Category Archives: Coaching

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Coaching In Ministry, only .99¢ on Kindle

A significant percentage of my readers are involved in ministry in one way or another. Just like those working in the marketplace, ministry leaders are trying to get things done. Developing leaders should be a major priority, but often gets buried under more pressing tasks. Sound familiar? I wrote a short book called Coaching In Ministry to help. And I’m making it available for .99¢.

Coaching In Ministry focuses on two questions I’ve been asked many times: What is coaching? and Why coaching? Actually, the book is a prequel to my popular how-to book, The COACH Model for Christian Leaders.

I present a radically different approach to developing leaders. One that doesn’t require

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3 Reasons Not To Hire A Coach, And 5 Why You Should

Coaching is the new “it” thing for leaders for a very good reason – it gets results. The largest determining factor for coaching results is your reason for hiring a coach in the first place. Here are 3 reasons not to hire a coach, and 5 reasons why you should. 

Perhaps you’ve thought of hiring a coach but you’re not sure it’s worth your time and money. Finding a qualified coach is important. One that is well trained in specialized coaching processes that make coaching so fruitful. Look for someone trained through an International Coach Federation (ICF) approved program. The ICF sets the global standard for effective coaching.

Even more important than the coach, however, is you. You need to be ready. How can you know if you are ready for coaching? Take a look at the following reasons and see where you line up.

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Coach While Walking To Improve Your Results

If you want to increase focus and creative thinking take your coaching conversations out of the office and onto your feet. New studies demonstrate the powerful results of the ancient art of reflective walking. Here’s how to coach while walking. 

Felix Ortiz coaching me on the Camino de Santiago, the old pilgrimage path.

Coaching while walking may be new to many leaders, but it has a long history. Aristotle regularly taught while walking.

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How To Price Coaching Services Based On Value

How much should I charge? Most new and experienced coaches think in terms of hourly rates and work from there. This is a mistake. Hourly rates make you less attractive to buyers and make it harder to sell your services. I’ll show you how to price your coaching services according to client value. 

Hourly rates have a long history. Trading time for money is an easy calculation, easy to measure. I found an hourly rate calculator online for you to play with. Remember, as a general rule one-third of your time must be spent getting new clients, servicing existing clients, and administration.

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How To Ask Questions For Innovation

Innovation is driven by questions not answers. Questions send people on a journey. But not all questions and journeys are equal. Many questions rehash old territory, only confirming something can’t be done. While other questions expose assumptions, unlock creativity, and focus on how it can be done. Here’s how to ask questions for innovation.

A nonprofit organization came to me to help them with their managers who knew how to get things done, but weren’t developing people along the way. Employees felt used and uncared for by these managers. Employee turnover was high. Many simply moved on to other organizations that provided more personal and professional development.

5 Ways To Ask Questions For Innovation

Let me illustrate how to ask Innovation Questions using my work with the nonprofit above as an example. I’ll tell you what I did, then share each point.

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How To Find People to Coach

You’ve completed some coaching training and now you’re ready to begin coaching people. Where do you find them? How do you ask someone to coach with you? I’ll show you four proven ways to approach people to begin coaching with you. 

When I was ready to begin coaching people I felt awkward. The people I considered coaching were either my friends, or people I didn’t have much relationship with. I was at a loss for how to ask people to coach with me.

I tried several ways to ask people to coach with me. It worked! I began coaching with three people,

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How To Get People Into Action With One Simple Question

One of the toughest things in leadership is getting people into action. I discovered one simple, yet profound, question that motivates people to get into action.

People work hard. It feels like we are in action. We have meetings, plan, write proposals, and consult with others. These activities are one type of action. I think of them as planning-action. It’s easy to let planning-action keep us from

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How To Add Coaching To Your Organization

Ten years ago, many organizations were wary or even suspicious of coaching. That sentiment has changed. Coaching has become a preferred learning tool in corporations, nonprofits and in the public sector. You might be surprised who is doing the coaching!

There remains a lot of confusion in the marketplace about what exactly is coaching, but organizations, by and large, are attracted to it. And embracing it. A 2014 UK study showed 76% of organizations offer coaching or mentoring.

Why the change of heart?