Coaching is an intensive development method for business executives and leaders, where a personal coach helps to achieve ambitious outcomes within a certain time frame.
The difference of coaching from other personal development methods may be expressed via a car driving metaphor:
Mentor shares tips for driving from his own experience
Consultant gives advice on how to drive a car
Coach encourages you to drive in unknown territory, helps you to navigate there, to develop your driving skills and to arrive to the destination in time.
In the coaching process the coachee is driving it and the coach is observing the ride from the passenger seat. The coachee makes all the decisions and the coach only proposes techniques and makes challenges. After one meeting a business executive told me that: “now I understand that the coach is asking from you questions, that you would not ask yourself. And even if you would, you would not answer these.”
“Ivar invited me to consider an issue beyond my typical paradigm of thinking, with amazing results. Within a very short time, I had new and illuminating insight on an issue about which I’d been ‘stuck’. As a result, my client base has grown significantly. Ivar’s coaching was invaluable and gave me a different perspective. He helps his clients create a vision, think strategically, hold people accountable, and execute their outcomes. I learned in a very short time to identify the barriers and key networking issues that have been holding me back.”
Cheryl McCormick, Ph.D.
Carmel, California
To whom?
Coaching is a very result oriented process and fits really well with:
- top managers of firms and organizations
- middle managers
- entrepreneurs
Coaching is a great development method for a leader, who strives for clarity in her/his life, set ambitious targets and is ready to exit her/his comfort zone in order to achieve these. It serves well a person, who wants to take risks safely, to experience something new and to really learn to know themselves.
An extreme example of safe risk-taking is learning to skydive by Assisted Free Fall method, where the student makes even first jump from the height of 3,5 km and immediately experiences adrenaline of whole 45 sec of free fall. His safety is assured by two experienced instructors, who jump together with him, guide him, correct his posture and help to open the parachute in time.
When?
Coaching works if a person wants to make significant change in their life and is ready to seriously commit to this.
Employers usually hire a coach for a manager when:
- large changes are happening in the organization
- to bring teamwork to a new, higher level
- development of a talented manager can be sped up
- to help new leaders up to speed
- there are signs of overworking
- to increase motivation
- a key person is stuck with something
Organizations develop managers also by team coaching, content and desired outcomes of which are subject to an agreement with a coach.
How?
Coaching can be successful if the coachee feels like they are “on the same page” with the coach.
The philosophy of coaching is that every person has all the necessary resources to achieve their goals. Coachee’s task is to help them to discover these resources, to learn to believe in these and make their dreams come true.
Coaching is all about significant changes and these need time to happen and become sustainable. Therefore I provide coaching as a set of sessions over an agreed time frame. The coachee can select one of the following formats:
a) 6 sessions over 3 months
b) 6 sessions over 6 months
c) 10 sessions over 6 months
In order to get to know each other and discuss the targets of the coaching I propose to the coachee 2 steps:
- 5 – 10 minutes phone call , to talk about the coachee’s intention
- 45 minute meeting, to get aquainted and to talk through their desired outcomes, motivation and time frame
If this meeting results in a trusting and fruitful cooperation, we make an agreement and commence the coaching process.
Test: Does coaching fit you?
Mark the number that comes closest to representing how true the statement is for you (1 is the least true and 5 is the most true). Then push “Submit” for result.
I am on time for all calls and appointments
This is the right time for me to accept coaching
I will keep my word without struggling or sabotaging
I am ready to “try on” new concepts or different ways of doing things
I will be straight and tell whole truth to the coach
I am willing to change self defeating behaviors, which limit my success
I see coaching as a worthwhile investment in my life
Source: Academy of Coaching and NLP
Outcomes
Personal coaching has helped leaders and executives to achieve the following outcomes:
- setting and achieving brave outcomes
- finding a mission in life
- getting out of a difficult situation
- discovering their unknown capabilities
- learning to “read” and motivate people
- achieving work and life balance
- reduction of stress
- learning to produce results easily and effortlessly
“Ivar has been an enormous source of strength, insight and inspiration for me. He gives you tools you need to improve your life and reach your goals. His extraordinary coaching style will help to move towards your dreams much faster. No matter how happy, successful you are-Ivar has something to offer.”
Jelena Nagorskaja, Head of Marketing
Portland, Oregon
Team coaching is a combination of experiencing coaching, learning coaching skills and practicing these skills in different work situations.
With team coaching, team members acquire new communication and motivation skills, which bring teamwork and efficiency to a new level. As a result of such coaching the team members:
- learn to set common targets and achieve these
- get exposed to the art of managing people by listening and asking questions
- learn to know team members more deeply
- are able to awake inner motivation within team members
- achieve fluent and effective teamwork
Team coaching is best done as a set of 3 – 4 hour workshops, which enables participants to practice new skills and deepen learnings in the time between.
“Ivar possesses a quiet and deep wisdom that allowed me to make life changing insights. I especially appreciated his uncanny knack for knowing when to give silence and space, and when to ask the kind of question that took me a few minutes to answer. I highly recommend Ivar as a coach to anyone who wants to move forward in an effective and efficient way.”
Mindy Kobara-Mates, PhD
Evanston, Illinois
Internal coach training
Coaching has found a firm place in successful organisations. Professional coaches are hired for senior executives. Managers of all levels are taught the coaching style of management, which develops employee initiative and creativity. A NEW TREND is training leaders to become INTERNAL COACHES for the organisation.
A LEADER/INTERNAL COACH conducts coaching sessions to the leaders and employees of other units of the organization. The aim of these sessions is to help coachees in setting clear objectives and identifying improvement areas, as well as to support their professional and personal growth. By doing this a leader/internal coach develops coaching skills and brings their own leadership quality to a new level.
This trend reached Estonia this Spring when International Coach Federation’s (ICF) Master Certified Coach Duncan Coppock from the UK gave a special course for leaders – internal coaches. Registration for the next similar course starting on November is already in progress.
Duncan Coppock is a highly experienced coach and has been training, mentoring and supervising coaches since 2001. He has worked with hundreds of coaches on developing their skills and business and gaining their ICF coaching credential. Duncan is the “brain surgeon” of coaching. He is able to decompose coaching interaction into primary particles and put these back together to form the best possible structure for it. Just his listening and questions modules may fundamentally change the communication skills of participants.
Duncan’s knowledge and experience are remarkable. He has engaged in coaching since 1998 and has coached leaders in the United States, Australia, five European countries, Malaysia, Singapore, and Russia.
Duncan has written a book called “The SELF-Factor: The Power of Being You. A Coaching Approach” (2005). In its preface, the great coaching guru John Whitmore says: ‘I have rarely come across any book with which I can so wholeheartedly agree. Only its style differs somewhat from mine. Duncan is a more organised and thorough than I am”.
Duncan speaks about his motivation to teach coaching HERE.
As the second facilitator I, Ivar Lukk, will bring to the course 25+ years of senior executive experience and neuro-linguistic programming skills on the NLP Master Practitioner level. My coaching skills are based on 1,000+ hours of coaching and proven by the ICF Professional Certified Coach credential.
The course is very flexible! It consists of two modules, 24 hours each. Completion of the course will provide participants with the following:
- skills to open up complex people
- possession of coaching leadership style
- skills of conducting systematic coaching sessions
- knowledge of how to integrate coaching culture in their organizations
- greater clarity about their own aspirations and capabilities
For participants who wish to OBTAIN THE ICF CERTIFICATION we are offering the third training course module. We also provide MENTORING SERVICE and ASSISTANCE THROUGHOUT THE CREDENTIALING PROCESS.
The course schedule:
First module (2 + 1 days)
27 – 28 March and 19 April 2018
Second module (2 + 1 days)
15 – 16 May and 7 June 2018
Total price of the two modules is 2,150 euros + VAT per participant. In the case of registration and payment before 15 February, a friendly price of 1,990 euros + VAT will apply.
The course focuses on learning through practice and discovery. Participants will have an opportunity to hone their skills with each other and practice real coaching with personal coachee provided by course organisers. The course also includes group mentoring sessions.
To REGISTER FOR THE COURSE please send an e-mail to info@ivarlukk.com stating the name, position, organization and contact data of the participant(s). Any training-related questions may be sent to the same address and I would also be happy to give additional info by the phone +372 5177474.
With best wishes, Ivar
I have managed for more than 25 years companies in telecoms, banking, manufacturing, trade, real estate and IT fields. Most prominent of these have been Forexbank, Tele 2 Estonia and Tallinn Stock Exchange.
As a leader I have always valued learning. I hold a masters degree from London Business School took a 3-year psychotherapy studies in Tartu, Estonia and obtained a NLP Coach Certificate from Academy of Leadership Coaching and NLP and NLP, CA, USA. I am Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and NLP Master Practitioner.
The Flow of life has brought me to coaching, where my versatile management experience interacts with life lessons, psychology knowledge and coaching skills.
“I have worked with Ivar as my coach. He has a rare combination of
sensitivity, depth and a wealth of business knowledge and experience. Ivar
is insightful and incisive in his coaching work and I have benefitted
greatly from our work together. I recommend him whole heartedly to you as an
excellent coach.”
Dr. Andrew Machon
Executive Business and Life Coach and Author
South Yorshire, Suurbritannia
Milton Pro OÜ
Telliskivi 60
10412 Tallinn
Estonia
+372 51 77474
ivar@miltonpro.ee