FREQUENTLY
ASKED
QUESTIONS
I am not sure whether you will coach the topics I have.
I am coaching you as the person – I am not “coaching the topic”. I am really open regarding the topics. Due to my past in the corporate and legal world, I have a lot of experience with business topics. At the same time, I will enjoy coaching you when you have a personal struggle or challenge and are unsure of what to do about it.
What is the difference between mentoring & coaching?
In mentoring, senior individuals in the work context act as mentors to younger professionals. A popular method is to share own past experiences, igniting ideas within the mentee. In coaching, the coach works less with his/her own past experiences and focuses fully on the coachee and his/her goals. The method is active listening and asking crisp questions, to evoke awareness and action within the coachee.
What is the difference between coaching & therapy?
Coaching is mostly future-focused and helps you to achieve the personal or career goals that you set for yourself. Therapy treats psychological or emotional topics that have typically occurred in the past. A therapist focuses on supporting his/her patient to process e.g. a past trauma and to heal.
What is the difference between life coaching and career coaching?
Life coaching focuses on topics that you might have in your personal life (e.g., how to build and maintain relationships, how to mentally prepare for a sports challenge or competition) whereas career coaching typically focuses on a development step, an issue that you might have with a colleague, or a career transition that you would like to kick off. Oftentimes, we work on
both life coaching topics and career coaching topics, as the topics are sometimes intertwined and the needs and goals of coachees can vary or shift over time.
How long does coaching take?
This can depend a lot on the goal that you as coachee would like to achieve. It can be a short period (e.g., three months) of intense weekly work, or it can be a longer period (e.g., one year) with less frequent sessions. We could also have an initial extended session of 2-3 hours (“positioning”), followed by a couple of shorter follow up sessions. You can find further information on the website of the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
How does 1:1 coaching work? What is the process?
In a first conversation (free of charge), we exchange about your background, goals, values, strengths, and areas of development. Also, the 1:1 coaching process is explained to you. Subsequently, in each session, we will collaboratively establish clear, achievable goals that will guide the coaching process. At the end of each session, we do a joint wrap up to summarize the new thoughts and areas that you will work on. Typically, a 1:1 coaching series will take 6-10 sessions. The duration of a session is typically 50 minutes.
How does team coaching work? What is the process?
In an initial conversation in a small round (e.g., you as team leader, possibly HR), we will discuss current challenges of your team to explore fruitful possibilities of collaboration. The further course of action will depend – most importantly – on your and your team’s openness, willingness and endurance to work together, as well as on your capacity in terms of time & budget. From a compact 2-hour workshop to an intense series of team coachings stretching over a longer period of time, everything is thinkable!
Where do we meet for coaching sessions?
We are flexible when it comes to the coaching location. Online coaching via MS Teams or Facetime has gotten very popular during the Pandemic and is a practical approach to work internationally, especially for 1:1 coachings. Else, individual and team coachings and workshops are also offered at a location of your choice. This could be your office, your home, a coffee place of your choice, a walk-and-talk, an offsite location, or our offices.
Are coaching sessions confidential?
ICF coaches are bound to strict confidentiality by the ICF Code of Ethics. This concerns the content of our coaching sessions, but also the mere fact that we are in a coaching relationship. Our default rule is confidentiality. If we would like to name you as a reference or a testimonial, we will approach you and ask for your agreement (which is purely voluntary).
What is ELEPHANT’s coaching philosophy & style?
We believe that a person is incredibly resourceful and we aim to bring all resources to the surface to help him/her achieving their full potential and thriving. We act as sparrings partners with our business clients and coachees and support them in whatever goal, aspiration, or objective they would like to pursue. When it comes to team coachings, we believe that it is important for every team member to understand their own personality, as well as the personalities of the other team members. The ELEPHANT coaching style will give you space to think, and it will challenge and provoke you with witty questions, raising your awareness when it comes to your potential development areas. Because THERE IS MORE TO YOU.
Is there a connection between leadership and coaching?
There certainly is! At ELEPHANT, we believe that a few coaching skills are useful for every leader to have, even though not every leader needs to become a professional coach.
Can you provide references from past coachees or business clients?
Yes, we are happy to match you with a previous coachee or business client upon request.
What are your fees for coaching services?
The fees will depend on the scope of services and number of people we coach. Customized packages are available. We are happy to share fees with you in a first call (free of charge) which you can schedule here or to send you an email offer for a coaching series.