Pueblo West life coaches update executive guide
By ANGIE EVANS
Special to The View
Two Pueblo West residents have joined forces to modernize an outdated business coaching manual.
Cindy Coe and Amy Zehnder are executive coaches who have worked for more than 10 years helping people to achieve their potential, according to Coe.
The pair were approached to do the job by John Wiley & Sons, publisher of a manual for coaching executives called "Coaching for Commitment."
Coe and Zehnder met while they were working together at a Fortune 500 company, which they would not name because Zehnder still works there. The pair worked together to find new ways to train employees, including virtual learning and online training.
The publisher of "Coaching for Commitment" heard about their work and asked them to rewrite the book because the author, Dennis Kinlaw, is dead.
As they rewrote it, Coe and Zehnder said the book became more of a guide to successful living for all areas of life, from work to family.
The old manual, which initially was published in 1989, used many definitions that no longer apply to today's coaching practices, Coe said. She and Zehnder have worked to change the language of the book, including eliminating words such as "confrontation" when referring to a one-on-one meeting.
The roles expressed in the old manual weren't clear, Coe said, and have been clarified in the revision. Roles such as "manager" and "coach" have been redefined.
Managers are supervisors who tell their employees what to do and how to do it, while coaches instruct the employees what needs to be done and leaves the rest up to them.
Coaching is a misunderstood field, according to the authors. Many people think of it in terms of sports, but it's more about getting someone to change the way they think, the women said, to go from ordinary to extraordinary.
Coe said her work is like life coaching and executive training, but goes much deeper. She and her writing partner don't just give their clients a road map for life. Rather, Zehnder and Coe listen to their clients and help them find the answers within themselves, Coe said.
Finding solutions for management problems can be as simple as examining what baggage people are carrying from their past and dealing with it directly, Zehnder said.
A manager came to her asking for help with an employee, Zehnder said. The manager and employee could not get along and weren't speaking to one another, which led to tension in the office.
After an hour-long session, the manager realized the fault was not in the employee but something she hadn't dealt with in her own past. The manager then approached her employee with a new perspective and was able to make peace, Zehnder said.
Email
Print