Coaching FAQ

Is coaching right for me?  Let me ask you a few questions...

• Are you facing big decisions in your life? (e.g. business expansion, role transition, career change, integrating personal, health, professional and/or business priorities, retirement, a crisis (health, professional, business) 
• Despite good intentions, are you so caught up in the relentless grind of day to day tasks that you find you are not prioritising the space and time for strategic thinking?
• Do you have big dreams which constantly seem to being put on the long finger?
• Do you have a sense that what got you here won't get you there, but don't know how to change?
• Are you ready and willing to make your dreams more of a priority than your fears?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you will likely find having a professional coach to be an invaluable resource, providing a safe space to be discerning, prioritise what is most important and have a constant guide, fiercely committed to supporting you as you implement the changes you want to make to make your dreams a reality.  

How could personal growth be relevant to my professional and business development?

YOU are the person who IS the professional, who IS the business person, who IS the parent / friend / sibling.  When you grow as a person, the impact ripples through your life, your work, your family.  The investment in you, as a person, and your dreams is one of the most important investments you can ever make, personally, professionally and in business.  Make no mistake, it takes courage to say YES to yourself and your dreams and to accept support in getting there.  

Why does coaching work?

Coaching works when there are two factors present:

1. You, the client, are willing to grow, and
2. There is a gap between where you are now and where you want to be.

Successful coaching clients know the value of sharing ideas with someone who

1. who understands them,
2. is subjective enough to want a lot for them,
3. yet objective enough not to be biased or self-serving.  

Having a safe space to talk openly about options and address fears with someone who can listen, is of immense value to help untangle problems and help clear the path to progress.

Coaching works because of three unique features:

1. SYNERGY: You, the client and coach become a team, focusing on your goals and needs and accomplishing more than you would alone.
2. STRUCTURE: With a coach, you take more actions, think bigger and get the job done, thanks to the accountability the coach provides.
3. EXPERTISE: The coach knows how to help professional people like you tap into your strengths and address your stressors and concerns, so you make better decisions, set the best goals, develop new skills for communicating and restructure your professional and personal lives for maximum impact.

What is coaching?

Coaching is a process of personal and professional development based on concepts from lifestyle behaviour change, sports, business, spirituality, psychology and organisational development. It's for passionate people who want more from their personal, professional and business lives.  A coach helps you, as a client, set larger, more rewarding goals, develop a strategy to achieve them and provide support throughout the process. It's not unlike having a personal trainer or an athletic coach... transformational, but in a professional, business and personal sense. The achievement of goals is something that comes more quickly as a result of the coaching partnership.

The International Coach Federation (ICF) defines coaching as: "partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential".  

Other definitions include:

• “Unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance.  It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them” (Whitmore 2003)
• “A collaborative, solution focused, result-orientated and systematic process in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of work performance, life experience, self-directed learning and person growth of the coachee”  (Grant 1999).  Basic definition also referred to by the Association for Coaching, 2005)
• “The art of facilitating the performance, learning and development of another” (Downey, 2003)
• “Coaching is about developing a person’s skills and knowledge so that their job performance improves, leading to the achievement of organisational objectives. It targets high performance and improvement at work, although it may also have an impact on an individual’s private life. It usually lasts for a short period and focuses on specific skills and goals.” (CIPD 2009)
• [Co-active] coaching is “a powerful alliance designed to forward and enhance a life-long process of human learning, effectiveness and fulfilment”  Whitworth et al (2007)
• “Coaching is about enabling individuals to make conscious decisions and empowering them to become leaders in their own lives” (Wise 2010)

How do the coaching sessions work?
Coaching sessions are usually conducted over the phone or by online audio-visual technology such as Zoom. In addition to allowing us to have frequent, regular contact, it makes it easy to stay in the "coaching relationship", since you, the client, can call from your office, home, car or hotel.  Before the session, you complete a coaching call strategy so that you can organise yourself to make the most of our time together.  After the session, you will complete a post-session recap form to deepen your learning, document the actions you have committed to take and record your progress.  Typically, there are three 40-minute sessions per month.

The focus of the call is determined by you, the client. The coach helps you to overcome your challenges and make the most of your opportunities. When you are missing a principle or distinction, we draw one so you can see a whole lot better. When you are working towards a large goal, we help you design the project and provide the support and structure needed to make sure it gets done. We bring out your best by sharing wisdom, expecting a lot, helping you strategise and celebrating the wins. There is often "fieldwork", where you create experiments, new perspective or a challenge to try something in a new way. Feedback from these experiments forms the basis for the next call.

How do I get started in the coaching process?

Your first step is to schedule a complimentary Next STEPS Strategy Session with Rachel.  If you experience technical or timing difficulties in doing this, please contact Rachel via email rachel@racheldungan.com or phone 086 6025584 so we can schedule our Next STEPS Strategy Session to further explore if coaching could be a good fit to support you to achieve your goals, needs, and overcome your challenges.  Once you have booked your Next STEPS Strategy Session, you will be invited to complete a Session Prep Form to optimise the value you receive from our time together.  By doing this, during our meeting, we will be able to design a list of goals and a game plan to reach these goals.

How will I know 4Front will provide the right coach for me?

During our Next STEPS Strategy Session, together we will identify if this is an appropriate fit. So, before you say "yes", you will have a sample of what the coaching experience will be like. Until then, click on the BIO page to learn more about 4Front's founder Rachel Dungan and 4Front's approach in coaching and training. 

What happens when you begin a contract with a coach?

1. You take yourself and what you want more seriously.
2. You take more effective and focused actions immediately.
3. You stop putting up with stuff that gets in your way.
4. You create momentum to achieve more, be more balanced and develop more powerful management skills.
5. You set personal goals that are clear and meet your needs.
6. You identify and eliminate the barriers that get in the way of the achievement of goals.
7. You communicate about what you need and want from others in a more responsible way.

What can I expect from 4Front's coaches?

1. Be a partner in bringing out the best, the deepest, and the truest in you;
2. Provide safety, encouragement and support; an environment in which you can relax and explore;
3. Respect the confidentiality of the agreements we make;
4. Expand your view of what is possible and promote discovery of new insights;
5. Give you input, straight feedback and operate as a sounding board;
6. Listen carefully to what you say and ask questions that increase awareness;
7. Be an on-going resource for you in accomplishing your intentions.

How can a Manager/Leader benefit from working with a coach?
Coaching creates an environment where there is freedom from judgment and freedom from expectations that  people behave according to typical cultural 'norms'. A coaching relationship creates a safe environment to question, to appear vulnerable, to observe, to explore, experiment, to learn and change. That allows the leader to use coaching to ...

1. Accomplish ambitious goals.   This requires a leader who also coaches a team to work together to reach these goals.
2. Create the space for strategic professional, business and/or career planning and goal-setting.
3. Integrate business, professional and personal life for balance.
4. Prioritise actions and projects.
5. Explore how to train, develop and manage staff.
6. Turn around a difficult situation.
7. Handle professional, business or personal problems.

Are there professional standards for the coaching industry?

Yes, there is a code of ethics, core competencies, accreditation processes and an International Coach Federation (industry association) that promotes the advancement of coaches. To learn more about this, click here: http://www.coachfederation.org/ICF/

4Front's Professional Coaches, at a minimum 

• have completed ICF Accredited Training according to the ICF core competency framework for coaches
• are current ICF Members in good standing 
• commit to abide by the ICF code of ethics

4Front's Pharmacist Coaches, at a minimum ALSO 

• have completed pharmacist accredited training according to the FIP core competency framework for pharmacists
• are registered pharmacists who are current members, in good standing with their Pharmacist Regulatory Body 
• commit to abide by the code of conduct for pharmacists. 

How is Coaching different from Counselling or Therapy?

Note: There is a big difference between a professional counsellor and a person who uses some patient counselling skills as part of their role, for example their role as a pharmacist, nurse or doctor.

NOTE: Coach Training comments apply to coaches who have received ICF Accredited Coach Training.  Coaching is NOT a protected title and a person can call themselves a coach without any coach specific training.  4Front Coaches are all members of the ICF and have received Coach Specific Training.

NOTE: The International Coach Federation (ICF) accredits programs that deliver coach training.  It does not offer coach training.  Coach training that is accredited by ICF has gone through a rigorous review process and demonstrated that its curriculum aligns with the ICF definition of coaching, Core Competencies and Code of Ethics. This process provides assurance that coaches that have completed ICF-accredited coach training, have received high-quality training and have demonstrated core competencies.  A minimum of 60 hours of ICF-accredited coach-specific training is required for ICF Membership

Note: The difference between some types of therapy and personal coaching aren’t always clear-cut. Many therapists are “coach-like “ in their orientations and the two do share some common ground.   Both disciplines can be working with fully functioning individuals/couples who are facing difficult situations. Both professions focus on helping people makes changes and accomplish goals that really matter to them. Let us examine some of the similarities.

Similarities Between Psychotherapy and Coaching

Coaching is different from mentoring or consulting in a variety of ways:

Coaching V Mentoring

Mentoring is a professional relationship between two individuals of varying experience, where the more experienced individual seeks to enhance the less experienced person’s professional growth. It is characterised by the passing on of wisdom, skills and knowledge, and is done in a directive manner.

Coaching, on the other hand, is a professional relationship where a coach enables the client to improve their performance through non-directive learning and development. A coach is an expert in developing behavioural change in the client, regardless of the client’s industry or educational background. Although a coach may have a great deal of experience in the same industry as the client, their personal experience is not the primary focus of the engagement.

Coaching V Consulting

Consulting involves the giving of expert knowledge and advice to other professionals. Depending on the manner in which it is delivered and the quality of the relationship between the consultant and the client, the advice given may or may not be taken on board.

Coaching is different in that it facilities clients to discover their innate drive and purpose and then to take ownership for their role in the organisation. It enables long-term change as it allows clients to be reflective and take personal responsibility for their actions. It does not involve any form of advice-giving. Instead, a coach will facilitate a client to become aware of their behaviours and to take positive action in their needed areas of growth. 

What if I sign up for this and decide it is not right for me? Do you have a money back guarantee?

Yes, I call it my "participate and get your money back" guarantee. If within the first month of our relationship you show up to the calls and participate fully in the coaching process, you can simply let me know this is not working for you and I will completely refund your money. To honour the coaching agreement and the coaching process, if you sign up and do not show up for your coaching sessions, do not do the follow up work, etc, then we will not refund your money.

SECURITY & CONFIDENTIALITY

Is this client centre and my data secured and safe?

Yes! In fact, there are 3 levels of security: provided to keep your data safe and confidential:  

1. Username and password protected;
2. Verisign Security Certificate protects your data on this site; 
3. Secured pages (https://)

Is my information confidential?

Yes. This site is protected by a username/password system. You are the only one that has access to your information.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT

Can I contact you in-between our scheduled coaching sessions?

Yes! In the event that you would like support on something that comes up in between our meetings, you can post an inquiry to the Client Log and we can have "just in time" coaching via your Private Client Website.

ACCESSING THE PRIVATE CLIENT AREA

What is the "Register Now" link and when would I use it?

If you are interested in becoming a client or beginning the coaching process, you can create your own account to access the private client area.  When you "register" I will be notified that your account has been created and will need to activate your account. This could take up to 24 hours.

How do I access your private client area and how do I log in?

Click on the Login link in the navigational menu of the website. Then enter the username and password that has been assigned to you. Don't have login information yet?  Contact me so we can get an account created for you.

I have a password that I use for most of my on-line accounts.  Can I change the password you assigned to me?

Yes. You will need to log in initially using the password I assigned to you. Once you log in, you can change your password at any time in your Client Profile page, that you find under the FORMS tab.

What if I forget or lose my password and login information?

If you simply forgot your password, you can still go to the Login page by clicking the Login link. Click on the blue link "forgot password" to the right of the "Login" button and, in the new "Forgot Password" window, enter your username and click on the "Continue" button. You will receive an email shortly with your password included.

If you misplaced both your username and password, contact me and I will forward you your information.

I’m trying to log in, but it will not accept my username or password, what do I do?

Remember that the login information is case sensitive, so enter it exactly like it was given to you. Also, type in your login credentials and DO NOT copy/paste it, as this procedure can include empty spaces, which count in a password, thus rendering incorrect. Again, if you do not remember your login credentials, you can contact me via email and I'll forward them to you.

FORMS, DOCUMENTS AND RESOURCES AVAILABLE

What makes up a "Welcome Packet" and what do I do with this?

A welcome packet consists of some basic forms, documents and resources that will help to get us started in the coaching process. By completing the information in the welcome packet, you are providing me with some helpful information, so that I know best how to support you, guide you and work together with you. It includes a "Client Profile" form, a "Goals" form and also a "Discovery" form.  You will also find our coaching agreement located in this packet. It is customary for you to complete these items prior to our initial coaching session together.

SCHEDULING/RESCHEDULING APPOINTMENTS

What if I need to reschedule my appointment?

It's easy. With at least a 24 hour notice, you can reschedule any appointment by using the online calendar system. Just complete the following steps:

1. Log into your Private Client Website Area.
2. Click on the Calendar Menu.
3. Locate and click on the desired block of “Available” time (or if you already have an existing appointment, click on the title of your existing appointment that you wish to reschedule)
4. Click on the "edit" button and change the details of the appointment to correspond with an "Available" block of time.
5. The calendar will update itself, you'll see your new appointment reflected and I will receive an email notification letting me know of the change. 

PAYING FOR THE COACHING SERVICES

How do I easily make my payments for my coaching services?

Each month you'll receive an invoice letting you know the amount committed to for that month. You can log in to the private client area, click on the Payments Menu and you will see any outstanding balances due at that time.

What are the various methods of payment I can use to pay for my coaching services?

Standing Order, Credit Card (which includes Pay Pal), Electronic Bank Transfer, Cheque, Cash

• To pay by Standing Order: Set up a standing order with your bank using the IBAN banking details provided on your invoice
• To pay by Credit Card or Pay Pal: Click on the link at the bottom of the invoice to log into the private client area and click on the Payments Menu. Here you can either enter your credit card number or Pay Pal information and my system will automatically (and securely) process your payment.
• To pay by Electronic Bank Transfer: Use the IBAN banking details provided on your invoice