“Coaching is unlocking people’s potential to maximize their own performance.”
—John Whitmore
Coaching helps people achieve their goals.
It’s a vehicle that moves clients forward from A to B.
True Start onboarding coaching begins with the idea that leaders are capable, and resourceful. We believe leaders benefit from a thinking partner to challenge, support and reflect.
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.” A true coach will not give “answers” or “solutions,” but will rather facilitate a process where clients develop custom approaches to their most demanding challenges.
Coaching is not:
Consulting / Mentoring: Consulting and mentoring provides answers and solutions for tough questions and difficult situations. Coaching facilitates a process where clients develop custom approaches to their most demanding challenges.
Just for inexperienced or poor leaders: Coaching can strengthen the results of any leader. Even the best, most experienced leader creates better solutions with coaching.
A silver bullet: Coaching isn’t for everyone. It requires passion, courage, a desire to improve and discipline.
Therapy: Therapy helps heal people needing clinical support.
Watch this short video to learn more about how coaching works, the benefits of partnering with a coach and who benefits the most from being coached.
“Mark provides an opportunity to confidentially discuss topics that may be difficult to do with a manager or peers. He provides a setting to hear fresh, unbiased perspectives on professional or business challenges and drives accountability and commitment on established goals. The coaching methodology used is very effective—asking questions in order for an individual to arrive at a path forward instead of a directive—‘do this.’”
“The coaching program with Mark Thompson was a fantastic experience. Through the program, I was able to better empathize with my internal customers, allowing me to adjust my change management approach on several key projects that proved to be immensely more successful. Additionally, the sessions allowed me to appreciate previously overlooked strengths, helping me to garner more confidence in my personal and professional development.”
“I have found Mark’s coaching sessions to be very helpful. As a plant manager with a busy schedule and an engineering background, it can be difficult to find (and prioritize) the time to reflect on what I can do better from a personnel (and personal) perspective. These sessions have helped me do that. The format of having a coach guide me through my thought process has been very valuable… reflecting on my biggest personal challenges and then constructively reviewing those to establish a path forward. This process has also given me the perspective to reflect more by myself on similar issues. This allows for better solutions even when I am not actively using the coaching sessions to solve those problems.”
“Before we started, I was apprehensive about the sessions. Mark quickly put me at ease and ensured the process was confidential. The topics we discussed allowed me to increase my confidence as a leader and push myself to understand my own behaviors and perceptions. I would recommend this coaching experience to anyone that has the opportunity.”