What is coaching?
Coaching is the art of improving an individual's or group's performance - some have called it evoking excellence in others. It has existed for a long time and was, until recently, most commonly associated with athletic endeavours. Coaching has evolved since the late 1980's to also include personal (health, exercise, nutrition, etc.) and business coaching.

Business Coaching
Business coaching often goes under the names of Corporate or Executive Coaching. It focuses on helping an individual and their organizations succeed through customized and systematic ways of closing the gap between the present and the desired level of performance. Business coaching is ultimately concerned with the achievement of business objectives through personal development and improvement.

We find that a typical coaching assignment begins with a particular goal in mind and expands over time as other areas are identified and explored for improvement or attention. In our experience, some of the more typical coaching goals include:

•  Enhancing capabilities and performance
•  Developing skills
•  Solving problems / generating creative ideas
•  Dealing with challenging situations

We usually structure our coaching to help individuals in a one-on-one coaching relationship, but it is sometimes more appropriate to use group or team coaching depending on the situation. Team coaching is designed to have the coach take a more active role in helping a group better explore and understand its dynamics, and then develop appropriate ways of working together to achieve their goals.

Coaching can either be done face to face or by telephone; each has its own benefits and challenges. Some Clients prefer working by telephone because it focuses attention and encourages the sessions to move along at a fast pace. Others prefer meeting in person where body language forms part of the communication process. The decision is usually made based on personal preference, but either form can work well.

Coaching Benefits and Payback
Business Week (13 October 1997) reported that people have a greater probability of achieving their goals if they have a Coach.

"Who can benefit from coaching? Certainly anyone who is undergoing a major transition in a company can benefit. You might be a candidate if you're an exec with strong technical skills who needs broader managerial experience. Perhaps you're a brilliant ideas person who clams up, or rambles, while trying to communicate thoughts before large groups. Many top tier executives, as well as people who hope to ascend the corporate ladder, are relying on coaches to turn them into more polished mangers."
Business Week, 13 October 1997

The business case for coaching, more specifically the return on investment that can be expected has been demonstrated. The best known study is a survey completed by Manchester Consulting that showed the following results:

Coaching Process
Many different coaching processes and tools can be used, but a typical process uses six basic stages from goal identification to reflection upon completion as follows:

1. Define the goal or objective.
2. Analyse and understand the present reality.
3. Explore options to achieve the goal.
4. Identify and commit to a course of action.
5. Implement the plan with the support of the coach.
6. Reflect on the results, what was learned and how to apply the knowledge in the future.

This problem solving process is adapted to fit the needs of the Client (the person being coached) and the particulars of the situation. The Coach ensures, however, that the "agenda" belongs to the Client.

Because of our specific expertise, we sometimes depart from the Coach "persona" and act as more of a consultant to deal with subject matter specific issues. We are careful to identify when we shift our role in this manner and only do so if the Client requires or requests this type of assistance. More typically, however, we assume that the Client can formulate the best solution through appropriate discovery and discussion. This assumption goes to the core of being a good coach.

Coaching relationships and confidentiality
The relationship between the Coach and the Client is highly privileged - whatever is said or discussed in coaching session is confidential and not shared with anyone.

Coaching works only if there is a bond of trust between the parties involved. The Client needs to speak openly and honestly, and believe in the Coach's loyalty and willingness to understand. We believe the nature of the coaching relationship is sufficiently important that we have committed to and adhere to a Coaching Code of Conduct.

As the diagram indicates, however, the Client's Sponsor, who is either the person's supervisor or sometimes the Human Resources group, often retains the coach. It is important to understand that we limit our discussions with the Sponsor to contract administration issues and very general observations on the progress being made. We encourage the Client to have discussions with the Sponsor regarding the specifics of the coaching work and any insights or action plans they wish to share.

Why Transform?
Jacques Levesque is in a unique position to Coach Executives, Teams, and Boards. In his 20-year corporate career he has led a number of multi-million dollar corporations as well as not-for-profit organizations. He has also served as a Director or Chair on a number of Boards of Directors. This practical knowledge ensures that he understands management and corporate issues, and can assist Executives in dealing with their challenges.

He has also completed 145 hours of training to complete the Corporate Coaching Program offered through Corporate Coach U in Florida. This knowledge, along with his practical experience provides him with the optimal balance between knowledge and experience to coach Executives for success. This has been repeatedly demonstrated since he began his coaching practice in 2001 with Executives and Boards.