FAQs
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
In a typical first session, I would meet with the client by phone/Skype to discuss what he or she hopes to accomplish through coaching. Once we've established goals and needs, we would establish the Coaching Agreement in terms of logistics, payment structure, etc. We would make sure that coaching is the right path for him/her since it's not a substitute for therapy, or other professional services. We would discuss confidentiality, since ICF certified coaches are bound by our professional Code of Ethics to maintain client confidentiality. If the person hiring me is a third-party like a company, and not the person being coached (also called a sponsor), we would discuss appropriate reporting structures and what level of confidentiality is to be maintained in the coaching relationship. We would also discuss accountability in terms of how the client wants to be held accountable and how the client would like me to be held accountable in the coaching relationship. After establishing the parameters of the Coaching Agreement, the first stage of the coaching process would focus on helping the client to gain clarity around the issue(s) for which they came to coaching. Coaching is a process that helps the client first gain focus, clarity, and awareness and then move into action. Every client is unique. As a coach, I meet my clients where they are and tailor the coaching to meet their needed and their personal preferences.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
In terms of Coaching Education and Certification, I completed rigorous training through the prestigious MentorCoach Coach Training program, which is affiliated with the International Coach Federation (ICF) as top-tier Approved Coach Training Program .(ACTP). I am a certified MentorCoach and Certified Executive Coach at the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) level. This means that I completed over 125 hours of coach-specific training and over 100 hours of Internship prior to completing oral and written certification examinations. I am also certified by the International Coach Federation (ICF) as an Associate Certified Coach, having met that organization's state-of-the-art certification requirements and having passed the ICF Knowledge Examination. That means that I am held to the highest professional standards in coaching, and that I am bound to coach according to the ICF Code of Ethics. It also means that I am required to complete 40 hours of ICF-approved Continuing Education in between certification renewal in order to remain a member in good standing. In terms of my academic background and work experience, I hold a PhD in Information Science and Technology and an MBA in Innovation Management from Syracuse University. My Bachelor's degree was in Psychology and Interdisciplinary Linguistics. I have worked with companies domestically and globally as a managerial consultant and have been a professor at the university level.
- How did you get started doing this type of work?
Coaching seemed to be a natural next step in my career progression. As I look back, there were really two things that led me to coaching -- changes in academia like downsizing and consolidation and the need to remain geographically close to my family. Academia was and is changing, and to necessarily for the better. Faculty members are begin asked to do more with fewer resources, and the competition for those resources is becoming fiercer. I became an academic because I regarded it more as a vocation. I loved working with graduate and undergraduate students, teaching, writing, and doing research. Coaching appealed to me as a way in which I could continue doing what I love, and continue to be a life-long learner, but with greater freedom and flexibility. That freedom and flexibility were important to me on a personal front. My Aunt, who was more like a mother to me, was suffering from increasingly worsening dementia. My Dad's health was also in decline, though he made it through those crises and is now into his 90s. I wanted to be geographically close, and to be able to schedule my work activities so that I could be there for them when they needed my help. I've also always loved the world of business, and working with people. Much of what I had been doing mentoring and working with students, and in my consulting, fell more in line with coaching. Helping organizations and people become the best that they can be has always been immensely rewarding to me.