Here are some of the questions people ask about coaching and Living Assets Management. Search for key words or scroll through the pages to get answers to your questions. If you don't find what you're looking for please submit your question by clicking "Contact Us".

What is coaching?

The ICF says it well ... "Professional Coaching is an ongoing professional relationship that helps people produce extraordinary results in their lives, careers, businesses, or organizations. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their teaming, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life.

 

Coaches are trained to listen, to observe and to customize their approach to individual client needs. In each meeting, the client chooses the focus of 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 now and what they are willing to do to get where they want to be in the future, recognizing that results are a matter of the client's intentions, choices and actions, supported by the coach's efforts and application of the coaching process."

How can coaching help my business?

Coaching accelerates the success of any business by supporting individuals and groups to enhance their inherent strengths and skills and address the issues and obstacles that hinder progress. LAM coaching focuses on aligning business and personal visions to reduce friction, increase responsibility and accountability, unlock potential, and expose the key factors necessary to continued growth. 

How is coaching different from consulting?

Coaching is distinct from consulting in many ways. One key way is that in consulting a client typically pays a consultant to perform some specific work. The work can be actual professional work that the client performs (sales, purchasing, accounting... etc.) or it might be a specialty that the client rarely needs (computer systems, training…etc.)  and therefore purchases the services when required. The characteristic that most distinguishes coaching from consulting is that once the consulting engagement is complete the consultant leaves with his or her expertise and any new capabilities they developed in the process. This is one reason that consulting can be expensive. 

With coaching the objective is always to raise the performance level of the client (individual, group or organization). There are many times where it would be more expedient for the coach to just do it. It is in these instances that a coach earns their fee. This is where the coach often recommends that the client take on the activity using the coach as support.

This whole distinction rests on the knowledge that there are multiple levels of benefit taking place in any project. Most businesses pay for and get the most obvious level out of their employees and their consultants which is - the desired result. What they often miss is the more valuable piece(s), which are the experiences, discoveries, break-throughs and new capabilities that accompany the pursuit of a challenging project objective.

Consultants tend to look for situations that are within their capabilities so that they may perform efficiently for the client as well as themselves. Coaches looks for challenging situations for what they bring out in people and what people can become out of surmounting the circumstances.

You keep a consultant around because you don’t know how or don’t have time to do something. You keep a coach around because of how much more you can accomplish with his/her support.

Consultants take pride in their work. Coaches take pride in their clients’ work. 

What does a coaching session look like?

Coaching can range from listening to brainstorming, asking tough questions to giving tough feedback, being trained to training. The most fundamental tool in coaching is truth.  A powerful coach knows that everyone is capable of dealing with whatever circumstances they find themselves in. A coach knows the difference between help and support, is always in your corner, tells you things that no one else will.

A coach always holds your excellence as a higher priority than your comfort.

Coaching provides:

Daily Maintenance                                 Objectivity

Pushing the Envelope                             Truth

Accountability                                       Feedback    

Another Perspective                               And More …..

How do I choose a coach?

Choosing a coach is a very important and personal process.

The ICF recommends following these Coach Selection Recommendations, as well:

1. Educate yourself about coaching. Hundreds of articles have been written about it in the last 3-5 years.
2. Know your objectives for working with a coach.
3. Interview three coaches before you decide on one. Ask them about their experience, qualifications, skills, and ask for at least two references.
4. Remember, coaching is an important relationship. There should be a connection between you and the coach that "feels" right to you.