Executive Coaching

What is Coaching?

What having a personal trainer is to your body, having a business coach can be to your mind and your business.

Coaches use experience, established programs, questioning skills, listening and motivational techniques to help people build the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to improve their professional and personal lives. A coach is a collaborative partner who helps you accomplish things. Coaching isn't a substitute for personal responsibility and personal change or choice.

Using a coach is one of the best ways for many business people and owners to get ahead in today's crazy business world.

People at all stages of professional development need coaches to help them.

Chief executives frequently use coaches to bounce ideas around, entrepreneurs use their coach to help them think strategically about the business, and coaches help others sort out career decisions.

People seek coaches for two basic reasons:

1. Some people seek coaches to help them find a balance between their personal and professional lives.
2. Others want coaches to help them become more productive in their business or help increase their business.

People aren't looking for quick answers anymore

They're looking for ways to produce permanent change. The traditional consultant doesn't really bring about permanent change.

A coach is a type of consultant who works with clients to come up with their own changes that are permanent.

Coaching is the next evolutionary stage of consulting

It helps people get more of what they want out of life, whether it’s business success, financial independence, academic excellence, personal success, physical health, relationships or career planning.

Coaches are sounding boards, support systems, cheerleaders and teammates all rolled into one. Bottom line: the task of a coach is helping others realize their full potential.

The 21st Century Entrepreneur will develop a personal life that is multi-dimensional and characterized by ever increasing quality of experience - and increasing income continually to support that quality. Will this be you?

You need a coach if

• Your business is not performing as well as you want.
• You feel you're working harder and are less satisfied.
• Your business is doing well and you're getting tired of working so hard.
• A large downsizing in your company is causing great change in the work environment.
• You feel your career is nearing a plateau.
• You received a sub par performance review.
• You're unable to mold and lead your staff.
• You're not comfortable making strategic decisions.

A coach provides you with a place to get some perspective.

A coach is someone who isn't caught up in all the day-to-day stuff and who can see the big picture.

As a coach, I can help people in the following ways:

1. To make better decisions, for themselves and their career.
2. To make and keep more money.
3. To create a balanced life that works between business and personal needs.
4. To substantially increase the quality of their life.
5. To be able to know what they need and ask for what they want.
6. To get more done, in less time.

Necessary Skills

There are five specific skill sets required to be an effective business coach.

Questioning Skills - One of my most important tasks is to ask questions that cause others to consider possibilities they have not yet explored. Asking relevant questions is like holding up a mirror to their actions and decisions so they can see for themselves whether it is the right thing to do.

Harmony Skills - These are the verbal and nonverbal behaviors I use to establish rapport and get on the same wavelength as the other person. Harmony skills include:

1. consciously using and reading body language (theirs and my own)
2. avoiding jargon that could confuse or alienate others
3. observing behaviors with an open mind, instead of just reacting

Understanding Skills - These are the behaviors I use to help me listen to and understand the other person. Understanding skills include listening without interruption and an ability to use paraphrasing to test my grasp of the message the other person is trying to relay.

Conflict Handling Skills - These are used to handle disagreements and resistance in a positive way. Conflict handling skills include surfacing objections by inquiring about the presence of concerns or disagreement, searching out the reasons for disagreement and constructively disagreeing with the other person's point of view.

Agreement Skills - The behaviors I use to find common ground and get the other person's buy-in. Agreement skills include consciously using good open ended questions to establish the other person's needs and wants, using benefits (theirs, not mine) to make my case, and keeping it simple by using one reason at a time.

Across the board, people are looking to be in touch with what they truly want in life. People are looking for the tools and skills that will help them achieve both a balanced home life and a successful work life.

Personal coaches help people find success in life.

For a free initial meeting contact Tom Long at telong@SolidOakConsulting.com.