FAQ

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”

To accomplish this, our services begin and end by listening to you — we help you figure out what your goals are and develop a custom plan to help you reach your full potential.

For further details from the ICF, as well as background on the coaching industry, click here.

• This is about you (not us): We support you in identifying and clarifying your vision, goals, and objectives. We have effective, systematic tools that help with this, tailored to you and your journey.
• Coaching is about listening (not telling): We are curious and love to listen for what is said and not said. We ask thought-provoking questions to help you gain greater insight into your desired future state, with questions like:
  • What do you really want?
  • What do think (and feel) is holding you back?
  • What is important about that? And why?
  • What’s next for you?

• Success is measured in change & growth (not the status quo): Executive coaching is about supporting you on your journey, providing honest feedback, and helping you discover blindspots and hidden opportunities while guiding you to personal clarity.
• Believing in you: We help you shed self-doubt born from a lifetime of external opinions, while calling out self-talk, as well as naming ego, bias, and judgment.
• Action, accountability, & moving forward: As your coach, it is our job to help you accomplish your goals, hold you accountable to the plan we develop, and show you how to take action and apply it to your life now.
• Executive coaching – grounded in business experience: We have walked in your shoes and understand the real-life pressures of a P&L and corporate culture. Let us help you navigate your challenges.

Coaching can benefit anyone seeking change and growth. With that, you will need to do the work even if it gets challenging. Change is hard, we get it, which is why we offer support and accountability at each step. However, if you’re unwilling to make changes, getting a coach will not provide you with the results you seek. At Audira, we fit best with those who enjoy learning and are open to alternate approaches in the service of attaining growth, knowledge, and insight.

• Increased confidence, strategic influence, and persuasion abilities
• Increased self-awareness & “EQ” or emotional intelligence
• Enhanced communication & collaboration skills
• Expanded “executive presence”
• Greater focus
• Stronger listening skills

The numbers back it up too:recent Gallup research shows that employees that receive training are nearly six times more engaged in the workplace and are much less likely to leave their company.

1. Is the coach certified and what kind of training does s/he hold?
There is no mandatory licensing or certification to practice as a coach, however, the International Coaching Federation (ICF) is a global organization that certifies executive coaches. The ICF accreditation is the gold standard and ensures that your coach has completed rigorous educational and practice requirements from an accredited school. We recommend that any coach you use hold this accreditation.

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2. Do you have chemistry with the coach?
One of the most critical components of a coaching relationship is chemistry. An executive coach should give you the opportunity to talk with them prior to paying for their services. It is important that you feel comfortable with authentic, candid conversations prior to retaining their services.

3. Is the coach curious and do they listen more than they speak?
This is your career, so the most effective coaches should listen deeply. We recommend that you pass on anyone who is “telling” you what they think you should do versus of partnering with you to make an action plan.

4. Does the coach hold everything strictly confidential?
This seems obvious, but even in the case where a company is paying for executive coaching services on an employee’s behalf, the coach should not be sharing information with HR, your boss, or anyone else without your permission, per the ICF ethics rules. The only exception to this is if your coach believes that you or anyone else is at risk of being harmed, there is illegal activity, a subpoena has been served, or a court order has been issued. Again, since all coaches are not necessarily certified, it is important for clients to establish this up front.

5. Is the coach willing to co-create accountability in a way that works for you?
The most effective coaches will partner with you. At times, this may involve challenging you. At Audira, we believe there are many ways to be held accountable and we work with you to determine what will be best.

6. Is the coach transparent and up-front on pricing?
No one likes gimmicks or “gotchas.” Make sure you discuss all fees and out-of-pocket expenses in advance.

7. What is the coach’s background?
While some coaches come from more of an organizational or psychology background, others come from a business background. It is important to figure out if this matters to you.

Leadership development is designed to expand the skills, abilities, and capacities of the people entrusted with moving an organizational strategy forward. At Audira, we coach individuals to become the best version of themselves, and equip them with the tools they need to not just realize their full potential, but to help realize the potential of others around them.

Leadership development isn’t a quick-and-easy formula—there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. At Audira, we work with our clients to tailor a leadership development plan that’s best suited for their individual and organizational needs, one that’s supported with a proven, systematic framework.

The hunt for talented leaders has never been more evident, and the best, most competitive organizations recognize this and invest in their own people. When done properly, this investment ultimately can lead to the following outcomes:

• Shorter recruiting lead-times
• Higher employee engagement & lower attrition/lower turnover costs
• Increased strategic alignment
• Improved communication & collaboration
• Enhanced adaptability & resiliency to handle change
• Strengthened culture of accountability

In fact, a recent Gallup poll found that organizations that strategically invested in employee development reported an 11% increase in profitability and were twice as likely to retain those team members. That came as no surprise to leadership coaches, who have understood the innate value of improved communication and emotional intelligence for years: the Harvard Business Review’s “On Emotional Intelligence” cites a study dating as far back as 1996, which found that divisions run by senior managers with high emotional intelligence outperformed yearly earnings goals by 20%.

Certifications: Coaching (ICF/PCC, CPCC), Leadership Development (CTI Leadership Program), Strategic Planning (Balanced Scorecard Professional)

Education: MBA from the University of Chicago

Experience: Led by a senior, global executive with >25 years of professional experience across B2B/B2C sectors and startup to Fortune 500-level organizations

Experiential: Scientific studies show the value of experiential learning and we like to take our own fun approach to this by using music to teach leadership. An experienced life-long musician, Stephen Kohler, brings the natural connectivity of music to the business environment, exploring the analogies of making music together with successful business leadership and teamwork.

We leverage a unique 4-stage process for every client, whether it be for 1:1 coaching, leadership development, or organizational strategy engagement.

• Discovery: This is our listening phase. We partner with you to learn where you are now and identify what’s working and what’s not.
• Definition: We work together to define what success looks like for you.
• Design: This is our planning phase. Once you have a goal, we can chart your path to get there.
• Deploy: We activate our engagement together and adjust the plan based on learnings along the way. (Accountability is important throughout, but critical in this phase.)

Yes, it is for everyone, just like everyone appreciates music. No musical experience is necessary to participate in music-based Audira Labs. We understand the apprehension of some, and we can customize this element to appeal to all kinds of audiences.

We offer a few different varieties of organizational strategy services. Each one is centered on connecting people with long-term strategies. With a background in corporate strategy development, Stephen Kohler has a keen sense of how critical it is for leaders and their teams to be on the same page in order to move their businesses forward.

• Talent Management – Many clients find that they feel that they need some assistance in assessing talent and creating a succession plan as part of their organizational strategy. We offer a systematic approach to identifying, training, and motivating your up-and-coming leaders. This should help ease internal transitions and changes due to market disruption, as well as retain the best and brightest.

• Organizational Design – We also offer organizational design strategy services to companies seeking to improve corporate structures and clarify roles & responsibilities. This is of particular value to companies completing an acquisition or merger, as well as those simply looking to improve the focus or efficiency of the organization.
• Coaching Culture Development – The most effective organizations have a coaching culture that encourages leaders to bring role-modelling and mentorship to their teams..

Rates vary per type of engagement (executive coaching, leadership development or organizational strategy) and are dependent on a client’s needs. Typically, Audira offers packages for one-on-one coaching and leadership development workshops based on the length of the program and number of participants. Organizational strategy is priced on a project scope basis. Please contact us with more information about your specific needs for pricing details.

Please visit our contact page.