Eastside  Satellite

Have you ever wondered why your clients chose you as their coach, given the large number of alternatives? Why you? What factors are important in clients’ decision-making processes? What role did the coach’s fee/pricing play? How about the coach’s personal characteristics or background? What happens in the first (client enrollment) meeting to help clients answer these questions and choose the right coach?

Now, let’s consider the same from the coach’s perspective. How do you know a prospective client is a good fit for you? Do you assess what may be challenging in working with this particular client? What role does your coaching distinctions or orientations (e.g. value-based, behavioral, somatic, etc.) play in your introductory meeting? As the coach, what are you looking for in that first, “enrollment,” meeting with a prospective client?

And do any of these factors even matter to ensure that clients receive value from coaching?

Well, Grace has been pondering these questions for a while. In preparation for this discussion, Grace surveyed over thirty of her coach colleagues and just as many of her past and current coaching clients. Additionally, Grace did a “lite” literature review on the topic to get a broader view. Grace will synthesize the themes from this “research”. More accurately, Grace will facilitate a group discussion where we explore these questions for ourselves, share our practices and lessons of experience from “what really goes on in that first (client enrollment) meeting.”

Presenter’s Biography:

Grace has been a leadership coach since 1997. In her first career Grace was a licensed psychologist (in California) who had both clinical and academic appointments at UCLA and Stanford University. Dr. Wang also directed an APA-accredited training program for clinical and counseling psychology doctorate students at UC Irvine. Grace was a Senior Leadership Consultant at Microsoft, Inc. and Vice President of Executive Development and Succession Planning at Washington Mutual before she began her own leadership consulting and coaching practice in 2009. Dr. Wang is an ICF-credentialed PCC, and enjoys coaching emergent leaders and c-suite executives alike from a wide range of sectors. She uses individual, dyad and team coaching to help organizations get “unstuck”. She also helps organizations design their future with talent management and workplace engagement solutions. Grace is fascinated by the meaning of work in the human experience. She lives in Redmond, with her married partner of over 20 years and their two hilarious, vivacious daughters.