What is coaching?
The International Coaching federation (ICF) defines coaching as an ongoing partnership designed to help clients produce fulfilling results in both their personal and professional lives. Effective coaches are highly skilled listeners and observers. Through listening and observing non-judgmentally, they are able to formulate strategic questions that help the client to shift perspectives, gain clarity, and discover solutions that will overcome challenges and create the results they desire more quickly and easily than would be possible on their own.
Trained in the Kyosei Thrive Model™, a framework for understanding the forces that drive and block individual and business performance, fulfillment, success and sustainability, Kyosei coaches are able to quickly support a client to identify the opportunities that will have the biggest impact on their ability to thrive both immediately and over the long term. While we believe, like all coaches, that the Client has many of the answers, resources and wisdom they need within. Our real world expertise in various personal and professional development specialties, however, sets us apart from many other coaches as it allows us to step in to consult, train, or mentor where necessary to support or enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that the client already has.
How is coaching different from consulting, mentoring, training, or therapy?
Kyosei coaches not only understand the differences between these support modalities, they are well-versed in being able to switch between them or refer clients to another one of our associates who might be better suited to the support mode they most need on any particular issue in real time. This team approach offers a unique advantage to our clients. Clients are not limited to the knowledge of one coach, consultant or mentor. We tap into the knowledge of our entire team to ensure that the approach and resources you have available to you are able to change to fit your evolving needs.
Coaching
Coaching assumes that the client is naturally creative, resourceful and whole. The role of the coach is to help the client tap into this inherent creativity, resourcefulness and wisdom to reveal their own solutions and create the results they seek. As the Coach assumes that the Client’s mental stability is without question, that their internal wisdom is intact, and that they desire to pursue a direct and accelerated path towards their goals, coaching is almost entirely present and future focused. The Coach sets up accountability programs (homework, agreements, commitments, accountability reminders, partners) to ensure that the Client does what they said they would do.
Coaches do not give answers – they ask questions. Why? They assume that since each individual is unique, the solutions and strategies that work for one person may not fit for another. For this reason, any advice that an “expert” might provide would be limited in its applicability to the degree that the style, strengths, experience and situation of the expert is similar to the style, strengths, experience and situation of the client. Coaches do not need to be an expert in the industry or subject matter that their clients may be experts in. Coaches are experts in the process of helping people dig deeper, explore possibilities, shift perspectives, and create results independent of industry, topic, or circumstance. The extensive background and experience of a Coach is vital to the success of Client outcomes. This experience, however, is imbedded and only comes out in offering directional questioning, truthful observations, possibilities, action plans and measurable targets for creating that which the Client said they would create.
Consulting, Training and Mentoring
Consulting, training and mentoring are useful when the Client wishes to access specific expertise. Trainers tend to share their expertise in a group setting, mentors tend to share their expertise in a one-on-one relationship, and consultants often do a bit of both. The key differentiation between these support modes and coaching is this: while these people provide the benefit of their expert knowledge and tools to the Client, the consultant, trainer or mentor is not often involved in the process over the long term and therefore does not provide ongoing accountability for behavior, thought or action change. In short, this group is about giving advice on what to do and what not to do. The actual implementation is up to you.
(Note: some Consultants do actually role up their sleeves and take responsibility for the implementation of the advice they give. In doing so, they often take on a coaching role to assist clients in overcoming barriers to achieving the goals they set out to achieve. Kyosei uses a combination of coaching, consulting, training and mentoring as this approach is proven to be most effective in creating and sustaining positive change.)
Therapy
The main distinction between coaching and therapy is based on an assumption that a therapist might have a patient who is somewhat unstable, raw, or highly vulnerable and has extra tools and specialized knowledge to take extra care with their approach. In addition, while coaching is present and future based, therapy may spend considerable time focused on understanding and “healing” the past sources of current behavior and circumstances. Kyosei Coaches are trained to know when it is appropriate to refer to a therapist. Some Clients may choose to work with both a Coach and a Therapist to address different areas of their lives and work.
Why has coaching become so popular?
Coaching has become popular for one main reason – It gets results!
Here are just a few examples of the proven measurable results that coaching creates:
- Current research from the International Coaches Federation indicates that recipients of coaching increase their value to the company by as much as 500% (in terms of productivity, quality, improved customer relationships, enhanced teamwork and bottom line results).
- A study by Manchester Inc. found that executive coaching delivered an average return on investment of 5.7 times the initial investment. The study reported significant impacts to companies in quality, productivity, customer service, retention and profitability. Most significantly, 77% of executives who were coached reported dramatically improved relationships with direct reports and others in the organization.
- 77% of respondents in a study by MetrixGlobal LLC indicated that coaching had significant or very significant impact on at least one of nine business measures. Furthermore, 60% were able to identify specific financial benefits that came as a result of their coaching. It also found significant favorable impacts in productivity, employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction, work output and work quality.
In addition to being a powerful tool for creating tangible business results, the popularity of coaching is a response to several other trends in the marketplace:
- People are tired of the “rat race”. They are recognizing that the rewards they have gained from their constant striving to compete and get ahead are not providing the lasting fulfillment they anticipated. They want work to be about more than money, status or power – they want it to have meaning and purpose. They want it to be an integrated and fulfilling part of their lives – rather than a necessary evil they must endure to fund brief weekend interludes with the life they really want. The problem is that many people can\’t see what a life like this would actually look like for them. They know what they don’t want, but they do not have a clear enough vision of what they do want. Even if they have this vision, they might not be able to see how they can get from where they are to where they want to be. A Kyosei Coach will ensure you have both.
- Going Green. Sustainability, social and environmental responsibility, health and wellness, spirituality, triple bottom line, natural lifestyles, alternative energy, voluntary simplicity – these are all buzzwords that speak to the LOHAS market. Passionate about living Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability, the LOHAS marketplace is $209 billion strong and growing rapidly. Globalization has brought an increased awareness of our interconnectedness with everyone and everything on this small planet of ours. People are tired of business and life lived from a win/lose mindset. They want to be able to improve their own quality of life without causing harm to others. Because coaches are expert at supporting others to envision and create desired futures, more and more people are tapping into this invaluable resource to generate prosperity for themselves in a way that remains meaningful and fulfilling because it also generates prosperity for others.
- Personal energy crisis. The desire to have more meaning and fulfillment in their lives along with the demands generated by the ever-increasing speed of life and work have created an explosion of people who are overextended, overworked, and overloaded. Their desire to do it all has outstripped the time, resources, and most importantly, the energy they have to do any of it. Work-life conflict is rampant and work-life balance is a desire on everyone’s lips. Coaches offer the expertise necessary to help people navigate their own conflicting desires and priorities and create a workable strategy for growing toward their ideal future without bankrupting themselves financially, emotionally, spiritually or in their relationships in the present. Kyosei Coaches in particular are trained in the application of the Kyosei Thrive Model™ to help people achieve Life-Work Integrity™ – the ultimate source of renewable energy and personal sustainability.
How and why does coaching work?
Human beings have two conflicting desires that are always at work – the desire to change and the desire to stay the same. The challenge is that the drive to stay the same is stronger than the desire to change – 95% of our behaviour is unconscious and habitual, leaving only 5% that is conscious and open to self-regulation. This design is purposeful, as habitual ‘hardwired’ behaviour takes much less energy to operate. Unfortunately, this means that immediate crises and demands are managed through our natural tendency to continue doing what we have always done, regardless of how well it is working. So despite all the knowledge a person might have about what they need to do to get from where they are to where they want to be, these hardwired habitual behaviours kick in to prevent them spending time on what matters most. Coaching breaks this cycle of unconscious, habitual behavior by providing the Client with a regular touchpoint to examine the motivations, sources and consequences of their choices in all areas of their life and work.
While there is a commonly held belief in our culture that knowledge is power, true power – and the success and fulfillment that goes with it – results only from consistently integrating one’s knowledge into action. This is partially why coaching is so effective for motivated professionals who already have a significant degree of success in their lives. Many have invested a small fortune in both time and money reading books and attending courses, but remain frustrated about their ability to apply this knowledge on a consistent basis to get the results they desire in their life and work. Coaching provides the support to help each individual integrate knowledge with real world action. In this way, it becomes real-world wisdom – the foundation for exemplary achievement in any field that can be sustained over the long term.
Working with a Kyosei Coach is particularly effective because of the Kyosei Thrive Model™. This model provides our Coaches with a unique, high-leverage tool to help our Clients understand and harness the forces that drive and block passion, performance and profit in their lives and work. Research has shown that the focus, discipline, confidence and consistency of successful and fulfilled individuals is a result of a high level of clarity regarding who they are, what they stand for and what they are passionate about creating in their lives and work. The Kyosei Thrive Model™ provides all of our Clients with this same knowledge, but ultimately it is only ongoing coaching that will ensure they build their capacity to live it, thus ensuring their ability to thrive over the long-term.
Why hire a coach? Who can benefit from coaching?
In general, people hire a coach because they want more from their life, work, or business. People who can benefit from coaching include:
Individuals seeking to….
- Switch careers (either by choice or due to layoff).
- Prepare for retirement.
- Achieve a healthier work-life balance.
- Decrease stress levels.
- Develop their leadership abilities.
- Enhance overall health, energy and vitality.
- Start a new business.
- Manage their time and energy more effectively.
- Enhance productivity and performance.
- Deal with a “midlife crisis”.
- Manage a life transition (eg. Marriage, divorce, relocation, starting a family, going back to school)
- Discover greater purpose and meaning in their life and work.
- Fast track career advancement.
- Jump-start a stalled career.
- Increase personal or business efficiency.
- Improve communication skills.
- Enhance creativity.
- Manage change more effectively.
- Overcome fears and build confidence.
- Improve their financial health.
Leaders wishing to….
- Inspire passion, purpose and performance in their team
- Increase business profitability
- Deal with “problem” employees more effectively
- Increase business profitability
- Build strategic thinking abilities
- Create a high-performance, high-fulfillment workplace
- Foster values alignment
- Strengthen leadership
- Improve morale
- Create a healthy work environment
- Reduce turnover
- Foster communication and trust
- Maximize potential of leaders, employees and the organization
- Improve employee engagement
- Enhance productivity
- Spark innovation and creativity
- Foster personal and business sustainability
What results, changes and benefits can I expect when I hire a coach?
Your ‘mileage’ will vary depending on your reasons for hiring a coach. In general, most clients will experience some or all of the following:
- Greater clarity in their vision for their life, work, career and/or business.
- Enhanced confidence in and capacity for translating this vision into reality.
- Better understanding of self and others.
- The ability to produce the results they want in less time and with greater ease.
- A larger repertoire of tools, support and structure to achieve their goals.
- Greater focus, discipline, and motivation to follow through.
- Stepping up and stepping out to dream bigger and do bigger than they would have on their own.
Why would people who are already successful use a coach?
Coaching is beneficial for people at all levels of success and accomplishment. For those who are just starting to achieve their dreams, coaching supports them to realize their vision more quickly and easily than they would on their own. People who have already achieved a high degree of success benefit at least as much, if not more than those who are just beginning on the path to success. While they may have many of the outward “trappings” of success, these individuals have often achieved that success at a price that they would like to stop paying. Coaching can help successful people bring more joy, meaning and fulfillment into all areas of their lives and work. It can reduce the amount of time, stress, and energy they need to expend to get the same, or better, results. At the end of the day, it is human nature that no matter where you are on your journey, you are seldom satisfied with the status quo for long. Kyosei Coaches are here to help you embrace each new phase of growth, whether internally or externally imposed, with confidence, clarity and focus.
How long do I need to commit to work with a coach?
Like most coaches, we ask for a 3-6 month commitment when we begin working with clients, depending on what your coaching goals are, in order to ensure that you take consistent action . A coaching relationship can last anywhere from a few months to a few years.
With Clients seeking career clarity, for example, we guarantee that you will have identified a life-work vision that aligns with all of your Passions within 12 sessions. We require that you commit to at least 12 sessions in order to ensure that you complete the whole process. It is not uncommon for people to get scared of the changes they may need to make in their life and work as the vision of their ideal life path begins to emerge at around session eight. If they had not committed for 12 sessions, some would be tempted to find excuses to stop coaching at this point, just when they were about to have a breakthrough around what they really want. More often than not, career transition clients work with us for 24 sessions as we have found that this not only helps them to identify their new path, but to get well underway to making it happen.
Leaders in our corporate coaching programs may begin with just a three month commitment to work on some specific issues they are facing, but most will continue for several years once they see how beneficial coaching is for growing the energy and performance of themselves and their team.
In some cases, we may work with Clients for just a few sessions if they have a relatively simple and focused issue they want support with such as making a decision whether or not to accept a promotion, working through how to negotiate for a higher salary, or gaining insight into how to resolve a conflict with a colleague.
Is it better to hire a coach who can help me work on my personal goals or my professional/business ones?
Coaches work with you to set both personal and/or professional goals. While many Clients begin working with a coach with a focus on either their personal or professional/business goals, the two are intricately linked as they share a common link – you. Our coaches are qualified to work with all aspects of you in all areas of your life.
How much does it cost to hire a Kyosei coach?
Kyosei strives to keep our quality high and our fees reasonable so you can be assured working with Kyosei is a wise investment. For an accurate quote based on your personal, business or organization’s needs, please fill out our Coaching Assessment. Remember, filling out the online Coaching Assessment also qualifies you for ONE free coaching session (valued at $250). After we receive your Coaching Assessment, we’ll be able to make recommendations for a Coaching package that will meet your specific needs, budget and time.
What is special/unique about Kyosei coaches? Why work with a Kyosei coach?
Not all coaches are created equal. Kyosei coaches are “a cut above” in the following ways:
Integrated and transferable approach.
Commitment to practicing what we preach.
Concrete tools to create and measure results.
The Kyosei Thrive Model™
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