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June 23rd, 2011
We’re excited to have Erika Wendy Schneider as our guest blogger today. At the ripe, young age of 15, Erika wrote this thoughtful paper on Coaching for one of her classes. Her perspective has no doubt been shaped and influenced by her dad, iPEC’s Founder & Chairman, Bruce D Schneider.
Life Coaching
“Going from functional to optimal [is what it’s about],” declares Deborah Van de Grift, V.P. of iPEC Coaching.
All forms of coaching—personal, business, and life—have been proven to work exceptionally well in the lives of individuals yearning for a chance, a change, and opportunities of various sorts. Coaching has evolved considerably over the years and never fails to impact one’s lifestyle when the client has an open mind and plenty of commitment. The right coach will help the client to a flourishing path using essential keys and building blocks to success.
Life coaching, using infiltrating techniques, indisputable focus, and accountability, is the prime method of moving on from the past, creating and indulging in long term goals, finding one’s purpose, and creating a desirable future.
“[Coaching is] an extraordinary and unique relationship designed to create a significant impact and sustainable results in all areas of a person’s life” (Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching).
While therapy and counseling concentrate on the past and how to cope, coaching is designed to assist the client in moving on from the past and looking to the future. Though coaching does recognize the past, as it’s what makes a person who they are in present day, coaching’s aim is for the client to learn from the past and transition from “why did this happen?” to “how can I learn and grow from what happened?”
Therapy aims to heal issues and create a healthy lifestyle and coaching’s focus is to take this concept to the next level, developing a remarkable lifestyle for an already healthy person.The objective is for the client to distinguish the essentiality of having goals and how they could be effectively put to use with the right attitude.
“While consulting is about the consultant delivering the right answers, coaching is about asking the right questions” (Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching).
The most important aspect of coaching is the accountability of the client. Depending on the willingness of the client, coaching will prove successful in expanding the capacity in which the client creates solutions for him or herself. The right coach—deciphered by the compatibility of each specific forte the client has—will help the client achieve enhancement of awareness and emotional intelligence while challenging his or her fundamental interpretations, conflicts within their comfort zone, and a perspective that is lacking in some significant way.
The client chooses their own goals, aided and guided by the coach, who, trained professionally into precision, will know just the right moment at the exact time to trigger an epiphany within the client and open up doors that have never been touched upon beforehand. With this, not only will the client find an abundant transition in the way s/he interacts with everyone around him/her, but how he/she sees and defines him or herself.
“My coach awakened me to discover the practical and realistic steps to actually turn my dream into reality,” says Gena Lindquist of Portsmouth, Virginia.
Finding an ideal career and taking full advantage is only one of the many accomplishments one could obtain after the process of working with a coach. In popular cases, clients will initially be reluctant to trust and listen to themselves, and will eventually feel refreshed and self-confident, knowing more about themselves than ever imagined.
Some who question their purpose of existence have found a satisfaction to their itch to discover why, realizing their focus is to live life to the fullest and do anything probable to make themselves known to not only the individuals around them, but themselves as well. They will learn to enjoy, rather than react to life. Clients will learn to acquire a voice, a mind, and a drive to be who they are: outstanding, excellent people ready to begin a brand new and brilliant lifestyle.
“Life coaches assist you to become the World’s Leading Expert on you!” (The Coach Connection).
Finding oneself is arguably the greatest challenge one could face over the course of life. To find themselves, people usually search outside, hoping someone or something will magically give them some answers. Of the many things coaching can do, one of the most powerful is to remind people that they already have the answers within themselves. Coaches empower people to remember those answers and not only find themselves, but see their place, and find their peace, in the world. With empowerment comes confidence, a perceptibly valuable shift within oneself and the ability to define and create an extraordinary life — precisely and appreciably from the core.
Tags: coaching, coaching skills, expectations, life coaching, new perspective, values
Posted in Coaching and Coach Training, Guest Bloggers, leadership
4 Comments »
April 1st, 2011
In my previous post, we explored the scenarios for making change and why, so often, individuals revert to their old patterns, after making a change, instead of moving forward.
Now, let’s take a look at what a coach would do to help facilitate the often challenging, and fear-inducing, act of change.
A coach would recognize your fear as a sign - a sign that you’re looking for a clearer plan (with contingencies), so that you can have more confidence to implement the change you so desire; a sign that you are indeed on the right path because change (real, significant change) is known to bring up fear; a sign that your subconscious wants to figure out how to hold onto your “good parts,” to not leave them behind, while surging forward on your path to change.
Once recognizing these signs:
You’d immediately shift your energy.
You’d question your perceptions.
You’d begin to challenge fear, while simultaneously using it as fuel to push you forward.
You’d look to surround yourself with the right advocates, and support team, to help you follow through with your plans.
You’d figure out what you need to bridge the gap of time between now and when the change really takes hold.
And, most importantly, you’d know how to spot those small, yet absolutely crucial milestones (those “small wins”) that cause you to think, “Wow, not only is it possible, it’s actually happening!”
Don’t shy away from change.
Don’t let the environment pull you back to what’s easiest and most familiar.
Set yourself up for success.
Play full out, and make that change happen.
And until next time, Live on Fire!
D. Luke Iorio, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP
President & CEO
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
Tags: achievement, business coach, choice, coach training, expectations, finding purpose, intentions, iPEC Coaching, life coaching, new perspective, power of choice, self-improvement, success, workforce engagement
Posted in Business Development, Coaching and Coach Training, D. Luke Iorio - iPEC CEO, leadership
1 Comment »
March 25th, 2011
When a person decides to make a positive change, and then resumes life by returning to his or her original environment, usually one of three paths will unfold:
1. The individual, faced with pressure from their surroundings, will revert to old patterns, foregoing the change.
2. The environment will change around the individual until the surroundings match the change introduced.
3. The individual will not be able to remain in their environment and will find a new one, either voluntarily or involuntary. If voluntarily, it’s because the individual recognizes that the change cannot persist in that environment, for any number of reasons. If involuntarily, it’s often because the old environment essentially didn’t welcome them back and kicked them out. The important decision the individual must make here is what to do in the new environment in which he or she lands.
So, I ask you, how well are YOU planning for these scenarios? What can you do to best set yourself up for changing your environment with Path #2, or choosing something new with Path #3?
Only Path #1 stands out as unacceptable to most people who desire change. Yet, it seems nine out of ten times, that’s exactly the path that unfolds. Why on earth do we let that happen?
Unfortunately, it has everything to do with human nature’s good old friend, Frankie Fear (thanks Rocky!). When faced with change, we think about what we might be losing or leaving behind and how little we know about what’s coming next. It makes it really, really easy to revert to old patterns.
We find ourselves keeping those same old commiserating companions in the workplace; the companions with whom we keep on gossiping and complaining, instead of fixing and solving.
Slowly, but surely, we begin to think thoughts like, “Well, maybe I don’t need to change that much. Maybe things aren’t so bad the way they are.” It’s a way for your fears to keep you from moving out of your comfort zone, as they force you to “play small” or “play it safe” in the world.
The next thing you know, you’re right back to where you started, when you first decided that you needed a change.
We now understand the scenarios for change, and why so many of us choose to resist making a much needed change, but the real question is: What’s a coach to do?
We’ll explore that question in next Friday’s blog post, “What Would a Coach Do to Facilitate Change?“.
Until next time, Live on Fire!
D. Luke Iorio, CPC, PCC, ELI-MP
President & CEO
Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC)
Tags: achievement, Add new tag, attitude, change, choice, coaching skills, encouragement, finding purpose, intentions, iPEC Coaching, life coach training, life coaching, new perspective, opportunity, self-improvement, success
Posted in Business Development, Coaching and Coach Training, D. Luke Iorio - iPEC CEO, leadership
1 Comment »
August 11th, 2010
By Guest Blogger Ryan Stanley, CPC
When I first decided to become a Life Coach, a lot of people I knew expressed concern about how I would be able to relate to all of the challenges that may come from the diversity of working with different types of people.
“How are you going to be an expert in everything?”
“Why would someone who is 20 years older than you want to go to you for advice?”
Now, after going through iPEC’s coach training program, I’m aware that I don’t need to be an expert in anything except the coaching process (specifically the Core Energy Coaching™ process) itself. I also now know that I’m not really giving any advice at all, as much as I am reflecting the clients’ concerns and challenges in a positive, personal format which enables them to gain new perspectives on what some solutions to those concerns and challenges may be.
But of course, when people decide that they want to be a life coach, they don’t know any of that yet. What they do know is that they enjoy seeing others become happy, healthy, and successful. So naturally, some of those same questions that my friends were asking me in regards to the challenges of becoming a Life Coach begin to pop up and block some potentially amazing coaches from taking their first steps to be a life coach.
Ironically, once someone goes through the program to become a Certified Professional Coach, a very common conversation that they end up having with clients is all about the client deciding what they really want out of life. What types of people do they want to surround themselves with? What kind of conversations do they want to be having at their work place on a daily basis?
It’s these type of questions which also often helps coaches begin to identify a niche or specific type of clientele. For whatever reason, it’s our nature as humans to think that any obvious answer is ‘too easy’ and it’s ‘got to be harder than that.’ The truth is, there are no rules about how to choose your clientele. You already have a wealth of personal experiences. And you know the type of people who you enjoy interacting with.
Consider: What do you love to talk about on a regular basis?
If it’s one thing that the development of internet and social networks has taught me, it’s that no matter what your hobby or personal interest may be, there are thousands, if not millions of people out there in the world with an equally focused interest in that exact subject. And if it’s one thing that becoming a life coach has taught me, it’s that every one of those people can benefit from having a life coach.
And when you’re working with a client, and you’re able to combine your common passion for that specific something with the coaching process, you end up having deep, engaged conversations about something that you both love. And guess what? “Coincidentally” these conversations often end up having the client finding themselves on a clearer path to a happy, healthy and successful life.
Believe it or not, choosing a niche can be that easy. Your product is joy. Your target clients are people that you would love to talk to about a subject that is closely aligned with who you both are.
Oh, and by the way. Just because you choose a niche doesn’t mean that you can’t coach anyone else. If you’re good at what you do, chances are you’ll attract clients from all walks of life. It also doesn’t mean that you can’t change your niche. Be a coach. Enjoy the ride. You and your clients deserve it.
RMS
PS. Outside of my passion here at iPEC (which essentially is building successful relationships), I also coach within the music industry. I had the pleasure of recently being interviewed for Play It Loud Music. You can check out the interview here, Play It Loud Music’s Blog Thanks again!
Ryan is the Director of Strategic Alliances here at iPEC. He is also a band manager, screenwriter and Professional Life Coach. To find out more about Ryan’s journey to becoming a coach and his niche of choice, check out the blog/interview series above that he was recently asked to be a part of. You can also find him on FaceBook at www.facebook.com/RMS.Life.Coach or check out his website at www.ryanstanley.com.
Tags: Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching, iPEC Coaching, life coach training, life coaching
Posted in Business Development, Coaching and Coach Training
No Comments »
November 10th, 2009
Seeing patterns, connections, and clarity when others may not:
Through Chaos, a Coach sees Order
Through Challenge and Stress, a Coach sees Opportunity and Clarity
Through Tragedy, a Coach sees Purpose
Through Conflict, a Coach sees Growth
Through Anger, a Coach sees Understanding
Through Others, a Coach sees Themselves
Through Themselves, a Coach sees Others
While many individuals are usually constrained by one ,or if they are lucky, 2 or 3 different perspectives, a coach is trained to see a situation from a 360 degree view. Because of their unique vision a coach sees many more choices, options, possibilities than their client can. A coach can broaden the clients’ view, so that the client can empower themselves to take meaningful action from their new vantage point.
The coach considers all aspects of a situation and all aspects of life, and helps the client to continually investigate life from new angles. Because of this bigger picture, coaches are often very relaxed in times of stress and challenge. Whether you know the final result or not, the coach can often see that an answer is just around the corner with this vision. The world is an exciting place, filled with passion, enthusiasm, and growth… this is the world as seen through a coach’s eyes!
Who would you like to help to see life and work from a completely new perspective? What difference would this make to them?
And what difference might this vision, outlook, and skill set make in your life?
Tags: Add new tag, attitude, become a coach, calling, change, choice, coach training, coaching, coaching skills, creativity, finding purpose, life coach, life coaching, life potential, perspective, power of choice
Posted in Coaching and Coach Training, Energy Leadership, Law of Being, Life Potentials
5 Comments »
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