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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) - Answers

What is Executive Coaching?

Executive Coaching is an effective, collaborative relationship between an Executive and a Professional Coach which enables the Executive to achieve extraordinary professional and personal results through a process of creative discovery, ambitious goal setting, and meaningful action.

How do I know whether I should hire an Executive Coach?

Executive Coaching is effective in resolving certain personal issues as well as for achieving a faster professional development. However, it is required that you are ready to take action in order to change your way of working and/or living.

Who benefits from Executive Coaching?

Every Executive can benefit from professional Coaching as it helps to achieve faster professional and personal progress. What is true for sport stars is also true for top executives.

What should I look for in an Executive Coach?

Unfortunately, there are no officially recognized minimum standards existing for coaches as there are for other professions such as phycisists, psychologists, etc. In our opinion, an Executive Coach should have a corporate background in upper/top management as well as a qualified education in Coaching.

Should I hire the Coach with the most experience?

Not necessarily, for two reasons. First it is important to understand that coaching is a relatively new profession, with less than 10,000 coaches practicing worldwide as of 2001, with 80% of these coaches having started coaching in the past 5 years. So, the coach you come across may have been coaching for a short time, yet the person may have the kind of background in a related profession that permits her or him to provide a high level of service to you. Secondly, what you want is a collaborative partner - someone you can work and create with, not just someone who gives you advice. That's why the synergistic relationship is sometimes more important than the coach having extensive experience.

What will an Executive Coach do for me?

A competent Executive Coach is a process specialist for professional and personal development. A masterful Coach will help to broaden the client's perspective, moving on faster and reaching or even exceeding goals in a much shorter span of time by using effective coaching skills such as contextual listening, non-directive guidance, insightful questioning, enhancing confidence, empowerment, role modeling, truth talking, laser messaging, assessments, etc.

Why should an executive engage Progress-U?

1) All Progress-U associates have extensive corporate experience...
...We speak the same language: your background, challenges, ups&downs are known to us

2) Tremendous Self-Development in a very short time...
...Coaching will provide you with the faith and encouragement to achieve a tremendous progress within yourself

3) Outstanding Ability to listen and understand the client's situation in Top Management...
...We were working our whole professional life in "people business", i.e. in Sales and Management where relationships and communication are key

What are the Coaching Principles of Progress-U?

100% Honesty
We will always tell the truth as we see it, no matter the circumstances or whether the client will "like" it

100% Confidentiality
Degrees of confidentiality are part of the agreement and are being mutually determined prior to entering into the coaching relationship

100% Reliability
We will only promise what we can directly influence and what we truly can deliver

100% Integrity
The Client-Coach relationship is the heart of my business; full integrity with our clients will assure a long term successful collaboration with them

Is there any guarantee?

In any people's business there never can be a 100% guarantee for success as the success is highly dependent on the client's willingness to take action. The only guarantee a coach can give is to use his whole set of skills in the best possible manner and to assure the level of confidentiality agreed with the client.

Nevertheless, Progress-U offers a Satisfaction Guarantee under certain circumstances.

How long does Coaching take?

According to our experience, the process of Coaching should not take less than three months as effective and long lasting change can not be achieved in a couple of sessions. Typically, Executive Coaching takes between 3 and 12 months before the coaching relationship is ended.

In some cases however, especially in Top Management, certain clients wish an even longer-lasting coaching relationship as they consider coaching as an asset to assure to remain on the top. In such cases, the Coach very often becomes a "sparring partner" or "mirror" to the Top Executive.

What does a typical Coaching Session look like?

The agenda for the session is moderated by the Coach and determined by the Client. Based on the agenda, the Coach will assure that the topic(s) of the agenda are being worked on in a structured and efficient manner. In most cases, the client will be encouraged to define his ideal future reality, then explain the current reality and then the actual Coaching will help the Client to see how the gap between now and the future reality can be bridged. This happens by exploring possibilities, identifying barriers and agreeing on action to be taken.

How do I receive my Coaching?

Coaches work in different ways, but most coaches offer weekly or bi-weekly coaching session by telephone or in person. These sessions last between 30 minutes and an hour. Coaches may offer different formats as well, but the weekly session is popular among coaches and clients because it offers consistency and frequency at an affordable price point.

What are the distinctions between Coaching, Counseling and Consulting?

Coaching combines skills required in Consulting (experience, knowledge, analysis, ...) and Counseling (understanding, psychology, empathy, ...) with specific Coaching skills (see above) in order to achieve the best possible outcome for the client, especially for action oriented individuals such as Executives.

Speaking of money, what do coaches charge?

For one to one Coaching with Top Management staff, professional Executive Coaches set their fees in the US$150 to US$400 per session range although you will find some coaches charging more. For that fee (in most cases with 2-4 sessions per month), you usually also receive access to the coach via phone, fax or e-mail between the sessions.

To find out about the cost of the coaching programs offered by Progress-U Ltd., please contact us.

What is the return on investment (ROI)?

The ROI is highly dependent on the readiness of the client to take the necessary action to achieve the major shifts in their professional and personal life. Following a quote of "The Denver Post" dated Sept. 02, 2001:

"The Manchester survey of 140 companies shows nine in 10 executives believe coaching to be worth their time and dollars. The average return was more than $5 for each $1 spent."