HOW DO WE GET STARTED?
What is your coaching philosophy?
My coaching philosophy is holistic. I believe that each of us is a unique gemstone comprised of multiple facets. In order to achieve true balance and success, it is critical to consider all of those facets and how they relate to your ultimate goals.
I honor my clients as experts of their own lives and I meet them where they are today in order to help them to get to where they want to be in the future. Standing on this foundation, my responsibility is to:
I honor my clients as experts of their own lives and I meet them where they are today in order to help them to get to where they want to be in the future. Standing on this foundation, my responsibility is to:
- Discover, clarify, and align with what my clients want to achieve
- Encourage client self-discovery
- Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies
- Hold my clients responsible and accountable
How are coaching sessions conducted?
As my practice is global and spanning multiple time zones, coaching sessions are conducted virtually either via Skype, FaceTime, telephone or other agreed-upon electronic means. My clients have enjoyed this time-saving convenience as it enables coaching sessions to easily fit into their busy lives.
Sessions are 1 hour long and I offer a free ½ Discovery Session which will help us both to determine fit.
Sessions are 1 hour long and I offer a free ½ Discovery Session which will help us both to determine fit.
How much does coaching cost?
Coaching is on-going and requires a commitment to a “process.” Prices vary depending upon the length of the time commitment of the client and the client’s payment preference. I am happy to discuss this in detail with you. You can either submit a request to be contacted by going to the “Contact” tab or you can email me directly at debcoltonllc@gmail.com
Is coaching the same as therapy? Consulting? Mentoring?
Life Coaching focuses on setting goals, creating outcomes and managing personal change. Sometimes it’s helpful to understand coaching by distinguishing it from other personal or organizational support professions.
Therapy: Therapy deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or in relationships. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past that hamper an individual's emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with the present in more emotionally healthy ways. Coaching, on the other hand, supports personal and professional growth based on self-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is future focused. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one's work or personal life. The emphases in a coaching relationship are on action, accountability, and follow through.
Consulting: Individuals or organizations retain consultants for their expertise. While consulting approaches vary widely, the assumption is the consultant will diagnose problems and prescribe and, sometimes, implement solutions. With coaching, the assumption is that individuals or teams are capable of generating their own solutions, with the coach supplying supportive, discovery-based approaches and frameworks.
Mentoring: A mentor is an expert who provides wisdom and guidance based on his or her own experience. Mentoring may include advising, counseling and coaching. The coaching process does not include advising or counseling, and focuses instead on individuals or groups setting and reaching their own objectives.
Training: Training programs are based on objectives set out by the trainer or instructor. Though objectives are clarified in the coaching process, they are set by the individual or team being coached, with guidance provided by the coach. Training also assumes a linear learning path that coincides with an established curriculum. Coaching is less linear without a set curriculum.
Athletic Development: Though sports metaphors are often used, life coaching is different from sports coaching. The athletic coach is often seen as an expert who guides and directs the behavior of individuals or teams based on his or her greater experience and knowledge. Professional life coaches possess these qualities, but their experience and knowledge of the individual or team determines the direction. Additionally, life coaching, unlike athletic development, does not focus on behaviors that are being executed poorly or incorrectly. Instead, the focus is on identifying opportunity for development based on individual strengths and capabilities.
Therapy: Therapy deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or in relationships. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past that hamper an individual's emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with the present in more emotionally healthy ways. Coaching, on the other hand, supports personal and professional growth based on self-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is future focused. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one's work or personal life. The emphases in a coaching relationship are on action, accountability, and follow through.
Consulting: Individuals or organizations retain consultants for their expertise. While consulting approaches vary widely, the assumption is the consultant will diagnose problems and prescribe and, sometimes, implement solutions. With coaching, the assumption is that individuals or teams are capable of generating their own solutions, with the coach supplying supportive, discovery-based approaches and frameworks.
Mentoring: A mentor is an expert who provides wisdom and guidance based on his or her own experience. Mentoring may include advising, counseling and coaching. The coaching process does not include advising or counseling, and focuses instead on individuals or groups setting and reaching their own objectives.
Training: Training programs are based on objectives set out by the trainer or instructor. Though objectives are clarified in the coaching process, they are set by the individual or team being coached, with guidance provided by the coach. Training also assumes a linear learning path that coincides with an established curriculum. Coaching is less linear without a set curriculum.
Athletic Development: Though sports metaphors are often used, life coaching is different from sports coaching. The athletic coach is often seen as an expert who guides and directs the behavior of individuals or teams based on his or her greater experience and knowledge. Professional life coaches possess these qualities, but their experience and knowledge of the individual or team determines the direction. Additionally, life coaching, unlike athletic development, does not focus on behaviors that are being executed poorly or incorrectly. Instead, the focus is on identifying opportunity for development based on individual strengths and capabilities.
How long does the coaching process take?
The coaching process will vary for each client, dependent upon many factors. It can take as little as 3 months or could be on-going for a year or more.
How can I determine if coaching is right for me?
To determine whether you could benefit from coaching, start by summarizing what you would expect to accomplish in coaching. When an individual has a fairly clear idea of the desired outcome, a coaching partnership can be a useful tool for developing a strategy for how to achieve that outcome with greater ease.
Since coaching is a partnership, ask yourself whether collaboration, other viewpoints, and new perspectives are valued. Also, ask yourself if you are ready to devote the time and the energy to making real changes. If the answer is yes, then coaching may be a beneficial way for you to grow and develop.
Since coaching is a partnership, ask yourself whether collaboration, other viewpoints, and new perspectives are valued. Also, ask yourself if you are ready to devote the time and the energy to making real changes. If the answer is yes, then coaching may be a beneficial way for you to grow and develop.
I hope that this has answered at least some of your questions, though I recognize that it may have sparked even more. If that is the case, please feel free to contact me with further questions. I sincerely look forward to discussing working with you as your partner in your personal growth and development!