As a technology coach, most of my clients are managers, directors, or executives who want to earn an advanced certification like CASP+, CISM, or CISSP but don’t want to take prerequisite courses or attend classes in person or online. I work with clients to develop a plan so they achieve their certification goals and understand and discuss tech and solutions.

It starts with an Assessment.

Every coaching engagement starts with an assessment. Part of that is an interview. I want to learn about my client’s strengths and weaknesses, educational and work background, regular schedule, and, most importantly, the date they wish to set to achieve the engagement goals.

Together, we agree on a plan.

I don’t do open-ended consulting engagements. Based on the assessment, the work product I create is a coaching plan that I submit to the client for their approval. That plan defines the goal and how I’ll work with the client to achieve that goal. It lays out resources, meeting dates, and objectives.

Then, the real work happens.

The core of a coaching engagement is the meetings with the client, where we assess their learning. By default, these are phone calls over WebEx, usually lasting up to 45 minutes. Sometimes, they go longer; I’m not watching the clock. Based on the plan, I know what material the client should have covered. I’ll ask if they have any questions about that material, and if they do, we work through those. From there, I ask the client to demonstrate what they’ve learned. That might be by explaining something to me, working through a problem I give them, or sometimes just taking a short exam.

My role in these engagements is to coach and instruct. I want to help my clients learn about technical topics and express what they know to prepare for when they take a certification exam. It isn’t all about being able to sit at a computer and select the correct answer from multiple choices. There are hundreds of questions in the exam database; I want my clients to be confident that they can correctly answer all of them.

All client meetings are recorded over WebEx, and I supply clients with links to each recording. I also turn over any notes or links to web resources that I use as part of an engagement.

Interruptions and rescheduling

I believe that ‘life happens’ and everyone needs to be flexible when setting goal dates. But I know that people get distracted and procrastinate. There is a difference between a client who reads about a specific technology and can’t grasp the details and another client who doesn’t read. I can help my clients gain understanding and clarity through discussions, notes, and pointers to additional content. I don’t spend my time reading to clients. If a client isn’t doing their work, I’ll offer to suspend or end the coaching engagement.

Where do I sign up?

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please schedule a coaching assessment meeting.