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Frequently Asked Questions


What is coaching?

Coaching is a method of helping people to "find their way", i.e. a support system. It is both a professional and a personal relationship between Coach and client, aiming to help the client to improve one or many aspects of their lives, removed from the "baggage" of the past. We accept that the client is where they are now and for whatever reason: we'll help the client to find out where they wish to go and then help them to get there.

The way in which this is done is by helping the client to understand what it is they want to achieve; by setting goals that are realistic (achievable) and that will help them to achieve their higher level ambitions. The coach helps them to believe that they can achieve their goals and their ambitions, and by guiding them as to how they can achieve their desires, and by encouraging them to fulfill these dreams or aspirations themselves.


Can you ensure that I achieve my goals?

Only you can do this! This is crucial - a Life Coach cannot change or improve your life for you: he or she will help you to set your goals and then to act. They will assist you to convert dreams to reality and self-doubt to self-belief. The Coach is a facilitator. Rest assured though that we will do our utmost to help you to reach those goals. If, however, you are not satisfied with the coaching that you receive, you will receive your money back.


How are coaching sessions conducted?

The coaching process is designed to assist the client to be more focussed and aware of their choices and, through this, helps them to achieve their goals more quickly. Typically, coaching sessions are conducted face-to-face (either individually or in groups for teamwork) or by telephone. Your coach will work with you in a totally non-judgmental way. They will help you to go within yourself and to decide where your true ambitions lie. As each goal or aim is articulated by you, the Coach will then help you to decide on specific actions that will move you in the right direction to achieve those goals.

Generally, each session finishes with agreement on the specific actions that you will take before the next coaching call. The next session will then go over those actions and their results, and your views about what you have achieved. It is this method of goal setting, working together non-judgmentally, commitment and analysis of progress that makes Coaching effective. Coaching gets you to make undertakings to someone else, your Coach, regarding your aspirations and you know that they are going to challenge you if you don't deliver!


How do I know if coaching will help me?

The majority of people, either as an individual or as a team, who have experienced coaching will tell you that it has changed their life or significantly improved their business capability that it has brought them personal satisfaction and success. Coaching has enabled these people to gain a deep sense of achievement, focus and energy to move forward in a positive and purposeful way. The benefits of coaching are often such a personal thing, improved feelings, emotions and confidence in situations, self esteem is raised, greater motivation to take action, less fear and a sense of personal understanding are all things that can be measured, and people who have used coaching have no doubt of its value.

Measurable benefits within a business context are especially important and outcomes such as improved personal productivity, more effective teamwork, meeting outcomes, action conversion rates as well as improved customer relationships and individual confidence in business and marketing are typical of the type of measurable benefits of coaching. A great coach will help you to ensure your goals, values and beliefs are aligned, overcoming any limiting beliefs that might be holding you back, developing more confidence in the decisions and choices you make that lead you towards your goals. You will feel much more in control of your life and through a greater awareness of what is really important to you; you will be better able to focus on getting what you want from life. Coaching is a holistic process and improvements in one area naturally have an effect on other areas of someone's life, relationships at home and work will improve, your overall performance will improve, you will probably have more energy and motivation to take on more challenging activities. Considering the value of such personal change and internal realisations many have called it priceless.

You don't, but to start exploring whether it might, ask yourself these questions, honestly. Do you have clear goals and an overall plan for your life? Do you know where you will be and what you will be accomplishing in the next week, month, or year? Are you thriving in your career, your relationships, your personal happiness and your finances? If you can answer these questions positively and frankly, then coaching might well not be of any great benefit to you. But if you answered 'no' to any or all of the questions, or if you even hesitated about any of your answers, then coaching could indeed be of assistance to you.

If you ever have those moments of feeling that 'your life should be better than it is', or that you want to have more control over the way your future develops, then Life Coaching could help to provide you with a way of achieving the aims and goals that you hold sub-consciously or even voice from time to time, but feel are beyond you. We take the view that everyone has the potential to achieve almost anything they want out of life, if they develop the goals, take action and move towards the desired life. Our coaches can show you how to tap into your full potential.

The very first coaching session you have will introduce you to new ways of thinking about yourself and your life and will provide an insight as to how you can overcome those obstacles you feel are holding you back. Our coaches can help you to question your life and your current direction.... and come up with answers that will change your life.


How does Coaching differ from therapy or counselling?

Coaching is different from counselling in that it is a totally holistic approach that doesn't dwell on the past, but sets goals for a totally successful future. You, as the client, define that future; we as your coach unleash your confidence and ability to move forward in a positive way to achieve it. Your coach will develop an understanding of how your past has shaped your present, but the main area of focus in coaching is on where you are now and where you are aiming to be in the future. Coaching encourages you to take responsibility and control of your life and your career, and to be proactive in achieving your goals.

It's also worth mentioning here what the difference is between a mentor and a coach. A mentor is usually there to assist someone to learn a particular task or to acquire a specific set of skills. The mentor will have a good deal of experience in a particular area and will be able to assist the client to learn how to achieve particular results in specific areas. The mentor will generally know details of a job-related situation already. Coaching, however, does not require that the Coach should have personal experience of a client's industry or occupation. It's commonly accepted in coaching that the absence of specific experience adds to the effectiveness of coaching in this area, coming at the situation through unbiased eyes. A mentor already knows the answers: a coach works with the client so that they can first discover the relevant questions for themselves and then derive their own answers.


How does Coaching work in the business environment?

We, and our Associates, as coaching professionals, have taken advanced training in the application of coaching principles to senior managers and executives and to work-groups in the corporate environment.

Senior managers and executives, who may well be successful, can often benefit from the clarity of thought and clear direction that can be derived from coaching. It can also be very valuable in helping individuals to differentiate between what their title says they are and what they really are, or would like to be. Being successful in business does not necessarily mean being successful in many other important areas of life. This is what coaching can help the senior managers and executive to achieve. Courses in Work-Life Balance are often an essential tool in this area and can be tailored for managers or all levels within an organisation.

Similarly to Life Coaching, Business Coaching focuses on personal goals. With Business Coaching, however, the range of these goals is limited to those that are in synch with the overall goals of the organisation, as they apply to a team or work-group. Through Business Coaching, we aim to ensure that the work-group members have a full understanding of the corporate goals and the targets of the particular projects to which they contribute. Our Coaches work with each individual as in personal or life coaching, but focus more on helping the individual to understand how they can best fulfill their own and the organisation's objectives in harmony. This approach often highlights personal development requirements that enable the individual to both make a stronger contribution to the organisation and help them to be more successful, a more useful team-player and with an increased level of personal happiness and satisfaction. Overall, the effect is to benefit both the individual and the company and this boosts productivity, job satisfaction, teamwork and staff-retention.

Additionally, personal coaching with its breadth of coverage and depth of understanding about the attitude and desires of the individuals involved, will often enable a company to achieve change in a faster timescale and with longer lasting benefits than those resulting from a standard consultancy approach.


Who would use a coach?

An individual or business that is experiencing lack of progress with a goal or someone who feels dissatisfied with the direction an aspect of their life is going in.

In the business environment a coach could be used for staff development or motivation, to improve performance, to launch or maintain a project's momentum, or to gain that competitive edge. Basically, though, anyone can benefit from coaching in any area of life, people who lack confidence or fear simple things, want to become more creative, challenging and courageous. People who want to get clarity and purpose in their lives, set goals that have meaning for them and design personal plans that they are motivated to action.


What benefits does coaching deliver?

Ask anyone or any business who has experienced coaching and they will tell you that it has changed their life or significantly improved their business capability that it has brought them personal satisfaction and success. A deep sense of achievement and that they feel energised to move forward in a positive and purposeful way. The benefits of coaching are often such a personal thing, improved feelings, emotions and confidence in situations, self esteem is raised, greater motivation to take action, less fear and a sense of personal understanding are all things that can be measured, and people who have used coaching have no doubt of its value.

Measurable benefits within a business context are especially important and outcomes such as improved personal productivity, more effective teamwork, meeting outcomes, action conversion rates as well as improved customer relationships and individual confidence in business and marketing are typical of the type of measurable benefits of coaching A great coach will help you to ensure your goals, values and beliefs are aligned, overcoming any limiting beliefs that might be holding you back, developing more confidence in the decisions and choices you make that lead you towards your goals. You will feel much more in control of your life and through a greater awareness of what is really important to you; you will be better able to focus on getting what you want from life. Coaching is anholistic process and improvements in one area naturally have an effect on other areas of someone's life, relationships at home and work will improve, your overall performance will improve, you will probably have more energy and motivation to take on more challenging activities. Considering the value of such personal change and internal realisations many have called it priceless.


How long would someone see a coach for?

Usually a coaching relationship lasts between 4 and 12 sessions, but clients will realise the benefits right from the first session. The coaching relationship can of course last as long as the client wants it to. The aim of coaching is to enable the client to achieve their aims and goals in a timeframe that suits them.


What can coaching do for me that I can't do for myself?

You'd love to change things, break the cycle, start living the life you dreamed of living, but you don't have the time, space, finances or confidence to even think about where to start! You may be very satisfied with your life and very capable of making changes on your own, but you need a boost to accelerate a plan. There are always areas where we can improve ourselves, in both our personal and professional lives.

Very often though, we feel wary of moving away from the status quo or outside of our comfort zone, even though we know that we are not happy with the status quo and that if we could just push the boundaries of our comfort zone, we could be so much happier. The downside of a comfort zone is that you can find yourself simply existing rather than actually living your life. You push all your dreams and ideas to the back of your mind as you spend all your time and energy trying to juggle the numerous responsibilities and obligations of your busy life. This is where a coach can help, by providing you with a confidential environment, great listening skills, the right questions at the right time and an unshakeable belief in your ability to achieve your goals, your coach will help you to step outside of your comfort zone into a fulfilled and satisfying life.


What can coaching do for me that I can't get from my family or friends?

Coaches provide a non-judgemental, unbiased and totally confidential environment where the focus is completely on you. Friends and neighbours will be trying to help you and may have lots of suggestions on what you should do; their ideas and approach to your problems will be from their perspective of the world which is probably very different to yours. This may even limit your own aspirations or cause you to doubt yourself and your own opinions. Only you know the real you, your life, your experiences and your challenges are not the same as your friends or family.

The coach has no agenda for you, they simply believe in you and your potential. A coach will not tell you what you should do, the approach is non-directive, you are the expert on you, but some of your knowledge might be hidden, the coach will encourage you to dig deeper into your self to discover those hidden depths, to become more aware of how you work. They will give you the opportunity to be completely open and honest about how you think, feel and experience life.


I don't think I have a problem & I'm not unhappy with my life, can coaching still help?

Coaching is for people who want more in any area of their life not just for people who are unhappy with their lives. Having a coach helps you to keep moving forward and live life to its full potential or improve good performance at work to even better performance. Most coaches have their own coach for this very reason to keep them challenged, motivated and moving forward, especially in their Continuous Professional Development.


I don't have a specific goal - can I still be coached?

Yes! Most people do not have a clear idea about what they really want from their lives. Therefore the first few sessions of coaching can help to establish what is really important to you and what you want for your future, your dreams, your aspirations and what you want to feel fulfilled and happy. A goal can sometimes emerge during therapy or counselling. Although a coach may understand how your past has created your current situation, the coaching session is focused on where you are now and where you want to get to in the future. A coach doesn't offer any solutions for the client. Coaches believe that clients possess all the necessary resources to do, be and have anything they want in life. A coach's purpose is enabling the client to uncover all their hidden abilities and motivations so they are empowered to take positive actions towards achieving their goals.


What are the qualities of a great coach?

A great coach believes in the amazing abilities that people have and seeks to draw those out of their clients. A great coach is a supporter and enabler of people's dreams. A great coach knows how to listen and ask just the right questions, when to challenge and when to support. A great coach puts aside all judgements and lets their clients start with a fresh sheet of paper to design their life. You will know you have a great coach when you feel completely listened to for the first time, you will probably feel you have known them for much longer than you have, you will feel believed in, cared for and that they seem to really understand you. A great coach will help you get results quickly!


How is coaching conducted?

Coaching can be carried out face to face or via the telephone, depending on the client's personal requirements. One to one coaching can be carried out in a client's workplace, or at home or in a mutually convenient place to suit both the client and coach, the only stipulation is that it should be in a location where there are no interruptions so that the focused session is undisturbed. Telephone coaching can have many advantages of being deliverable irrespective of the client's location In the busy world in which we live, it can also save you time and travel and can be arranged to suit your timetable which means you can be coached anywhere at any time. The client is required to commit to the agreed session times and complete assignments in taking action and reflect on the learning outside of the session times to move themselves forward.


How much does coaching cost?

Coaching costs vary depending on many things depending on the approach, length of time, location of the coaching and the level of support required in between the coaching sessions.

Call us at Quantum to discuss your own personal requirements. We aim to assure you of the value and the return on your investment in coaching. From there it is really down to what value you place on the issue that you feel you would like coaching on and how much it is affecting your life.

Quantum will often arrange complimentary consultations for the first engagement to help the client familiarise themselves with coaching, to understand how it works and if it is suitable for their circumstances.

Call Quantum to find out if you qualify for a complimentary coaching session and see for yourself how coaching really does create personal change.


What if the coaching doesn't work for me?

We at Quantum have total faith that coaching is a powerful and life changing experience. However, if you are not satisfied that the coaching is working for you, let's discuss it.