Frequently Asked Questions on Executive, Group, and Personal Coaching
Leadership, management, and personal development through executive, group, and personal coaching services
What is coaching?
How is coaching different from therapy?
How is coaching different from consulting?
What is the basic philosophy of coaching?
Who could benefit from working with a coach?
Why does coaching work?
What does a coach focus on?
How do I choose the best coach for me?
How can I tell if coaching would benefit my company or me?
How do I find out more about Chatsworth Consulting Group’s complimentary coaching process?
What is coaching?
"Professional coaching is an ongoing partnership that helps clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life. In each meeting, the client chooses the focus of the conversation, while the coach listens and contributes observations and questions. This interaction creates clarity and moves the client into action. Coaching accelerates the client’s progress by providing greater focus and awareness of choice. Coaching concentrates on where clients are today and what they are willing to do to get where they want to be tomorrow." – 1999, International Coach Federation
How is coaching different from therapy?
Therapists deal with a person’s past and the painful circumstances that brought them to therapy. In contrast, a coach will focus on your present situation and guide and champion you toward developing a stronger, more ideal future. With coaching, little time is spent in the past, except for brief “visits” to identify patterns and obstacles to success. According to nationally acclaimed professional coach Cheryl Richardson, “Coaching is not about processing emotional history or diagnosing and treating mental health issues. Coaching is action-oriented with a focus on a client’s current life and plans for the future.”
How is coaching different from consulting?
Consultants often are hired to uncover and investigate problems and to prescribe solutions to a problem that needs to be “fixed.” In contrast, a coach will help you reach new heights and/or navigate uncharted waters in your life and business. In coaching, there is no automatic assumption that there are “problems” to be solved. Coaches actually start from the premise that their clients actually have a yet undiscovered, inner knowing about what they want and how to get it. Coaches ask focused, intuitive questions to help the client access this inner wisdom, rather than offering answers and solutions themselves.
What is the basic philosophy of coaching?
Coaches operate from the belief that their clients are complete individuals and that they have “the answers” already within themselves. A coach acts as a catalyst to help these answers emerge. By asking probing questions, highlighting opportunities and recurring themes, raising a mirror of self-awareness, providing an environment of accountability, and offering specific actions, tools, and skills, a coach will help you get where you want to be quicker and easier.
Who could benefit from working with a coach?
Coaches help people who:
- Are interested in getting more out of their work and their life;
- Want to grow, learn, and advance more quickly and easily;
- Have specific goals that they want to achieve or want help in clarifying their goals;
- Are willing to make a commitment to themselves; and
- Are looking for a partner, supporter, cheerleader, out-of-the-box thinker, suggester of new ideas, teacher of new skill sets, recognizer of old patterns, and/or sounding board that knows them and helps them find their own answers.
Why does coaching work?
Coaching works because it helps the client focus on what really matters to them – and how to get there. By holding yourself accountable to yourself and someone else, you are more committed to taking actions and changing your self-defeating thought patterns. It is easier to release yourself from the things holding you back and to create the momentum necessary to spur you on. Your goals are clearer and more specific, and you acquire the skills necessary to reach those goals.
What does a coach focus on?
A coach will focus on whatever you wish to address. It is up to you to choose the direction of the relationship. Coaches can help work through professional and personal issues – in fact, these are generally interrelated. A coach will bring his or her unique perspective and training to help you see deeper into what is going on in your work and life, as well as build a map for your way through and out.
How can I tell if coaching would benefit my company or me?
The best way to determine if you or your organization would benefit from coaching is to discuss what you would like to accomplish with a professional coach. Some coaches offer a complimentary “get-acquainted” session so that you can determine whether working with this coach would benefit you and/or your organization. It is important to make a good match – to find someone with whom you “fit.” Not all coaches are alike.
How do I choose the best coach for me?
Sometimes the toughest part of hiring a coach is knowing which coach to hire. Perhaps you’ve interviewed five or six coaches, and they all seem nice and knowledgeable. But whom should you trust with the very important task ahead?
When deciding on your ideal coach, we recommend you look for the following:
- A level of knowledge and personal experience in business;
- A track record of helping others achieve results through coaching;
- The right chemistry – this will be a very close relationship;
- A process or system for helping people achieve desired results;
- A promise to hold you accountable for doing what needs to be done;
- An ability to meet you where you are and to flex to your needs; and
- Someone with whom you want to partner with on your journey.
How do I find out more about Chatsworth Consulting Group’s complimentary coaching process?
For more information on turning your dreams into realities, please call us at 877-405-7288 or email us info@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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“You have been an invaluable partner as I’ve transitioned into a senior leadership role with new responsibilities. You provided an open forum for sharing my experiences and gave immediate feedback that was both actionable and comforting. Your approach was flexible to my needs and you always came to our sessions with an open mind and a sincere goal of seeing me and my business succeed. I’d recommend Chatsworth Consulting Group to any executive, regardless of level and experience, who is tasked with leading and motivating people while guiding the strategic direction of an organization.”
Jim Multari,
VP Marketing & Research
Sprout
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