Strengthening Leaders and Their Organizations

Colleague Consulting has provided coaching services to over 1,800 federal employees since 2006. Our cadre of over 120 International Coach Federation (ICF) certified coaches presents extensive and diverse experiences, offering perspectives fitting of any organizational culture. Our performance has consistently won praise from our peers, partners and, most importantly, clients.

Approach

Although every coaching engagement necessitates a tailored experience, Colleague’s approach to individual (and team) coaching follows four foundational principles. We apply these principles to all engagements, irrespective of level – high-potential, supervisor, manager, executive and “c-suite.”

Confidentiality Is Key
Participants in coaching must be free to discuss whatever personal or organizational issues they see as barriers to their success. While our coaches will never disclose the results of individual coaching sessions, we encourage coaching participants to share their coaching progress with others, if they believe that will help them.
A
Changes Comes From Within
Although coaches help participants establish and refine their personal development plans, participants must internalize change to make it durable. Our primary focus is helping participants see, for themselves, their growth opportunities.
B
Real Learning Comes From Real Practice
Competencies can only be seriously exercised through practice and experimentation in a protected, coaching environment. Participants will experience success or learn from failure by actually doing something different. Therefore, we design development plans that encourage participants to stretch themselves and grow from experience.
C
The Big Picture Matters
We embrace the uniqueness of each organization, program, and the individual. Our coaching programs account for varying work environments coupled with the personal challenges each client faces. Early in the program, cultural themes often emerge that paint the bigger picture for our coaches to be able to support their clients. All of our coaching programs include a lessons learned process to allow the coaches to discuss these themes and better understand the landscape of the organization being served.
D

Certifications

All of Colleague’s coaches are certified at the ACC, PCC or MCC level of the International Coach Federation (ICF). ICF coaches must have the following minimum number of coaching hours:

  • ACC: 100+ hours
  • PCC: 500+ hours
  • MCC: 2,500+ hours

Tools

Often, our coaches will recommend incorporating an assessment tool into an engagement to provide context and establish a baseline of understanding. Colleague has successfully utilized the following assessments – all of which our coaches are certified to use and debrief – alongside our federal partners:

  • MBTI
  • DiSC
  • FIRO-B
  • Five Behaviors
  • Hogan Leadership Series
  • TKI
  • EQi
  • Assorted 360s – Hogan, OPM, Profilor, Reach

Team Coaching

Colleague has found that clients, upon experiencing individual success through coaching, want to share similar experiences and outcomes with their peers. Team coaching involves developing a relationship of trust, similar to individual coaching relationships, but with an entire project, management or executive team. 

We apply organizational development expertise and business acumen to assess relationships among team members. We also asses the organization’s processes, technologies and goals to develop and monitor improvement recommendations. Through interviews with team members, an initial assessment of team dynamics, and direct observations of team interactions, we examine the following to help improve performance:

  • Coordinating mechanisms
  • Communications
  • Decision processes and structures
  • Problem solving
  • Goal setting 
  • Accountability
  • Collaboration, competition and individual agency

24/7™ Coaching

More than a practice, genuine coaching represents a cultural shift within an organization. To facilitate enduring change – in a measured and intentional manner – Colleague developed a proprietary model, 24/7 Coaching™. 

The program creates “a coaching attitude” among participants by emphasizing six behaviors:

  • Identify coaching moments
  • Ask coaching questions
  • Provide in-the-moment feedback
  • Co-design actions
  • Listen with head and heart
  • Inspire by example

24/7 Coaching™ is designed for leaders of all experience levels.