BELIEFS

Basic Philosophy

Throughout a career that included leadership positions at two major global companies, one of the most gratifying things I did was to help develop the talent around me and aid my coworkers in successfully navigating the twists and turns of their work life.

When I finally retired from Nike in 2007 I felt a strong calling to continue this important part of my life's work. So, I attended the acclaimed Hudson Institute in Santa Barbara, California and formally launched Wallmark & Associates in 2009.

For me this is as much a labor of love as a professional endeavor. If we feel a connection, and if my skills match your needs, I will do my utmost to get to know you, to understand your needs and your potential, to help you evaluate the possibilities, and identify the specific actions required for a successful transition.

Coaching vs. Consulting

Consulting seeks to assemble the facts around a challenge or an opportunity, and then provide answers, strategy, or a suggested course of action. Coaching on the other hand works with the client to develop self-generative practices: Practices such as awareness about habits that may have served well for a long time, but no longer do so. Practices that provide resilience and the ability to grow and make new choices.

Coaching empowers by providing nimbleness and an adaptability that may not have existed before. These are practices developed by the individual with the assistance of the coach, rather than practices prescribed by the coach. As a result, the coached individual learns to embrace change rather than to fear or avoid change.

My Coaching Model

My coaching framework is based on the model developed by the Hudson Institute, adapted and refined to accommodate my own personal experiences and skills. It is based on the following key competencies:

• Creating a practice based on strong ethics, trust, and confidentiality
• Helping the client to establish clear goals and a vision
• Being totally present during the dialogue: active listening, asking powerful questions, creating awareness, and challenging the client when needed, in order to overcome resistance
• Facilitating the action planning, practicing of new habits, and monitoring of outcomes/ROI that will spell success
• Understanding that self generation and forward movement comes from creating awareness and those "ah hah" moments with the client. Not from "telling" or recounting my own experiences