Professional Coaching

Individual and Executive Coaching
Coaching begins with the simple, but profound question: “What do you want?” The coach helps you unleash your creative imagination to think big about all aspects of your life and then come up with multiple action plans for making your dreams real. As a client, you work on what’s most important to you at any given time—big or small. The purpose of the coach is to be your ally in achieving the levels of success, fulfillment, and purpose you desire in both your personal and professional life.

How does coaching Work?
Coaching takes place either in person or over the telephone, depending on your preference and location. We typically coach people once a week—four to six hours a month, on a monthly contract. It’s important to meet frequently at the beginning while you are clarifying your goals and developing action plans. Once you have achieved your primary goals, you may want to meet less frequently with a focus on maintaining your desired changes. Everything that is exchanged between the client and coach is completely confidential, with a few legal exceptions laid out in a coaching agreement signed by the coach and client at the outset of the relationship. Fees are negotiated with the individual coaches.

Our coaching philosophy
Our coaching philosophy is based on the belief that each of us has a deep well of wisdom and creativity we can use to solve our own problems and create satisfying, fulfilling lives. Too often we push our dreams into a corner for months and even years while we wait for a time when we aren’t too busy to get to them. The role of a coach is to assist you in dusting off those dreams and even creating new ones. As a coach, we put our own agendas aside and give you the chance to take a good look at your life both in the short and the long view. You create the agenda; we provide active, ongoing support. We won’t tell you what to do; rather, we’ll assist you in discovering your own solutions and desires.

Individual Coaching vs. Executive Coaching
The process is essentially the same, but the content will likely vary.  In individual coaching we look at all the aspects of your life you choose to explore such as relationships, work, finances, health, spirituality, sexuality and more. Clients often set goals in several aspects of their lives and then develop action plans to achieve their goals. In Executive Coaching the emphasis is on work, leadership, management style, communication, effectiveness, productivity, and interpersonal relationships. We look at your personal life as it affects your work life. Sometimes an executive coach is hired by an organization to support an individual in working with particular issues. In this case, a third party—the organization—may be involved in establishing goals along with the client.
 
Whether we are coaching an individual or an executive we tailor the relationship to meet the needs of the client with respect to desires, goals, scheduling, and logistics. 
 
Training

Heron Associate trainings are practical, interactive, and inspirational. Our trainings are based on years of experience working with diverse groups using creativity, group development, appreciative inquiry, and coaching. We empower participants to carry on the work we begin through easy-to-facilitate creativity-based activities. Below is a sampling of our regular offerings. We also design programs for specific worksites.

Get Creative!
Creativity and innovation is the name of the game in today’s marketplace whether you are a non-profit organization or a for profit business. Get Creative! is based on the premise that every single one of us is creative. In this training participants learn to use creativity as a practical tool individually and in groups. Topics include:

• The steps of the creative process
• Ways to get the juices flowing
• How to recognize and overcome creativity busters
• Processes, practices, and activities that raise the innovation quotient in a team or organization
• Strategies for keeping innovation flowing in your team

Coaching Skills for Helping Professionals
Helping professionals—such as in health care, education, and youth work—have opportunities to make a difference in people’s lives every single day. In this training, participants learn ways to bring the best out of people—youth and adults--though conversations that focus on hopes and dreams. Topics include:

• The 3-stage empowerment process
• Moving from giving advice to supporting people to find their own solutions
• Avoiding falling into the “what’s wrong” trap
• Listening for and building on people’s strengths
• Eliciting hopes and dreams
• Building self-esteem and motivation for change

 
Building a Positive Workplace Community 
Well functioning teams lead to high functioning organizations. Heron Associates offers one to two-day trainings designed to optimize the potential of organizational staffs and/or work teams. We believe individuals and organizations possess hidden resources of creativity, ingenuity, and inspiration. Our trainings tap these resources to foster strong relationships and develop shared visions for the workplace community.  

Convening

Conference Design and Facilitation
We help optimize the resources you put into gathering people for a conference through our design principles that build connection, collaboration, and buy-in. Through years of designing and facilitating conferences for groups from 15 people to 2500, we can help you create a memorable event that will exceed your learning expectations.

Community Building Events
Community groups, PTA’s, and associations all get more done when people feel connected and committed to shared goals. Through a two-hour facilitation, we can get your association off on the right track.

Family Gatherings, Parties, and Commemorations
What does your grandma most want for her 80th birthday? Or your parents for their 20th anniversary? Or your child as he or she heads off to school? We can assist you in designing and facilitating events that will make your family and friends know they are loved, appreciated, and cherished.  We specialize in activities that connect family and friends across generations and philosophical divides.