My Promise to You: An Executive Coach That Meets You Where You Are
When it comes to executive coaching, there’s lots of options. As you do your research, you will undoubtedly discover that many of them are great.
You’ll likely find three general categories of executive coach:
Coaching Program Graduates
Coaching Programs Based on Personal History
Substance-Based Expertise
As you navigate options and explore which one might be best for you, you may well notice that most fall into the first two categories. There is nothing wrong with these approaches. There are plenty of great coaches whose certifications or backstories provide the foundation for the service.
As you watch, read and listen to these approaches, you may notice a couple of things. Once you recognize them the first time, you’ll notice them over and over again.
Certification Coaches
Coaching programs based on certification often produce coaches that are really good at working with a very specific type of person. Coaching certification programs provide graduates with a body of forms, e-courses and materials. These materials define how the coaching relationship progresses and how clients are supposed to relate with the world.
The closer that your situation matches the “ideal client avatar” of the coaching certification, the better your results will be. The coach, in this scenario, is often the program’s messenger, rather than the person who created, applied or designed it.
The more that your situation deviates from their expected norm, the less relevant the experience is likely to be.
In this situation, clients frequently receive the equivalent of a processed slice of American cheese. You know the type. They come in packages of 20, each slice individually wrapped in plastic.
Upon completing the course, each client gets their own slice of processed coaching cheese—your name might even be printed on the plastic wrapper. If you peel back the layers and expose the substance, you’ll notice however that the slice you get is the same as the slice that everybody else who enrolls in the program receives.
If you were a robot or a computer that needed to be a programmed, you’d be all set. But if you’re an actual person in search of something that will actually benefit you, this approach may be lacking.
Backstory Coaches
The second broad category of coach is those whose backstory defines their approach. You know the type…. You’ve watched their videos, listened to their podcasts.
While the details vary, the formula generally goes something like this:
“I worked at X place, for XX years. Every week, in my corner office executive suite, I worked XXX hours. I made $XXXX every week, but I realized that I was (insert emotionally-charged descriptor or marketing buzzword).”
Coaches of this category, next relay how they came to some form of conclusion they should pivot their careers. Sometimes this realization came to them in a library. Sometimes it was at a hot yoga retreat. Maybe the realization hit them while on a micro-dosing journey in a cave in the desert.
All jokes aside, backstory coaches can be great. Should you choose this route, there’s’ a couple of things to consider:
You’ll need to make sure that the coach’s approach is rooted in something that is proven to address the problems that you’re experiencing.
You’ll also want to make sure that the coach understands you, your situation, and your goals.
Why do you need to consider these things? When the backstory of a coach is the foundation of his or her business, there is often the tendency to use this lens to explain everything that happens.
One size fits none when it comes to customized coaching.
If the coach’s foundational expertise lies in having walked a certain path, he or she may well try to use their experience to solve your problems. Sure, this might work, but it also might create something of a one-size-fits all approach to coaching.
Substance-Based Expertise
Alex Stark Coaching exists in the third category. Sure, I have a backstory…. Everyone does.
I also have plenty of certifications—leadership, mindfulness, and multiple state certifications to practice psychotherapy. Neither certifications nor backstory defines my client relationships.
My approach to coaching is driven by the needs of the client—not by what I’ve done or what any coach factory tells me I should do. This approach suits my coaching style and consistently produces results for the clients that I work with (no, kidding-check out my testimonials for the ever needed social proof).
My expertise is rooted in substance. I am licensed psychotherapist with a multistate private practice. For nearly a decade I served in leadership roles, managing large teams that executed complex tasks. This expertise, and my desire to help more people live better, more fulfilled lives, was the force that led to Alex Stark Coaching.
My experience and expertise are the foundation of my approach to coaching. They inform the tool box that I draw from in helping you combat burnout, lead a more balanced and fulfilled life, and experience personal and professional satisfaction.
Internal validation is the secret to burnout prevention. Check out the whole article…
More than nicely packaged slice of processed cheese or an extrapolation from a realization I experienced while commuting to some corporate hellscape, I meet clients where they are. Your situation dictates how we work together—not some coaching factory.
This is my promise. I’ll meet you where you are. When we meet where you are, I’ll bring the tools that address your specific situation.
One size fits all is a great approach for latex gloves… not so much for coaching.
Check out my coaching services page for more information
