Archive for executive coaching

What Would You Do If You Knew You Couldn’t Fail?

It’s 2023 and time to start the year with a fresh perspective.

So I ask you these three simple questions:

  1. What would you do if you knew you could not fail and those around you would wholeheartedly support you?
  2. Are you doing it?
  3. If not, then why?

Think about it …

If your reason for not doing something is that you’re afraid of failing or being judged … how much worse would that be than never having tried?

It’s better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing perfectly. Share on X

Make 2023 your year of personal leadership growth.

Do you have a goal you want to reach in 2023—either career-related or personal? Is there something you want to improve or change that’s been gnawing at you for years?

What’s holding you back? Where are you stuck? Why haven’t you been successful in the past? Have you ever considered working with a leadership coach?

Who exactly seeks out a coach? Leaders who want even more out of life.

Not sure if coaching is for you? Check out my coaching services. I will help you become clear on what you want, develop action plans, stay committed to your goals and live intentionally. With coaching certifications from the International Coaches Federation and The Coaches Training Institute, I am also skilled in organizational and relationship systems coaching—working with teams in small to large organizations.

As your coach, I will hold you accountable—and that’s a good thing because statistics show coached people are seven times more likely to follow through on their plans.

I have two openings for coaching clients now, so call me at 541.601.0114 or email me and let’s start a conversation (complimentary). Here’s to a great 2023!

Executive Coaching: Why Bother? Why Now?

COVID-19 is spiking, Oregon’s Governor Brown just declared a two-week freeze, and businesses are scrambling to determine what the 2021 landscape will look like. Some predict the virus’s spread will worsen and further shutdowns will be necessary, while others anticipate a return to quasi-normality following the introduction of a vaccine. In any case, uncertainty is the name of the game.

As a leader, you need to be prepared for not just the present, not just what’s around the corner, but what lies beyond the foreseeable future. Instead of lamenting potential revenue losses during these fragile times, begin to think of this pause as an opportunity to deepen your and your team’s knowledge, skills, and vision so your company is resilient enough to withstand and even triumph during times of crisis.

To give your organization the best chance of surviving—and thriving—you need to focus on your own growth, sanding down the rough edges while equipping yourself with a toolkit for success.

Co-Active Coaching

Executive coaching can take you there … but not just any type of executive coaching. Capiche leans on co-active coaching techniques like those taught at the Co-Active Training Institute, which emphasize clarity of communication, conversation, awareness-raising, and concrete actions.

A co-active leadership coach partners with you to reveal your strengths and push you toward greatness. Together, you will identify problem areas and strategies for addressing those weaknesses. Be prepared to be inspired—and held accountable.

Are You Ready?

Before you dive in, ask yourself, Are You Ready to Be Coached? Don’t fool yourself—the co-active coaching process is hard work. But that hard work yields exceptional results.

Growth can be painful. It may require you to examine aspects of yourself you’d rather leave hidden. Exposing those vulnerabilities, however, can divest them of their power over you and enable you to rise above them.

Co-active coaching is a creative, experimental process. You need to enter it with an open, willing mind to fully benefit from the experience.

You also need to let go of perfectionism—waiting for the perfect moment to start, the perfect moment to pursue a new idea, the perfect moment to resolve issues that have been festering underneath the surface. The perfect moment is NOW.

What Do You Get Out of Co-Active Coaching?

Honing your emotional intelligence (EI), strengthening your willpower muscle, developing true grit, deepening your humility, heightening your sense of responsibility—all of these occur as part of the co-active coaching process and ultimately result in your becoming the finest leader you possibly can be.

Perhaps the best-known executive coach in the world, Marshall Goldsmith has conducted extensive research on what drives leadership success. As discussed in this Capiche blog post, the level of employee engagement is not the responsibility of the employees but rather their managers. It is when leaders accept that responsibility that their team begins to mirror that behavior back. You need to model the type of person you would like your team members to be.

Is it worth the effort? If you care about your company, your team, and yourself, then the answer is an emphatic “Yes!”

In this Forbes article, business thinker and author Erika Andersen outlines the following benefits of executive coaching:

  1. It helps you see yourself more clearly.
  2. It helps you see others more clearly.
  3. It teaches you new ways to respond.
  4. It illuminates how to leverage your existing strengths.
  5. It enables you to build more productive relationships.
  6. It gives you the tools to achieve what you want.

It’s Time

So you’re convinced. You realize it’s time to stop procrastinating and to commit to co-active coaching. How do you find the right fit for your personality, needs, and goals? Read this blog post for starters. Then contact Chris Cook at chris@capiche.us or 541.601.0114 to schedule a complimentary phone or video consultation so you can discover if she is the right co-active leadership coach for you.

What’s Holding You Back from Reaching Your Potential?

Woman Aiming at Archery Target

How to Find a Coach Who’s the Right Fit

Do you have a goal you want to reach by the end of the year—either career-related or personal? Is there something you want to improve or change between now and then?

What’s holding you back? Where are you stuck? Why haven’t you been successful in the past? Have you ever considered working with a coach?

You may wonder who exactly seeks out a coach … it’s winners who want even more out of life.

Finding the right coach may not be as momentous a decision as choosing your life partner, but it’s not far off.

As with any close relationship, there has to be harmony. Kindred spirits inspire, but they can also hold you back. You’re not looking for a friend. Or a superior. You want an equal whom you respect and who respects you.

The right coach will connect with you at a profound level while also applying gentle pressure, like the grit that polishes the pearl.

Recommendations from colleagues are dandy, but one person may like sneakers while another prefers combat boots. You have to find the best fit for you. Who’s going to help you climb that mountain?

Do your research and find out what kind of a coach you want. A life coach? A leadership coach? A co-active coach? Are your aspirations professional, personal, or both?

Explore the websites of coaches in your area and see whose philosophy, personality, and attitude resonate with you. Narrow your list down to a few finalists and schedule a free consultation.

When you meet with a prospective coach, pay attention to how you behave and feel. You may find yourself sharing things you’d never expected to tell a stranger during a first meeting. You need someone you can be completely honest with. If you quickly develop a rapport, there’s a good likelihood you’ll be able to establish a relationship of mutual trust.

The coach’s questions may elicit new realizations about your career or life trajectory. Did you come away from that first meeting inspired, with a clearer vision of what to aim for and how to get there? A coach should help you clarify your goals while also equipping you with the tools to reach them.

In Your Executive Coaching Solution, Joan Kofodimos says a good coach will do the following:

1.         Strike a balance between supporting and challenging you

2.         Help create feedback loops with colleagues

3.         Assist with clarifying your true strengths, values and purpose

4.         Provide structure in the development process

5.         Broaden your perspectives

6.         Teach concepts and skills

7.         Maintain confidentiality

8.         Influence how others view you

Keep these tips in mind as you evaluate coaches and try to listen equally to your heart and your head. Ultimately, you’re looking for the person who’s going to push you to greater heights—and depths.

As you seek a coach who is right for you, give me a chance to interview for the position. In celebration of my newly minted coaching certification by the International Coaches Federation and The Coaches Training Institute, I am offering a special discount on a three-month coaching package.

Not sure if coaching is for you? Check out my coaching services for free. In your complimentary 30-minute session, I guarantee you will design action toward the change you desire.  I will help you become clearer on what you want, develop action plans, stay committed to your goals and live intentionally.

As your coach, I will hold you accountable—and that’s a good thing because statistics show people who are coached are seven times more likely to follow through on their plans.

Call 541.601.0114 or email me today to schedule your free coaching sample session and to learn more about how coaching will change your life.

This Is for All the Lonely Leaders: Why Partner with an Executive Coach

John Wooden Coaching Kareem-Abdul Jabbar


“A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.” —John Wooden


Think back on your life. As you were growing up, who nudged you toward greatness? Who gave you gentle support while simultaneously challenging you to grow, to stretch? Who offered a candid perspective you could always trust, a wisdom that inspired? Perhaps it was a family member, a teacher … or a coach. Whoever it was, your life is forever changed because of their influence.

What about today? Who fulfills that role for you now that you’re an adult, a leader? So many of us make the mistake of leaving mentors and coaches behind at college. We’re leaders now, not apprentices. Why would we need a coach?

Google CEO Eric Schmidt has an answer: “Every famous athlete, every famous performer has somebody who’s a coach. Somebody who can watch what they’re doing and say, ‘Is that what you really meant?’” He continues, “They can give you perspective. One thing people are never good at is seeing themselves as others see them. A coach really will help.” Watch this video to hear more:

 

Even (and perhaps especially) leaders can arrive at a point in their lives when they begin to stagnate, when they stop pursuing their deeper hopes and passions. They may be denying their core desires or may have lost sight of their original dreams.

John Wooden Playing BasketballWe all know it’s lonely at the top. Who can a leader confide in? Talk frankly with? Trust? My answer: a coach. An executive coach can meet you at the crossroads between mediocrity and greatness, emptiness and fulfillment. A coach can hold a mirror to illuminate your strengths and deepen your self-awareness. A coach can help you find meaning and happiness along your path toward personal fulfillment and—by holding you accountable—help you stick to that path.

The natural state of being for humans is a state of inertia—a place where nothing changes, no real progress or growth is attained. Not good enough for you? Are you ready to take the next step? Do you want to take your “pretty good life”—one that’s an 8 out of 10—to a 12 or even a 14? Are you willing to engage with someone who’s going to tell you the truth, no matter how difficult it is to hear? Who will help you uncover your naturally creative and resourceful self? If so, it’s time for you to discover the magic in coaching.

Check it out for free. In a 30-minute sample coaching session via phone, Chris guarantees you will begin to design action toward the change you desire. See Leadership Coaching to find out what coaching can do for you. Contact Chris at 541.601.0114 or chris@capiche.us for your free 30-minute sample.

Note: This is an updated version of my earlier post What a Leadership Coach Can Do for You.

Why Coaching? Why Now?

Fish out of Water

The Wall Street Journal reveals that executive coaches report steady demand for their services despite the recession. As the economy begins to bounce back, those individual and corporate clients say this one-on-one coaching has been instrumental to their career and organization’s success. Flourishing companies understand that coaching is a way to develop and keep their organization’s key talent, which is critical in any economy.

How I Can Help

I am excited to announce that as of June 25, 2013, I am a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach® (CPCC) through The Coaches Training Institute (CTI). Recognized as the most rigorous coaching program in the industry, CTI includes hands-on coaching, ongoing group work and one-on-one supervision of actual coaching sessions. After successful completion of the program (196 training hours and 100+ coaching hours), I passed the written and oral certification exams, earning my CPCC designation! It has been one of the most rewarding learning experiences I have ever enjoyed, and I am already using these coaching skills with individuals and organizations.

CPCC Logo
I’m joining a broad and varied group of professionals. To date, more than 20,000 coaches, consultants, managers and new career explorers have been trained through CTI. Coaches come from diverse backgrounds and careers, including marketers, entrepreneurs, CEOs, accountants, scientists, engineers, dentists, educators, therapists and community leaders.

How Organizations Can Benefit

Major organizations such as Marriott, IBM, Boeing and the EPA have offered Co-Active Coach® training to increase management and employee effectiveness. They recognize the value of coaching in honing leadership, management and communication skills of senior leaders and high-potentials.

How Individuals Can Benefit

You’ve heard it said, “It’s lonely at the top.” By working with a coach, the most isolated executive can explore goals, realities and options with a trusted source—someone who will encourage and hold them accountable for the actions and ways of being they determine will move them in the right direction.

While you’re growing and becoming your best self, a coach is on your side, championing you while believing in your natural creativity and resourcefulness.

The Hard Facts

Data at International Coaches Federation (of which I am a member) states that professional coaching brings many wonderful benefits, including fresh perspectives on personal challenges, enhanced decision-making skills, greater interpersonal effectiveness and increased confidence.

The list does not end there. Those who undertake coaching also can expect appreciable improvement in productivity; satisfaction with life and work; and the attainment of relevant goals. Data researched by PricewaterhouseCoopers follows.

Increased Productivity

Professional coaching maximizes potential and unlocks latent sources of productivity.

Improved work performance: 70%

Improved business management: 61%

Improved time management: 51%

Improved team effectiveness: 51%

Increased Positivity

Building the self-confidence of employees to face challenges is critical in meeting organizational demands.

Improved self-confidence: 80%

Improved relationships: 73%

Improved communication: 72%

Improved life/work balance: 67%

Return on Investment

John Schweiger Testimonial for Chris CookCoaching generates learning and clarity for forward action with a commitment to measurable outcomes. The vast majority of companies (86%) say they made at least their investment back.

More information on the benefits of coaching can be found in the ICF Research Portal, including case studies and industry reports.

For more client testimonials, see Leadership Coaching. Contact me at 541.601.0114 or chris@capiche.us to learn more or schedule a free session. I guarantee movement toward positive change in your first 30-minutes.

What Can a Leadership Coach Do for You?

John Wooden Coaching Basketball

“A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.” —John Wooden 

Think back through your life. As you were growing up, who prodded you toward greatness? Who gave you gentle support while simultaneously challenging you to grow, to stretch? Who offered a candid perspective you could always trust, a wisdom that inspired? Perhaps it was a family member, a teacher … a coach. Whoever it was, your life is forever changed because of their influence.Young John Wooden

What about today? Who fulfills that role for you now that you’re an adult, a leader? So many of us make the mistake of leaving mentors and coaches behind at college. But we’re leaders now, not apprentices. Why would we need a coach?

Google CEO Eric Schmidt has an answer: “Every famous athlete, every famous performer has somebody who’s a coach. Somebody who can watch what they’re doing and say, ‘Is that what you really meant?’” He continues, “They can give you perspective. One thing people are never good at is seeing themselves as others see them. A coach really will help.” Watch this video to hear more:

 

Even (and perhaps especially) leaders can arrive at a point in their lives when they begin to stagnate, when they stop pursuing their deeper hopes and passions. They may be denying their core desires or may have lost sight of their original dreams.

We all know it’s lonely at the top. Who can a leader talk with frankly? Confide in? Trust? My answer: a coach. A leadership coach can meet you at the crossroads between mediocrity and greatness, emptiness and fulfillment. A coach can help you find your true self, map out your own path toward personal fulfillment and—by holding you accountable—help you stick to that path.

What about you? Are you ready to take the next step? To take your life that’s perhaps not bad—say an 8 out of 10—to a 12 or even a 14? Are you willing to engage with someone who’s going to tell you the truth, no matter how difficult? Who will help you uncover your naturally creative and resourceful self? Are you ready to go to the next level? If so, it’s time for you to discover the magic in leadership coaching.

Chris is available for free 30-minute sample coaching sessions. See what coaching can do for you. Contact Chris at 541.601.0114 or chris@capiche.us.