All individual coaching engagements are centered around meeting the individual needs of the client as a whole person. Each engagement begins with a survey to learn more about the client’s professional goals, and their thoughts on entering a coaching relationship. This sets the basis for further exploration in a safe and supportive environment.
Session-Based Coaching
Our individual coaching relationship focuses on a goal or series of goals that our clients are looking to achieve. Through conversations and activities in each session, clients will be able to explore their options, values, and next steps as they grow in their career. Our professional coaching tends to focus on three types of individuals: Early Career, Mid-Level, and Executive level professionals, looking to get the most out of their progression.
This personalized approach focuses on a client’s individual goals and desired outcomes, empowering them with actionable steps toward their next breakthrough.
Length of Engagement: After an initial chemistry call, a minimum of ten 60-minute sessions, with the option to continue the engagement further based on the client’s goals. Clients will often have exercises or further exploration between sessions to maximize growth and session effectiveness.
Leadership Circle Profile™
The Leadership Circle profile is a 360-degree feedback tool used to help individual clients discover their creative competencies and reactive tendencies as leaders. Results are compiled according to the types of relationship to the client – bosses, peers, and direct reports, and provides a snapshot view of a client’s opportunities for growth as they take the next step in their leadership journey. This tool may be contracted independently or part of a longer-term coaching engagement.
The profile allows clients to receive an external view of how they are perceived as leaders, and allows them to set goals in areas that most directly impact their influence in their organizations.
Length of engagement: One 60-minute introductory conversation, and two 90-minute sessions to review the profile results and client’s goals or next steps. The client has the responsibility of completing an exercise prior to the assessment, and determining the individuals who they wish to participate in their assessment.
Learn more about the Leadership Circle Profile
Professional Coaching Offerings – Team and Group Coaching
Group coaching engagements focus on the goals of a team or group of professionals, and allows them to explore how they work together, bringing out the strengths of each individual member. Each engagement starts with a conversation with the team lead or point of contact to establish the team’s purpose and desired outcomes. Team engagements may also be combined with individual sessions to support how each team member’s individual goals can best support the group as a whole.
Team Tuneup
Available for free on the SparkPlug Agility website! this on-demand facilitated exercise is designed to help your team evaluate its effectiveness and identify areas for conversation. This is fun way to explore teamwork in a safe and asynchronous manner, as well as a chance for team members to get familiar with Chris’s facilitation style.
Length of engagement: The course includes downloadable worksheets for each member of your team, a group worksheet, and a video of Chris walking you through the whole exercise. Please plan to set aside about 2 hours with your team to complete this activity.
Get the Team Tuneup
Team Basics Assessment
The Team Basics Assessment uses a survey method to measure quantitative and qualitative aspects of team effectiveness. Based on The Wisdom of Teams, each team member will assess the team’s structure, skillsets, working approach, and accountabilities. Our team will analyze the results and present them in a conversation focused on developing an action plan for growth. An impartial survey allows team members to feel more safety in providing honest responses, and the aggregate nature allows trends and habits to pop out more effectively. The assessment can quickly provide a jump-off for further exploration.
Length of engagement: One 60-minute introductory conversation with a team leader, and selection of team members for participation. One 90-minute session to review the results and develop a plan of action for next steps.
Team Performance Workshops
This series of workshops leverages the Drexler-Sibbet Team Performance Model to identify the behaviors that unlock greater team potential. The series begins with activities to introduce and explain the model, including surveys and discussions. Based on the team’s survey results, a series of custom workshops focuses on specific areas for the team to look at in more detail and identify a plan of action for improvement. This research-based, proven model quickly identifies topics for further facilitated discussions. Using a series of workshops enables team members to put their insights into practice and bring their thoughts back to subsequent sessions.
Length of engagement: One two-hour session to teach the model to the team, set up what they should expect through their survey participation, and for each participant to complete the survey. One followup session to explain the survey scoring model and share results with the team, including a proposed plan for focus areas. Then, a minimum of 3 sessions including discussions and exercises focused on identified areas of opportunity from the survey results.
Interpersonal Behaviors Workshop
This 4-hour workshop looks at some of the biggest hurdles to effective teamwork. Centered around a survey of 15 behavior statements, teams will explore the reasons behind negative interpersonal behaviors, including root causes and systematic challenges that may prevent people from doing their best work. This workshop combines learning about common team behavioral patterns and facilitated conversations to identify prime opportunities to bring the best out of the team as a cohesive unit. Using a survey to frame the conversation and having an external expert facilitate discussions allows team members to relate as peers and safely identify ways they can better interact with one another.
Length of engagement: One 4-hour learning day, including learning about the model, taking the survey, and a series of focused discussions around participants’ reflections on survey behaviors.
Team Leadership Training Course
This two-day course more deeply explores what makes a team effective, and how to guide teams to better success. The course outlines several team development models and factors to consider as organizations develop teams and cultivate their maturity over time. Looking at both individual needs and group performance goals, this course helps leaders strike a balance that improves delivery results and still supports members as whole individuals. While this course may have the most impact for those presently leading teams in their organization, individual contributors and up-and-coming leaders would benefit from this deeper understanding of team development and awareness of areas that help a team become the best version of itself. Participating in a shared learning experience helps all students develop a common understanding and language for assessing and improving the teams within their organization. Being able to share their own experiences and challenges also improves the relationships between participants, developing trust and camaraderie in this critical area of building effective organizations.
Length of engagement: Two 9-hour learning days (8 hours plus lunch and breaks) plus a pre-work assignment for each student. Includes one 90-minute follow-on discussion with a team leader or point of contact to help assess next goals and steps.
