Coaching is a partnership between a Coach and a Client. It is a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires the client to maximize personal and professional potential and engages them in identifying how to attain that potential. An effective coaching process is designed to facilitate the creation/development of personal, professional, or business goals and to develop and carry out a strategy/plan for achieving those goals. Duration and frequency are flexible and customized to each specific situation. While we may agree to shorter or longer durations, typical engagements for leaders last 6 months, with 1-hour coaching sessions held either weekly or twice a month.

Therapists often explore the past in detail in order to understand the present. Therapist typically help a client heal by figuring out “why”. Mentors often use personal experience to provide guidance and advice. “This is how I did it… “ Consultants are usually experts in a specific field of specialty. They are typically paid for their topic specific knowledge, and to “provide the recommendation or answer”. “This is what you should do…” Coaches, on the other hand, have no agenda except to help the client create the personal and professional success that the client wants. A coach’s true expertise is in the coaching process. An effective coach listens, asks insightful questions, and helps the client to reach their own answers because true, positive change starts from within. iPEC refers to this as “coaching from the inside out.” Working with well-functioning, successful individuals who may be going through a transition, or just wanting a fuller life, coaching focuses on visioning, learning, performance improvement, or development in some area of life. The coach helps the client move forward by focusing on the “how” of the client’s desired outcomes.

People are drawn to being coaches for a variety of reasons, and often come from widely diverse backgrounds with varying skill sets. A coach’s professional background is important, in that business acumen, organizational savvy, strategic agility, interpersonal effectiveness, authenticity, and trust are all critical to coaching effectiveness. That said, a certified coach overlays that background with professional coaching skills, tools, and processes gained via hundreds of hours of rigorous training and skill development. A certified coach is positioned to employ best practices, appropriate assessment tools, refined coaching techniques, and of course, adherence to the code of conduct outlined by the International Coaching Federation. Given the importance of trust in any coaching relationship, a face-to-face meeting with a potential coach for a “chemistry check” should always be part the selection process.

Each coaching engagement is customized to the specific situation. Typical durations are agreed upon up-front, and contracted in 3, 6, or 12-month time-frames, negotiable depending upon client needs.

iPEC was one of the first coach training programs to be accredited by the ICF (International Coaching Federation) and goes beyond the requirements necessary for accreditation. iPEC’s process was created and developed from areas and fields such as consulting, psychotherapy, hypnotherapy, Reiki, mentoring, metaphysics, quantum mechanics, Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), adult learning theories, emotional intelligence, and leadership development. iPEC’s coaching process utilizes a blend of these modalities to create a unique, powerful relationship between coach and client, helping clients to better manage their personal and professional lives, connecting inner purpose & passion with outer goals to bring about extraordinary and sustainably results. iPEC trained professional coaches employ the Core Energy Coaching™ process, which goes beyond traditional coaching to tackle the root cause of a client’s challenges: focusing in on underlying thoughts, emotions, and energy. iPEC coaches help clients shift hidden internal blocks, uncover client insights, wisdom, and perspectives, which in turn leads to powerful and sustainable shifts in every area of life. Additionally, iPEC’s Energy Leadership™ Index assessment provides tangible, research-backed ROI for any coaching engagement.

The Energy Leadership™ Index (ELI) assessment is a proprietary, research-backed assessment tool that takes something abstract, like the way a person views the world, and turns it into something tangible—a metric that you can see and feel and even re-evaluate in the future. You may already be familiar with personality tests like Myers Briggs, DiSC, and Enneagram. These valuable tools can help you understand your strengths, embrace your weaknesses, and discover how you can work to your full potential. In that way, they typically support a “work with what you have” approach to adapting your behavior and pursuing personal excellence. The ELI, on the other hand, is an attitudinal assessment tool that captures how an individual currently perceives and approaches work and life. With the awareness and insights gained through the Energy Leadership Index debrief, clients have the opportunity to reshape their attitudes and worldview and “transform who they are.” The Energy Leadership™ Index assessment can be given at the start of a coaching relationship and as a regular follow up assessment to provide tangible, research-backed ROI data for any coaching engagement. When combined with the personally tailored Energy Leadership Index debrief, the ELI assessment can help you look closely at where (and how) you’re investing your energy. In this way, you’ll be able to make a plan and adjust your priorities in support of your work and life goals. These insights, along with added coaching, often boosts productivity, communication, and morale among employees. As an individual, you’re likely to see transformations in your relationships, confidence level, and leadership skills. In essence, Energy Leadership will help you lead by example, with power, purpose, and passion.

Not necessarily. A coach’s true expertise is in the coaching process. There may be times when a coach acts like a consultant, offering new ideas from his or her intuition, knowledge or experience. That said, most certified coaches will say that they are most effective when coaching in an industry outside of their own professional experience… where there is no temptation to fall back on personal history and give advice based on their own experience.

Fees are based on the client’s organizational level as well as the overall scope and duration of coaching. To learn more, contact Mark for a free consultation.

Of course, this varies based on the situation, but as you think about your own environment, what would it mean to you if you could: Clarify vision, then develop powerful goals and plans aligned with that vision? Increase leadership effectiveness, which in turn has a ripple effect on peers, staff, & customers? Increase awareness of blind spots and derailing behaviors, or increase focus on leveraging strengths and opportunities? Drive increases in Employee Engagement? Lower overall turnover and related costs? Increase retention of high-potential employee and key leaders? Lead effective, positive culture change? Decrease stress and increase fulfillment? According to the American Management Association’s (AMA), Global Study of Successful Coaching Practices, 79% of managers think coaching improves individual performance and productivity, 63% believe coaching addresses leadership development/succession planning, and over 40% believe it boosts employee engagement and helps address specific workplace challenges.

In one study conducted by MetrixGlobal LLC, companies including Booz Allen Hamilton received an average return of $7.90 for every $1 invested in executive coaching. A recent study of Executive Coaching in a Fortune 500 firm reported a 529% return on investment and significant intangible benefits to the business. A survey by Manchester Inc. of 100 executives found that coaching provided an average return on investment of almost six times the cost of the coaching. An internal report of the Personnel Management Association showed that when training is combined with coaching, individuals increase their productivity by an average of 86% compared to 22% with training alone. A study published in the Manchester Review that primarily investigated executives from Fortune 1000 companies reported that executive coaching leads to improved customer service (39% frequency), cost reduction (23%) and increased bottom-line profitability (22%).

Many of the tools, processes, and approaches are similar. Self-pay clients sometimes want help clarifying their visions, goals, and next steps. Often, they know exactly why they want coaching and what they hope to get from the coaching experience. The primary differences when the coaching is sponsored by a company are centered in the areas of alignment and reporting. When working with a corporate sponsor, the coach will generally pre-align with HR and the executive’s manager to fully understand their goals/priorities and to agree on the overall process/timeframe. The coach will then integrate the sponsor’s priorities with the client’s perspectives and work with the client to develop a plan that all can agree to. Additionally, the coach will support their client as the executive provides the corporate sponsor with scheduled updates regarding progress. Having served as head of HR for three different companies, Mark has a wealth of experience navigating such sponsored coaching situations, ensuring that the interests of both the client and the sponsor are honored and addressed.

In corporate settings, it’s often beneficial to conduct initial in-person interviews with sponsoring leadership, HR, the leader being coached, as well as peers, staff and key stakeholders. Once the initial foundation has been established, coaching can be equally effective in-person, via phone, using video conferencing, or utilizing an effective combination of all three. Mark’s coaching approach is flexible and customized to individual sponsor/client needs.

Typically 50% of the agreed fee is payable on or before the first session and the remaining 50% is payable at the midpoint of the agreed coaching timeline. Payment terms are negotiable, and fees can be paid by check or online.

Schedule a free consultation: mstrozik@charter.net

During the initial free consultation, we will confirm reason/interest in coaching, goals, and commitment. We will also explore background, discuss the overall approach, and confirm chemistry. At that point, we can discuss specifics including duration, location, and fees… once agreement is reached, coaching can begin!