NOTE: As of 2022 the Center for Executive Coaching is now accredited with the ICF as a Level 2 Coach Training Organization. The ICF has changed their language and replaced ACTP with Level 2. We were among the first group of coach training programs to receive this accreditation, after a rigorous review by the ICF.
Many students and members of the Center for Executive Coaching, and many executive coaches, make a common mistake when they work with clients: They rush too quickly to answers and supposed results.
It is perfectly acceptable, and in fact necessary, to take as much time as you need to assess a situation with a client before jumping into solutions.
Spend a couple of sessions asking questions to understand the client’s situation, style, biases, and ways of processing information. Are they linear thinkers or more holistic? Do they emphasize the bottom line, relationships, status, technology, or tasks? Are they short-term, medium-term, or long-term focused? Take the time you need to understand what makes your client tick.
At the same time, ask the questions you need to ask in order to understand a situation fully — before jumping to conclusions.
One way to do this is through the process of inquiry, or asking a series of open-ended questions. Questions include: How would you describe the problem? What is it costing you and your organization? What have you tried to fix it? What has worked and what hasn’t? What would be an ideal outcome in this situation? What do you think are the root causes?
Even in inquiry, I find that many coaches hide suggestions with questions. For instance, “Have you tried….?” is really a veiled way to get to solutions.
Be patient. Get to know your client and the situation. Let them know you need a bit of time to do your own assessment. In my experience, clients respect coaches more when the coach insists on taking some time for their own analysis — even if the process takes a bit longer. Plus, you get deeper insights and better results.
The Center for Executive Coaching has now been approved with International Coaching Federation accreditation as BOTH a Level 1 and a Level 2 organization. Here
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Rob Berg: Consulting Firm Principal and Executive Coach
Rob Berg is a Principal at the consulting firm Perr&Knight and Director of the firm’s fastest-growing profit center. He is an expert in business process improvement and enterprise-wide project/program/portfolio management. Rob consults to executives at insurance, financial services, private equity, and technology companies who have a strong desire to improve operations, promote greater engagement, and derive better outcomes for the organizations they lead. He is also an Executive Coach to leaders seeking to clarify their visions, effect strategic change, and inspire their team members. Rob is the author of 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵: 𝘚𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘒𝘦𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳, which has been called “a must read for professional service providers” and “a wake up call to an industry which badly needs to reconnect with its ‘authentic self.'”
Key Points from Rob Berg’s Hall of Fame Video
“My biggest win with the Center for Executive Coaching is that after 20 years, I finally published a book. It was life-changing and it has set me up with a career that I could pursue into my 80s.”
Rob’s Results
Gained insight into his own practices
Has successfully coached others
Has a better vision of the future
Wrote and published his own book
How the Center for Executive Coaching helped Rob adopt a more coaching oriented approach to management
Proven coaching strategies
Support and guidance on the business of coaching
A large library of useful resources
Frequent updates in line with best practices
What were your goals before joining the Center for Executive Coaching?
My name is Rob Berg, and I am a principal of Perr&Knight, a consulting firm headquartered in Santa Monica, California, where I head up the operations and technology consulting practice.
My consulting work has to do with process improvement. We look at large organizations and improve the way they do things.
I always had this notion that we should focus on the technical things, like the technologies that are used, the hiring practices, and compensation.
However, by doing this we lost focus on people. We were losing sight of how we motivate individuals to execute in the new environment that I might be proposing.
How has working with the Center for Executive Coaching helped your career?
One of the unintended benefits is that I can coach myself. When I am at a particular juncture in my life or career, I know what questions to ask myself to get out of the rut and move forward.
Just by writing and being self reflective I can develop a stronger vision for the future. My approach is way less directive now and more coaching oriented, making me a much better manager.
How have you been able to serve your clients better?
One of the great things I have done is working with a young consultant that came into our firm. His first move was backwards. We brought him in at a management level and he took a step back.
I helped with his calendar, and how he could find more time in his week by organizing it differently, while also developing a vision for his career.
Three and a half years ago, he became a partner, and is a director of the fastest growing practice in the firm. I find that extremely gratifying. He has doubled his income at the firm in the last three years, and I played a part in that.
Was the Center for Executive Coaching worth the investment?
I graduated from the Center for Executive Coaching five years ago, so it has been a while. I still find myself going back to their library of resources, and tools, as well as all the other content Andrew keeps cranking out. They constantly renew and refresh that material, so five years later, it is still a great resource.
There are many ancillary things available, like marketing, how to contract, handling objections, and other things that are outside a traditional body of knowledge for coaching proper, but are important if you are serious about being a successful coach.
Would you recommend the Center for Executive Coaching?
I highly recommend the Center for Executive Coaching, especially for consultants. It was an extraordinary experience! The investment I made has paid for itself many times over, so it is a no-brainer.
The coaching helps you to pull stuff out of your client. This gives you instant buy-in when you present strategies, or devise them collaboratively to help fix their businesses.
Ilana Zivkovich and Building a Coaching Firm: Founder & CEO of Werq
Ilana is the Founder and CEO of Werq, an executive coaching and strategic leadership advisory firm serving CEO’s and their teams from around the world. An experienced executive leader and a Certified Executive Coach, Ilana is passionate about combining strategic, systemic, and relational interventions to generate business impact that lasts. Ilana’s clients include C-suite leaders and teams from across industries, ranging from founder-led SMB’s to multi-billion dollar publicly traded enterprises. A lifelong student of “what makes people and organizations tick,” Ilana is an enthusiastic change agent who believes in embracing challenges in pursuit of growth. Through this, she inspires others around her to be equally courageous in their pursuits to lead at their best. Ilana holds a Master’s degree in Social Work, and spends her free time adoring her young children and enjoying living in the vibrant city of Austin, TX.
Key Points from Ilana Zivkovich’s Hall of Fame Interview
“I went from having a big idea about the value I wanted to provide as a coach, to confidently delivering in a very short amount of time, and achieving great results with our clients.”Ilana’s Results
More confident in her own abilities
Understands the value she can provide
Started her own coaching firm
Achieves results for her clients
How the Center for Executive Coaching helped Ilana start her own successful coaching business
Practical advice on starting a coaching business
Help defining the value you can bring to clients
A well structured program of study
Led by industry experts
What were your goals before joining the Center for Executive Coaching?
My name is Ilana Zivkovich, and before coaching I was a trained social worker. I have translated that into leadership roles within the behavioral healthcare industry, specifically with addictions. It turns out that working with executives is a little easier than working with addicts!
From running treatment centers, I came to find that the only way to have sustainable, and effective outcomes for our customers was to focus on a bunch of things that I did not know what to call it at the time, but what I recognize now as what an executive coach would do.
From a personal perspective, I came out of the womb intending to be an entrepreneur. When I went to the Center for Executive Coaching, it was with the express interest in becoming adept at the skill of coaching and starting a firm.
How has working with the Center for Executive Coaching helped your career?
The Center for Executive Coaching took all the mystery out of how to partner with top-level executives and quickly understand what is actually keeping them up at night. It helped me to identify the big problems they had, and partner with them to solve them.
The second thing that the Center for Executive Coaching did was give wonderful context around how to engage with those folks.
From a subject matter expertise as well as a practical perspective, I do not believe that my business would have got off the ground without the Center for Executive Coaching.
How have you been able to serve your clients better?
We work with CEOs and their teams. We end up doing a lot of work around strategy, performance, and culture. Those are the three elements that show up the most.
Our differentiator is whether we’re working with a small media business or with an enterprise. We are typically working with the executive leadership team who are dealing with strategic challenges.
We help them tackle those challenges by looking at their purpose, what are they focusing on, what are they actually doing about it, but also how are they working together as a team.
If it is coaching with an individual, we look more at how they are engaging with employees. If it is an executive team, we look at the group dynamics and how they can work together for a sustainable outcome.
Was the Center for Executive Coaching worth the investment?
I could have paid ten times what I did and still call it the most valuable investment of my life! The practical application of what they teach, and how it sets you up to go out and provide value is amazing. I swear by the Center for Executive Coaching and would reinvest in it without question.
Would you recommend the Center for Executive Coaching?
I have recommended the Center for Executive Coaching 100 times in the last five years!
If you are someone who wants to get in there, and start taking action with real-life humans in the wild and do it exceptionally well, then the Center for Executive Coaching is what you need.
Teri Citterman: Executive Performance Coach + Author, From the CEO's Perspective
Teri Citterman is the founder and principal of Talonn, an organization that helps good thinkers become great leaders. Teri is known as a thought cultivator and trusted advisor to CEOs and the C-Suite. She is an expert in organizational communications and coaches individuals and executive teams in fast-paced, high-growth organizations. Her coaching centers on executive presence, power, and influence. As a result of Teri’s coaching, executives master leadership scalability and drive their vision through others by asserting their conviction, decisiveness, and equal footing to amplify their impact. www.Talonnllc.com
Key Points from Teri Citterman’s Hall of Fame Interview
“There are a lot of coaching programs out there, but there is nothing like the Center for Executive Coaching. It absolutely changed my life and gave me a path forward in terms of the type of work I do. I have no regrets.”
Teri’s Results
Built a foundation for her coaching
Learned strategies she could adapt to her own style
Has collaborated with other successful coaches
Has had an impact on those she has coached
How the Center for Executive Coaching helped Teri establish herself as a successful executive coach
Proven coaching strategies
Expert instruction on how to establish yourself as a coach
Adaptable tools and techniques
A strong and supportive alumni network
What were your goals before joining the Center for Executive Coaching?
My name is Teri Citterman, and prior to joining the Center for Executive Coaching, I was in public relations, corporate communications, and I was a ghost writer. I wrote books for CEOs.
It was through the process of ghost writing that I became curious about coaching. Now, I am an executive performance coach for CEOs and leaders in the C-Suite.
When I first joined the Center for Executive Coaching, I did not really know what executive coaching was. I had friends that were doing it, but I did not have a construct of the process and frameworks in my mind.
I was really looking for a foundation, and for instruction that was flexible so that I could adapt it to suit my own style.
How has working with the Center for Executive Coaching helped your career?
Joining the Center for Executive Coaching helped me to understand who I am as a coach, and what I was going to bring to the table. I focus on executive presence, power, and influence.
I use a lot of the materials that were created by the Center for Executive Coaching and have adapted them to my style, and my clients.
The alumni network is really strong. It really helped me to understand the type of coach I wanted to be and how to show up as that coach. It gave me a lot of confidence.
How have you been able to serve your clients better?
I help leaders really understand the power they have, both true power as well as indirect power. The idea of having to have authority, but not actually having authority.
I help them to understand how to influence people, understand the power they have in their relationships and the types of relationships they need to have in order to get things done.
The way I measure my impact is by the impact the leaders I coach get. I am only as good as they are. Their bosses, boards, or their primary stakeholders recognize the changes that they see and that means I have been successful.
Was the Center for Executive Coaching worth the investment?
The Center For Executive Coaching is designed in an efficient way. The real practical tips for coaching are priceless. The Center for Executive Coaching attracts a different level of coaches.
Working and collaborating with other people that have gone through the Center for Executive Coaching is unlike anything else!
Would you recommend the Center for Executive Coaching?
I do recommend the Center for Executive Coaching. In fact, there are a couple of people I know going through the program right now.
Those who thrive in this kind of program are people who are serious. They are not dabbling in coaching, they actually want to go forward with coaching as a career.
Having access to other people, asking questions, and being able to bounce ideas off of each other is so valuable.
When people in the program get to know you, they will share their contacts and best practices with you. It is a unique community that’s willing to share.
Mark Monane: Executive Coach to Physicians and Healthcare Leaders
Mark Monane is Principal and Chief Medical Officer at Monane Group Clinical Consulting LLC, a firm devoted to providing advice and content to help life science clients with storytelling and strategic positioning to improve their impact and reach. Leadership and executive coaching services further bolster these efforts, including pagingdrcoach directed toward medical executives and Dr x Dr Coaching directed towards residency and chief resident programs. Mark holds A.B. and M.B.A. degrees from Columbia University as well as an M.D. degree from New York University. Mark is a Certified Healthcare Leadership Coach through the Center for Executive Coaching as well as an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation.
Key Points From Mark Monane’s Hall Of Fame Interview
“My biggest win has been the ability to incorporate new information to go beyond mentoring and to move to coaching. It has been a great addition.”
Mark’s Results
Moved from mentoring to coaching
Built a network of other coaches
New ways to structure coaching conversations
Started a new coaching business
How the Center for Executive Coaching helped Mark develop strategies for coaching medical professionals
Structured programs
Highly skilled course tutors
Help building an executive coaching business
The ability to network with other coaches
What were your goals before joining the Center for Executive Coaching?
My name is Mark Monane, and I am a physician by training, doing mostly consulting at this time, in both industry and academia.
Since the program, I have been able to add a new skill set and I am spending time with chief medical officers and medical leaders to get them to the next level, in their job or be more productive to the organization.
What I have heard over and over again from the chief medical officers is, they want to be as productive as they were in their previous career now that they are the medical voice in a commercial company.
My goal was to help them make that transition successfully.
How has working with the Center for Executive Coaching helped your career?
I really like that the Center for Executive Coaching is not just a one-time event. They are building a community. It is like joining a club where you get new knowledge, but you also get to network with other people who are trying to be coaches.
You get to go back again and again to revisit the information, so it is more of a longitudinal experience instead of a one-time event.
Jack Levitt: Team and Executive Coach
After a 20-year corporate career where he enjoyed mentoring team members, and a successful start-up exit, Jack started Levitt Executive Advisors to pursue his passion for coaching full time. His client roster includes a variety of large, mid-sized and entrepreneurial companies, where he has done 1:1 leadership coaching, executive presentation coaching and developed powerful teams. One engagement he had with a partner led them to write C4—Building the Powerful Team. In it, they share their model for taking a work group on a 4-and-a-half year journey to becoming an influential force and the envy of their organization.
Key Points From Jack Levitt’s Hall Of Fame Interview
“I feel like an expert in my field, because I can look any executive in the eye and tell them exactly what I think they need to hear. I can pass a red face test because of the positioning I got during the program, and I love what I do.”
Jack’s Results
Was able to transition from a corporate career to coaching
Successfully developed his own model and published it
Has better work-life balance
Now feels like an expert in his field
How The Center For Executive Coaching Helped Jack Build A Career As An Executive Coach
Helps you become a certified executive coach
Highly experienced course leaders
More than 20 years of experience training executive coaches
Personalized support and guidance
What Were Your Goals Before Joining The Center For Executive Coaching?
Before I joined the Center for Executive Coaching, I was a corporate guy working in the telecom field.
I was leaving my corporate job and wanted to become a coach, but I needed some real solid grounding on how to get into the field.
I knew what I wanted to do, but I did not know how to execute on it. I did not feel like I had the gravitas to do it and keep me grounded.
How Has Working With The Center For Executive Coaching Helped Your Career?
I just published a book with a partner of mine, and could not have done that without the Center for Executive Coaching. In fact, I actually give them credit in our acknowledgements for that assistance.
The first thing we did was create a model and build the book around this model. It really gave us a center of focus that gave the project some seriousness.
It made sure that our ideas did not feel ‘fluffy’, or like we were imposters. By the time we finished we felt like real experts who had created a useful model.
Sarah Birdsong Major: Top-tier Internal Coach and Career Coach
Sarah Birdsong Major is a Certified Executive Coach with the Center for Executive Coaching, with 15 years of internal and external executive recruiting experience, most recently as a senior consultant to the office of the CEO for Korn Ferry International. Additionally, she has a background in academia in both Development and Undergraduate Admissions and a deep expertise in human behavior. Her specialties include: Transition; Career mapping; Leadership and Team Building; Conflict Resolution; Assessment; Integrative Health; Mindfulness and Meditation. Her additional qualifications include: MEd Counseling with a specialization in Higher Education, University of Virginia; BA Psychology, University of Virginia, Certified Health Coach, Institute of Integrative Nutrition; and Naam Meditation/Yoga Therapies. Please visit her website.
Key Points from Sarah Birdsong Major’s Hall of Fame Interview
“Not only do I have the coaching credential that I feel is important to have, I also have access to the tools that I need for the assessment work that I do. This course has allowed me to take those tools and fly.”
Sarah’s Results
Has a coaching credential
Gained access to valuable tools
Gave her the means to develop her own business
Delivers value as a corporate coach
How the Center for Executive Coaching helped Sarah develop as a successful coach
A recognized coaching certification
Small and personal groups
Expert instructors
Proven tools to build credibility with clients
What were your goals before joining the Center for Executive Coaching?
My name is Sarah Birdsong Major, and before I started with the Center for Executive Coaching, I was working for 10 years at Korn Ferry International. I was working in their New York office and I was a special consultant to the firm working globally.
I already had a master’s degree, and a lot of great experience working at great companies, but I wanted to start my own business.
I felt like it was really important to get a coaching credential, especially if I was going to set up a coaching business. At that time, I really wanted to do a lot of work with assessments.
How has working with the Center for Executive Coaching helped your career?
The Center for Executive Coaching has allowed me to have greater balance in my life. I am able to work with people all over the world everyday.
It doesn’t matter where I am, or how I do it. I have that one-on-one contact with people. I love that aspect, because it has allowed me to run a really thriving business that people really need.
How have you been able to serve your clients better?
There is one part, where I work with people internally in an organization. They are trying to assess them, and figure out how they best fit.
There is a lot of work I do with succession planning, as well as how to coach and mentor. It goes deeper than whether they will be right for the position and looks at whether they are a good cultural fit as well.
A lot of it is working to retain a person that is already with the company, and keeping them happy. Then I do a lot of work with people who are early in their careers.
They may be in college or even in high school and need help to figure out the college they want to go to based on what their interests and abilities are.
It is about empowering them to see the beauty of who they are and where they can go in their lives.
Was the Center for Executive Coaching worth the investment?
It was absolutely worth it, because it was a lifeline for me. I needed to figure out a way to get the tools I needed. Just the introduction alone was worth every penny that I spent.
It has been absolutely worth it, and I have been really impressed. I was also very impressed with the people that I met through the program and the resources they were able to share.
Would you recommend the Center for Executive Coaching?
I believe the Center for Executive Coaching is a great program for people that already have some life experience, because it helps to come into a program like this with experience.
That doesn’t mean you have to have it, but if you are going to go into a coaching program, you will need that experience to coach effectively.
This course is a great place to share your ideas with others, develop your practice, work on your skills, and find your own style because not everybody coaches the same. It is an intensive program and a very good one.
Tony Gerth: Coach to Technology Leaders
Dr. Tony Gerth is a Clinical Professor of Information Systems in the G. Brint Ryan College of Business at the University of North Texas. He teaches the strategic management of information technology. His research focuses on the role of the Chief Information Officer. He is co-author of “Taking the Reins as CIO: A Blueprint for Leadership Transitions.” He is also an executive coach and helps IT leaders maximize their impact. Visit his LinkedIn profile here.
Key Points from Tony Gerth’s Hall of Fame Interview
“My biggest win with the Center for Executive Coaching has been engagement with the CIO of a large organization where I provided workshops, and coaching to his direct reports”.
Tony’s Results
Has new external clients
Feels more confident as a coach
Now has a recognized certification
Has new coaching tools and strategies
How the Center for Executive Coaching helped Tony become more confident as an executive coach
A recognized coaching qualification
Help and support during and after the course
Connect with other coaches
Learn proven tools and techniques
What were your goals before joining the Center for Executive Coaching?
My name is Tony Gerth, and I am a Clinical Professor at the University of North Texas. I teach strategic management of information technology. I was looking for formal training to distinguish myself as an executive coach.
I had a lot of coaching experience with employees, but I felt like a certification would just add some additional credibility to those skills.
How has working with the Center for Executive Coaching helped your career?
I still have my day job at the university, so right now my coaching is more of a supplement. The key takeaway has been the confidence I now have to work with clients and help them improve.
To go to a training class like the Center for Executive Coaching, the person has to be coachable. I have a lot of experience and I can help people fulfill their goals, which is also fulfilling for me.
How have you been able to serve your clients better?
My niche is coaching senior information technology leaders to grow beyond just technical expertise so that they have the ability to step into a more senior executive role. It is very fulfilling.
In many organizations, leaders in the IT function tend to hide their impact and contribution. Helping them maximize that impact to the organization, speak in a more ‘businesslike’ language, and develop more productive relationships is so important.
Was the Center for Executive Coaching worth the investment?
Working with the Center for Executive Coaching is absolutely worth the investment. The framework that we use in the CEC is based on what really works.
It is not based on a standalone coaching paradigm like most other coaching training is. They provide a lot of content, tools and templates that are there to support coaches, and help you build your practice as an executive coach.
Would you recommend the Center for Executive Coaching?
I have recommended the Center for Executive Coaching to a number of people. I think it works well for internal coaches.
For experienced external coaches working with the Center for Executive Coaching will be a great experience and they will give you a lot of ongoing support.
