We often get asked powerful questions from our clients.
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A: Coaching is for people who want more from their business and/or personal lives.
Coaching helps you define and achieve larger, more rewarding goals.
You will discuss issues or challenges going forward, develop strategies of execution, learn new powerful tools, then begin the journey.
The coach gives guidance and support weekly or bi-weekly while keeping the client's big goals advancing.
The coach holds the objective space for the transformational process--ensuring the client's accountability, clarity and confidence.
We have clients who come to us for coaching on career maintenance/advancement, public speaking, inter-personal issues, work/life balance and more. We have executive teams that come to understand how the teams work together better, understand different styles and the motivations behind behavior. By far "Communication" is what we coach the most - how to successfully influence or lead others, understand others, speak in public or really connect with others at home and work. Communication is at the core of everything we do; we integrate several tools that our clients can take with them after the 1:1 or workshop coaching process. Effective communication is a part of a necessary foundation for pleasant, effective, and successful interactions.
The last few decades have brought forth vast amounts of information regarding how the brain works (neuroscience) along with advanced imaging technologies resulting in more research studies (and 'proof') than ever before. This incredibly rich information can’t help but change the way executive coaches view leadership. NeuroScientific Executive Coaching uses traditional coaching tools along with taking advantage of what we now about the brain physiologically to enhance or modify memory, behaviors, decision-making and more. We are leaders in making this valuable information available to our 1:1, team or webinar clients. And remember, we simplify it! We will be providing webinar workshops soon on this subject. Interested? Drop us a line in Contact Us and we'll put you on the announcement list (but we promise, no spam, no sharing your email!)
A: There are so many places to go with this question. Great leaders need to be a catalyst for change in the people they work with. Occasionally it is appropriate to flex your power. But if that's the only method used it can create more problems than it can solve. I once worked with an amazing woman who was outstanding at her job. She worked incredibly hard and was very dedicated to her work. She also had a boss that only used power, intimidation and supremacy to get what he wanted, usually in the form of passive aggressiveness. For example, he gave her a bonus check at the year-end holiday party. He told her that this bonus check was half of her total bonus and that she would receive the rest by the end of January, so keep up the overtime and spend a little extra on yourself this season. January came and went with no bonus and no conversation about the bonus. By the end of February she finally approached him about the other half. His response was, “Oh yeah. We ended up with less money in the budget than I predicted, so there isn’t any more coming.” He then came up with an excuse to quickly end the conversation, making it clear that more conversation around the subject was not going to happen. The result? This woman felt completely justified in using the company postage meter to stamp her wedding invitations and personal mail. Now, this could be a values issue. Maybe her values or ethics allowed her to do this. But I believe there is another issue in that if we don’t talk it out, we tend to act it out. So how do you change the behavior of someone else? Certainly, you can impose your power. That power can come through clearly defined roles, responsibilities, expectations, and good communication, or intimidation, secrecy, and superiority. Consider that when your only relationship with subordinates is power-based, it will most-likely come at a cost
A: Each client is coached based on where they are and what they specifically want to achieve. Believe it or not, there is a wide range of what executives want, and some even need help defining that. It starts with your style, what your frame of reference is and what you perceive is successful. Who and what do you want to be? In your case, you have some Asian childhood cultural influences that could be perceived in other cultures as hesitant to contradict or challenge. And yet, everyone sees you as extremely driven. Although you were educated in the United States, your deep-rooted behaviors, you feel, could be getting in the way.
We'll start with an assessment analysis: a short online survey that will help clarify your values, drivers and communication style. We'll review your executive behaviors, such as current influencing ability and confidence. From our conversations, you need specific assistance interacting with 2 key players in your organization. We'll show you how to communicate in steady times, and how to communication under extreme pressured situations. We'll review the cultural differences, discuss what words may or may not be a better choice in using for success. We'll discuss your wardrobe, mannerisms and confidence with management in and outside the office walls. We'll put you through a variety of situational experiences, perhaps video tape your actions, and work together to develop an extremely authentic, confident and executive leader that you want to be. I want to underscore authentic here. This coaching is about bringing your powerful self to the the front, not changing who you are.
A: Although at times it may seem a value-conflict is insurmountable, it isn't. For example, we had a VP client who's top value was money and compensation. He was successful, kind, and always looked at the bottom line for himself, his team and the company. He worked for a CEO whose top value was power and control. The CEO announced a new company bonus plan without speaking to his direct reports. This infuriated the VP, who thought the plan was not generous enough. His emotions took over, and he told himself the story that his CEO was a pig-headed cheapskate who only enjoyed the game of winning at other people's expense. In fact, the CEO had a high need to be part of the creative process of almost everything, just at varying degrees, and sometimes acted alone. After some coaching, the VP realized he actually appreciated the rigor and command that the CEO used to run the company, especially through some tough storms. With this perspective, he approached the CEO with a compensation plan could be expanded a bit more to further motivate the troops to deliver. He presented his plan, while noting that it was really the CEO's plan with a few additional motivators. The CEO loved it, and the plan was adopted. On another note, the VP's subordinate, a Director, commented that there was no part of the bonus structure for doing a charity match. There are six top values that should be evaluated when considering implementing a significant plan, and this is what we'd review with you in more detail. The moral of the story is that although values may seem in direct conflict, many times one can feed another to ultimately work together in a very beneficial way.
