frequently asked questions

It is important to remember that each experience is tailored to the mentee’s needs, objectives, and goals. Coaching relationships will however typically include values such as but not limited to. Identifying the mentee’s most prominent and least dominant managerial and leadership styles with a goal to honour the most dominant and improve their effectiveness in using the least dominant styles when they would be most valuable. Aid the mentee in change management planning, implementation, and monitoring. The introduction and practice of a variety of communication tools. Supporting the mentee in business coaching exercises as well as Personal and/or Life skills. Business coaching may include team engagement planning, strategic planning, customer satisfaction and budget management. Life or Personal skills include the clarification of the mentee’s vision and life purpose, development of self awareness and establishing life goals. 

In a coach-coachee relationship, the coachee should expect that the coach will have self-awareness and acceptance of their values; empathy towards human nature in general; authenticity and the ability of being flexible to adopt the agenda.

Building a people first corporate culture can help overcome this challenge. With a strong people first culture, team members are engaged and money is not always their motivating driver.

There are many communication and listening tools available for Managers and Leaders to improve their team communications. Have a glance at websites such as but not limited to  Arbinger Institute: Leadership Development and Business Transformation Company - Arbinger  and  Talent Optimization Leader - The Predictive Index.  

It is important to practice the LAER model to overcome objections and truly answer the prospective clients needs. Listen, Acknowledge, Explore, Respond. It is common to Respond immediately and offer a price. When you practice activating the Acknowledge and Explore skills, you will uncover what the prospect is actually asking for and increase your chance of properly responding and earning the business relationship..

Introduce the LAER model to your "sales" team. Listen, Acknowledge, Explore, Respond. Oftentimes, representatives immediately go to Respond and recommend a solution. If we don't take the time to Explore the client's real needs, we will experience missed opportunities. Consider this: Professional "salespeople" differentiate themselves from "salespeople" because they know the company's mission and product offering, but they also put the customer's needs first. Professional salespeople will generally have better averages and higher referrals.

Did your answer reflect your typical customer base? Should you consider that your primary client should be your people, your team?  As shared by Sir Richard Branson "Clients do not come first, Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients." By following this adage your clients will take care of your company by becoming returning customers and providing referrals.

There is a variety of managerial styles ranging from Coercive, Affiliative, Democratic,  Authoritative, Pace Setting and Coaching. They all play a valuable role when managing people. There is no right or wrong style, the importance is to know when which style will be most valuable to you, your team and organization. 

Leadership and management are two distinctive and complementary systems of action. Each has its own function and characteristic activities. Both are necessary for success in today’s business environment.  

The main aim for a leader is to set the stage for leading people and coping with change while the manager's main aim is to maximize the output through the implementation. 

Examples:

Leaders will use passion and stir emotions and Managers will use formal and rational methods.

Managers will delegate and Leaders will empower.

Leaders think radically and Managers think incrementally.