Professional & Executive Development Coaching

“Believing that leaders are born, not made, is like believing Lance Armstrong came out of the womb on a racing bike, ready to win the Tour de France. Great leaders, like great athletes, become the best they can be by first learning the skills they need for success and then by relentlessly practicing them.” – Peggy Klaus 

Throughout the ages, philosophers, scientists, and leadership gurus have amassed volumes of research and waxed rhapsodic on the question, “Are leaders born or made?” While a consensus has yet to be reached, most research supports the idea that there is no such thing as leadership DNA.  Successful leaders, like great athletes and performers, may start out with the right stuff (intelligence, ability, desire, etc.), but they often turn to a coach for guidance and support through the enormous challenges of their careers.

In today’s business world, competency in the soft skills—the ability to communicate, collaborate, motivate, and problem-solve, to name a few—has become as important to career success as knowing the hard skills, the technical side of doing a job. Regardless of industry (we coach folks in financial services, real estate, media, utilities, academia, IT, biotech, retail, manufacturing, and politics) or level in the organization (recent hire, the newly promoted, or those in need of putting their career back on track), our customized programs teach clients how to use soft skills to achieve hard success.

Through problem analysis and behaviorally-based skill building, clients learn to improve their communication and leadership effectiveness in a variety of areas, including: dealing with the media; interpersonal communication; navigating a new role; strategic thinking/visioning; supervising others; collaboration; office politics; taking risks; decision-making; and communicating with executive presence before clients, boards, and investors.

The coaching packages described below range from one day to six months and all include the following components:

• Discussion with client to go over priorities, desired outcomes, monitoring, and internal support for reaching goals
• Pre-coaching self-assessment using the Klaus & Associates communication and leadership questionnaire
• Feedback from supervisor(s), hiring party, colleagues, and/or direct reports regarding desired results for the client
• Study of company’s performance reviews or other assessment tools (if applicable)
• A synopsis incorporating a coaching plan, homework, and behavioral prompts
• Follow-up phone calls to debrief/discuss synopsis and check up on client’s progress
• Check-ins with supervisor(s) or hiring party regarding client’s progress
• Summary of coaching work and assessment of future needs
• A webcam can be used upon request as part of any coaching package

The JUMP-START PACKAGE additionally includes:

• Initial in-person session, taken as half-day or full-day
• A second in-person session within three months of initial coaching (taken only if initial coaching was a half-day meeting)
• Within three months of completion, one hour of follow-up coaching by phone or email

The on-going support THREE-MONTH PACKAGE—which can stand alone or function as a continuation of the Jump Start Package—additionally includes:

• Three in-person, half-day coaching sessions
• 12 hours of email/phone time (approximately 4 hours per month) during three continuous months of coaching
• Updated synopsis with revised coaching plan, homework, and behavioral prompts
• Within three months of completion, one hour of follow-up coaching by phone or email
  

The on-going support SIX-MONTH PACKAGE—which can stand alone or function as a continuation of a shorter-term package—additionally includes:

• Initial in-person coaching—taken either in two-half day sessions or in one full-day meeting—during which goals are identified and prioritized
• Additional check-in with supervisor(s) to clarify outcomes, monitoring, and internal support for reaching goals
• 24 hours of email/phone time (approximately 4 hours per month) during the six continuous months of coaching
• In-person session midway through the process, taken either in two-half day sessions or in one full-day meeting
• In-person session(s) at end of the six-month period, taken either in two-half day sessions or in one full-day meeting
• Updated synopsis with revised coaching plan, homework, and behavioral prompts
• Within three months of completion, two hours of follow-up coaching by phone or email

After completion of any of the above packages, VIRTUAL COACHING using phone and email is available in blocks of time ranging from six hours to 36 hours.