Faq

What is coaching?
Coaching is a new technology of personal and professional development based on concepts from sports, business, spirituality, psychology and organizational development. It's for passionate people who want more from their personal and business lives. A coach helps them set larger, more rewarding goals, develop a strategy to achieve them and provide support throughout the process. It's not unlike having a personal trainer or an athletic coach... transformational, but in a business and personal sense. The achievement of goals is something that comes more quickly as a result of the coaching partnership.

Why does coaching work?
Coaching works when there are two factors present: 1) The client is willing to grow, and 2) There is a gap between where they are now and where they want to be.

Successful coaching clients know the value of sharing ideas with someone who understands them and is subjective enough not to want a lot for them, yet objective enough not to be biased or self-serving. Talking about options with someone who can listen, is often enough to have it all become very clear.

Coaching works because of three unique features:
SYNERGY: Client and coach become a team, focusing on the client's goals and needs and accomplishing more than the client would alone.
STRUCTURE: With a coach, the client takes more actions, thinks bigger and gets the job done, thanks to the accountability the coach provides.
EXPERTISE: The coach knows how to help business people make better decisions, set the best goals, develop new skills for communicating and restructure their professional and personal lives for maximum productivity.

Where do you start with a coach?
Most coaches begin with a special client meeting or call to get to know each other. The coach wants to hear about the client's goals, needs, and problems. The client wants to get comfortable with the coach. During this meeting, both parties design a list of goals and a game plan to reach these goals.

How do the coaching sessions work?
Coaching is usually done over the phone. In addition to allowing frequent, regular contact, it makes it easy to stay in the "coaching relationship", since the client can call from their office, home, car or hotel. The person coached completes a coaching call strategy form prior to each call, describing the current challenges and the progress they've made since the last call. Most people are coached two hours a month, in either four 30-minute sessions, three 40-minute sessions or two 1-hour sessions.

The focus of the call is determined by the client. The coach helps them to solve the problems and make the most of the opportunities. When they are missing a principle or distinction, we draw one so they can see a whole lot better. When they are taking on a large goal, we help them design and project and provide the support and structure needed to make sure it gets done. We bring out the clients best by offering advice, expecting a lot, helping them strategize and celebrating the wins. There is often "fieldwork", where the client is given a formula, new perspective or a challenge to try something in a new way. That forms the basis for the next call.

What happens when you begin a contract with a coach?
You take yourself and what you want more seriously.
You take more effective and focused actions immediately.
You stop putting up with stuff that gets in your way.
You create momentum to achieve more, be more balanced and develop more powerful management skills.
You set personal goals that are clear and meet your needs.
You identify and eliminate the barriers that get in the way of the achievement of goals.
You communicate about what you need and want from others in a more responsible way.

How can a Manager/Executive use a coach?
Coaching creates an environment where there is freedom from judgment and freedom from expectations that executive behave according to typical corporate mandates. In this environment it is safe to question, to appear vulnerable, to observe, to explore, experiment, to learn and change. That allows the executive to use the coach...

...To reach high targets and quotas. Accomplishing this consistently requires a manager who also coaches a team to work together to reach extraordinary goals.
...For business planning, budgeting and goal-setting.
...To integrate business and personal life for balance.
...To prioritize actions and projects.
...For training, developing and managing staff.
...To turn around a difficult situation.
...To handle business or personal problems.

What is in the area called Client's Only Area?
In this area you can:

  • complete your Welcome Packet
  • update various forms (such as Client Profile, Goals, Discovery, Evaluations, we will use in the coaching relationship
  • process your monthly coaching payments
  • schedule & re-schedule your coaching appointments
  • Enjoy various documents and materials posted for your use
  • review archived newsletters
  • Complete your Weekly Call Strategy Form prior to the coaching session

How do I access your Client's Only Area?
Click on my website: Clients Area and click on LOGIN in the upper center of this Welcome Page. You will know you have successfully logged into this area when the webpage displays:
Welcome Susie! in the upper left corner.

What do I do if I have to re-schedule an appointment?
Simply access the "Clients Only Area" by logging in with your username and password and access my on-line calendar to re-schedule. Make sure you select an open coaching time within a slot marked "AVAILABLE". Once you have determined the time you would like to reschedule for, simply click on the "title" of your current coaching appointment, click on the "EDIT" button and change the start time, stop time and date to reflect the new desired appointment time. We both will receive instant emails confirming the changes.

What happens if I miss a call due to an emergency?
No worries, We can do laser coaching via email until our next scheduled call. If you give me 24 hours notice I will do my best to reschedule your appointment.

What if I've lost my password?


Not a problem! When you go to the home page of my private clients area and click on the �Login� link at the top center, you will be able to enter your username and then click on the �I FORGOT MY PASSWORD� button. My system will automatically send you an email with your password included. Should you misplace your username, simply contact me via email and I will send you your username.

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Experienced Perspective

Working with Ann has helped provide clarity in my professional life with regard to choosing my direction, setting clear goals that inspire those around me, and prioritizing those goals based on their impact on me, my colleagues, and the students. Ann asks thought provoking questions and provides practical strategies that enable me to reflect on situations and people from a variety of perspectives. She challenges me to make personal and professional decisions with sincerity and purpose.

Carol Howe-Veenstra
Director of Athletics, College of Saint Benedict

Working with Ann as a coach has been an essential part of my professional
and personal growth. Her guidance has allowed me to become more self-aware and decisive. Through these developments, my career path looks brighter than ever, and I have never felt more in control of it.

Kendall Harrell
Manager, Organizational Development, Life Time Fitness


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