality, conflict of interests, transparency, and integrity. You can view the ICF code here. ICF has an ethics hotline that is available for you in the event you ever believe I have violated the code.
Q. What investment is required to get started?
A:This depends on several factors including whether an organization is making the investiment as opposed to an individual; the type and size of organization involved, and the scope desired. Normally, for any person who will be coached, an initial commitment of 6-12 sessions over 3-6 months, is required. The financial investment is calculated so as to guarantee that either as an individual or as an organization, the potential ROI you could realize will be a substantial multiple of your investment.
Q. Why do you offer Coaching "packages?" instead of individual sessions?
A: Coaching is designed to facilitate lasting positive change in people. Neuroscience has shown that for most people, true and lasting change is a process that requires time to re-wire our brains and to practice new ways of living, working and being. It takes time, repetition, and patience. An ethical Coach does not drag out the process longer than necessary. Yet, it’s important to build momentum and make continuous progress. My coaching packages balance the need for time and patience with the need to get moving and keep moving.