How do you define coaching?
The International Coach Federation defines coaching: "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 learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life."
We adhere to co-active coaching approach that honors you as the expert in your life and work. As coaches, we believe that you are naturally creative, resourceful, and whole, capable of finding your own answers and truths. If you are seeking something beyond advice or counseling or some sessions with a consultant, coaching is for you.
Our responsibility as coaches is to:
- Discover, clarify, and align with what you want to achieve
- Encourage your self-discovery
- Elicit solutions and strategies generated by you
- Hold you responsible and accountable
The power of the coaching partnership comes from your willingness to do the work that you determine is necessary to meet your goals.
Why would I want coaching?
Why do Tiger Woods and other world champions hire multiple coaches to keep them performing at the world class level year after year? The better you want to be, the more important coaching is in your life. Do you want to be one of the winners?
What code of ethics do you follow at Big Agenda Coaching?
We subscribe to the Pledge of Ethics and Standards of Conduct by International Coach Federation and to the Suggested Rules of Correct and Honorable Conduct by Coaches Training Institute. All coaching conversations will be kept strictly confidential. The promise of confidentiality is intended to encourage you to be open and specific in providing personal information that may be necessary to discuss in order to effectively reach the goals in your life. However, we can break confidentiality in our partnership when there is an imminent threat to life such as suicide or a case of sexual assault or abuse. Our relationship is not privileged; our records and testimony regarding work with individuals may be subpoenaed pursuant to applicable state or federal laws.
How can I get the most out of my coaching sessions?
- Be on time and inform your coach about your particular need.
- Focus on how you feel and want to feel, not just on what you want to produce.
- Talk about what matters to you the most: talk in full honesty what is important, not what you think you should be talking about.
- Reduce the drain and strain in your life.
- Simplify your life to get more space for yourself.
- Become selfish - when you take care of you, everyone around you benefits.
- Be willing to look at everything from a new perspective.
- Be willing to play, try out new ways of thinking and being, and to evolve yourself.
What can I expect to experience as a consequence
from personal professional coaching?
- A loss of worry and fears ("gremlins").
- A loss of interest in judging other people.
- A loss of judging yourself.
- A loss of interest in interpreting the actions of others.
- Frequent episodes of appreciation.
- Frequent attacks of smiling.
- Spontaneous acts in the moment.
- A tendency to let things happen.
- Prolonged periods of contentment.
- An increased susceptibility to love, freely receiving the love extended by others as well as the uncontrollable urge to extend it.
What is expected of me when I enter into a coaching relationship?
We encourage you to take the full responsibility for:
- Asking for what you need ("design" the relationship so it works for you).
- Your commitment to your goals and steps to achieving them ("homework").
- Letting go of pretenses and the need to please at the sessions ("authenticity").
What can I expect of my coach?
As your coaches, we promise to be there for you to:
- Encourage: Give you my unbiased, compassionate support in absolute confidence.
- Engage: Involve in insightful conversations with your spirit and soul for your self discovery.
- Empower: Help you trust in your inner truth and build your confidence in your unique solutions.
- Enable: Help you act from your heart, make choices based on your values, your life's Big Agenda.
- Energize: Motivate and inspire you to live your life joyfully, see the opportunities and seize the moment.
- Embrace: Respect and love you fully.
What will the coach actually do?
Your coach will be collaborating with you to:
- Ask you to speak to the heart of the matter, the truth
- Vision and brainstorm in order to look at things from a the meta-view, and to help you to foster change and expand the possibilities
- Challenge you to try new perspectives and probe for new opportunities
- Acknowledge and champion you and give constructive feedback
- Challenge you to study what is happening by using Inquiry and Challenges
- Ask open-ended questions
- Listen with full attention to you and reflect back to you with full support
- Encourage you to act and be accountable to a realistic, dated plan for action
- Empower you with our compassion
How do I know if I'm ready to be coached?
Try this test:
Ready?
- I have time and interest to invest in myself.
Yes____ No____
- I can make and keep appointments with myself / my coach to work on material that benefits me.
Yes____ No____
- There is a gap between where I am and where I want to be.
Yes____ No____
Willing?
- I am fully willing to do the work required to get me where I want to go.
Yes____ No____
- I am willing to stop or change the self-defeating behaviors that limit my success.
Yes____ No____
- I am willing to try new things even if I am not 100 percent convinced they will work.
Yes____ No____
Able?
- Coaching is the appropriate discipline for the changes I want to make (rather than counseling or consulting or a twelve-step program).
Yes____ No____
- I'm patient in taking consistent action toward my goals, regardless of how immediate (or not) the results are.
Yes____ No____
- I have the support and resources I need to make significant changes with ease (i.e. family or company buy-in, finances).
Yes____ No____
If you answered no to two or more of these questions, you might need to make some adjustments before coaching can be effective.
What kinds of services does Big Agenda Coaching offer?
Personal Coaching
- Complimentary Personal Coaching Session
- Your Choice - Unlimited Personal Coaching
- Big Agenda Coaching Personal Package
Executive Coaching
- Personalized Executive Coaching
- Human Potential Profiling
- 360 degree feedback facilitation
Team Coaching
- Team Diagnostic™ and Team Performance Development
- Leadership Development Tools and Processes
- Story Strategizing® Process
Other Organizational Services
- Speaking Engagements (contact us for topics)
- Meeting Facilitation
- Business Partnership Coaching
- Customized workshops
- Teleseminars and webinars
How long does a coaching engagement usually last?
More often than not, our clients are repeat clients who come back as their life situation changes. However, the initial engagements typically range from three months to a year. Corporate coaching engagements are tailor-made to a specific company and can range from a day of facilitation to a years long coaching and training relationship.
If coaching doesn't work for me, can I get out of it?
No problem, we only serve clients who feel coaching adds value to their life. If the collaborative coaching effort doesn't work for you - or for your coach - we will immediately terminate the coaching relationship.
 Can I ask someone how coaching with Big Agenda Coaching has served them?
Absolutely! Ask us for our clients' contact information.
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