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Excutive and Individual Coaching Services:
PREMISES OF INTEGRAL COACHING The integral approach to coaching, developed by James Flaherty of New Ventures West includes the following key premises: People act (and feel) consistently with the world they perceive and perceive the world consistent with the actions they take. Through learning to see the world in new ways, new actions and experiences become possible. People are intentional, social, biological and historical beings. We can develop our body, network of support, environment and reputation to support our life to move in the direction we intend it to. These aspects must be addressed as an integrated whole for change to be sustained. Change takes time; developing new awareness and competencies takes practice. Integral Coaching expands our capacity to pay attention and distinguish what is happening, and to coordinate new actions when we have previously had a different habit established. The promise of Integral Coaching is that the clients become skillful in the chosen area of focus and that they are able to correct their own actions and provide their own inspiration without the coach having to be present for that to happen in the future. back to top
COACHING PROCESS SINGLE COACHING SESSION Single coaching sessions last 1-2 hours. Part of the time is spent discussing your topic, and part of the time in either stepping through a coaching exercise or recommending practices to be followed on your own. FULL COACHING PROGRAM Duration Full coaching programs generally extend over a period of 6-12 months. The advantage of working in a full program is the momentum that can be built with sustained focus over time, which is needed for more complex developmental work. Initial Interview You will spend 1-2 hours being interviewed about the change that you are working with, gaining an understanding of how this aspect of your life is currently playing out, and what outcomes you want to gain from the coaching process. Initial Session In the initial coaching session, you will be presented the program custom designed for you, and go over the practices you will be engaging in, in detail. The support structure needed in order for you to follow the program, will be discussed. Weekly Check In's Weekly check-in calls or meetings typically last 30 minutes. Calls cover how your program is going and what you are discovering through doing the various practices assigned. You will be coached on any areas of difficulty you are encountering. Assignments will be fine-tuned to adjust your learning to a pace that is appropriate for you. Monthly Sessions Each month that you are engaged in a coaching program, a 90-minute coaching session will be scheduled. These are conducted in person, if possible. During these meetings you will have a more in-depth session. The time may be spent going over new distinctions that apply to the new expertise that you are learning, reflecting on progress, or discussing areas of difficulty and re-focusing your program as needed so that you are getting the most out of it. back to top
SELECTING A COACH Coaching has become a very popular profession. The good news is that there are lots of coaches trained in diverse approaches to choose from. The challenge of this is to choose a coach with whom you feel a genuine sense of trust and connection and whose approach will be the most helpful to you. Approaches to Consider A table below shows three different approaches to coaching. We have provided questions in the right-hand column, to help you discern which school of thought a prospective coach you are interviewing most likely follows. Our Bias In our experiences, both in being trained and being coached in these different methods, the integral/developmental approach is the most consistently and significantly effective, and is therefore the discipline we follow in our own coaching work. Other Resources A terrific resource for understanding more about different approaches to coaching is a paper by Master Coach Pamela Weiss, The Three Levels of Coaching, which can be accessed at: http://www.newventureswest.com/three_levels.pdf
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QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER For most people, the decision to engage a coach involves some or all of the following elements: Realization of the coaching process as beneficial
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ENGAGING THE SERVICES OF A COACH The coaching profession is relatively unregulated, and to great extent, the choice of a coach is an intuitive one that relies on our sense of trust, affinity and connection to the coach we select. In addition to one's intuitive judgement, the following information can be helpful to consider when evaluating a potential coach. Training/Certification Coaching is a very specific skill and with few exceptions, people who are serious about providing the highest benefit to their clients have, at one time or another, studied coaching at one or more of the accredited coaching schools. Many of the schools also require continuing education courses in order to keep one's certification current. The field is growing and changing rapidly, and a coach's openness to new ideas and participation in continuing education may be an indication of their range of knowledge and resources in their work with you. References and Referrals Most coaches will be able to provide client references, so that you can speak with someone who has worked successfully with the coach whom you are considering hiring. Structure of Program Coaches structure programs in various ways, and the following aspects of program structure can be important to agree upon in advance. Meetings With what duration or frequency will meetings occur? Will they be in person, over the phone or a combination? It is typical for the client to initiate the phone call, or to travel to the coach's office location. For corporate clients, where higher rates are charged, the coach will generally travel to meet the client. Travel expenses are often billed separately to the client company. Payment Many coaches require that the full program be paid in advance. Coaching programs take enormous preparation to launch and time protected in the coach's schedule for conducting the program cannot easily be recovered for other work if the client reneges on a partially completed contract. Many coaches are willing to accept post-dated checks or arrange payment programs, often for a small increased percentage of the overall program, in lieu of full payment up front. Client Participation Client participation is a key factor in the success of a coaching program. Coaching programs ask of the client to do things that are sometimes unfamiliar or require sustained effort to realize benefit from. It is impossible to evaluate the success of a coaching program design if the client has not actually performed the recommended actions, over the recommended time. It is the coach's responsibility to design the program and negotiate a program design that the client agrees to, and to provide a certain degree of support and encouragement, but the client still is ultimately responsible for their own action or inaction with regard to program activities. Ethics Certified coaches are required to sign and operate within a code of professional ethics, much the same as physicians, counselors and attorneys do. The code of ethics that accredited schools agree to can be viewed at: http://www.coachfederation.org/ethics/code_ethics.asp Schilling and Maure Coaching Resources Available Schilling and Maure have a diverse team of Certified Integral Coaches to choose from in house, and a large network of Certified Coaches that we can refer you to, based on your needs and location. back to top
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