The Courage Was In The Clicking

So as many of you know, I created a new program called The Virtual Ripple Coaching Program. I spent the better part of last summer developing it, iterating it and testing it with several willing early adopters.

One of the early adopters was actually referred to me for 1-on-1 coaching from a mutual acquaintance we had in common. Carol knew she needed coaching but was unsure of whether an in-person coaching relationship would be right for her. Over the course of the next month, we talked openly about what I do with my coaching clients and how it could help her. Despite the time and even talking through some important challenges she was facing, I still sensed a bit of reluctance on her part.

So that is when it hit me. Maybe there was a different approach to coaching I could offer here. I began formulating the concept of a Virtual Ripple Coaching Program, mainly for her and others to get a sense of my communication style and the unique approach I take to coaching.

She took a blind leap of faith by clicking the link that I shared and dove headfirst into the program.

What happened next was really quite amazing.

The Inspiration Behind The Program

I have a confession to make. I have relied on several coaching relationships for almost my entire professional career. The advantage of having a coach, someone to bounce ideas off of and someone who will hold me accountable, has been one of my personal secrets to success since becoming an entrepreneur.

To say coaching has been life-changing would be an understatement.

A few years back I created a program for American Express around the core concepts of my book. The initial audience were future leaders that were nominated into an internal program where they would receive training from a variety of sources, including yours truly. The experience was amazing and the feedback, specifically around my content, was incredible. So much so, that AMEX asked me to do it again with their European and Asian leadership program.

The main issue was a time difference. Many of their leaders were wide awake when I was fast asleep. I decided to think out of the box and look at some alternative ways I could deliver the training.

What evolved was my first virtual "consume at your own pace" training program that participants could plug into and hear recorded content and download the sessions and the activities we had put together.

Needless To Say, I Was Nervous

Could my content translate into audio sessions to make the same impact?

Will people find value in audio sessions versus live calls?

Would they do the exercises since there was no live accountability?

The result? People loved it. In fact, the feedback I received from the individuals that participated was I was so engaged and positive that they felt like they were really participating in a live session. Which of course they weren't. People really dug the fact they could consume the content at their own pace, absorb it and come back to it time and time again and however many times they wanted. As one participant told me at the time, "It was helpful to have you downloaded and available anytime I want. You have no idea how just turning on the recording made a difference to my day."High praise to say the least.

I knew I had stumbled onto something but just didn't know what at the time.

Coaching Without The Pressure

When Carol and I had met I offered her a few no charge calls to give her a sense of who I was and what my coaching style was like. Our conversations were upbeat and positive and I never ended up asking her to sign up for my 1-on-1 coaching. Something I know she appreciated.

Her biggest fears were time and money. Both of which were in short supply. That's when it hit me. Carol's uneasiness about entering into a coaching relationship wasn't the only obstacle to overcome. Time and money were.

I started thinking back to my AMEX experience. How could I give Carol a taste of that? Maybe if she saw how I was "in action" she'd be a bit more comfortable making the time and investment to work with me. It was worth a shot.

On a lark one day, I sent Carol a link to one of the private sessions I had done for my client. I sent the transcript and some exercises for her to attempt. She loved it. She called me a few days after receiving it and said how much she had gotten from the material and asked if I would share more. I did, of course, but most was geared around the very specific content I had created for my client. So nothing that she would directly benefit from.

So I did what all good entrepreneurs do when they are facing a problem - I told a little white lie.

I said I had something she might like but it needed some tweaking. I asked her to give me a month and I'd have something a bit more specific and actionable available for her to consume. Holy crap...now the pressure was on.

Coaching Reimagined

I developed The Virtual Ripple Coaching Program over the course of that next month. I spent a lot of time looking at some of the key areas I find I cover with every "live" coaching client. As I poured over my session notes from the hundreds of people I've coached over the years, some very specific themes emerged. This gave me some great ideas on how to frame a coaching conversation with Carol and anyone else who might be curious about coaching.

If I did this right, I just might have something here.

I missed the one-month target I had suggested to Carol but she was willing to wait to see what I came up with. There were lots of iterations and adjustments to get it just right. I even had my college-age son go through the program to see if it offered any value to someone his age.

His feedback made me smile, "Dad, kids my age need this just as much as your people." I could only assume the people he was referring to as mine, were older, more seasoned, awesome adults like myself.

I worked on the content throughout the summer and got the private sessions recorded and the transcripts just right. When I felt it was ready I invited Carol and some other trusted folks to try it out. I made it very easy to join with a pay what you think it's worth kind of model. I invited 20 people and every one of them signed up!

The feedback almost instantly was overwhelmingly positive. People that know me, including two that had been personally coached by me, said the sessions felt like I was in the same room with them.

Bingo!

Virtual? How Does That Work?

The Virtual Ripple Coaching Program is delivered over a 90 day period. The audio files and the transcripts are delivered via email every two weeks. I spent a lot of time making sure the content is engaging and useful. Each session comes with a very specific exercise that the participant is asked to noodle on. The content combined with the noodling is where the rubber meets the road.

It's a lot of self-reflection and digging deep into one's motivation, fear and exploring one's creative appetite. I was worried that some of the power might be lost since these conversations are happening in a virtual setting and not live but I was wrong. Dead wrong! People liked that they could take me on a walk, to their trip to the gym or simply plug in and hit play when the mood struck them. Virtual delivery turned out to be exactly what these people wanted.

To my surprise, every single participant shared how much they appreciated the no-pressure approach that these sessions gave them. Most consumed the content, thought about what was shared and then went through the sessions again. Only this time with pen in hand and the Ripple Journal at the ready to record their thoughts and observations.

Did I mention I had Ripple Journals printed up just for this program? They are super cool and have lots and lots of pages for participants to record what comes up for them, or just record the cool Ripples they create on a daily basis.

But Wait, What About That $25,000?

Right! Sorry about that. I'm excited about the program, can you tell?

Carol called me in the late fall to tell me she had gone through the entire program again. Realizing with each pass she discovered more and more stuff about herself.

As Carol went through the program it helped her realize she wasn't happy with her current career path. It had been years since taking over her role and she felt stuck. This had led to some depression and unrealized anxiety. The program gave her the courage to sit down and get very honest about what she wanted. Something she finally felt ready to share with her boss.

Her boss realized he was in danger of losing her, offered her a chance to take on a newly vacated role. It meant a sizeable jump in responsibility but also a significant jump in compensation with a bonus plan which she had never had. Carol shared with me that she will make an additional $25,000 this year thanks to my coaching program. More important than the money, however, she shared that she may never have found the courage to ask for what she really wanted, or even recognize what that was until she had gone through my program.She then gave me the greatest compliment of all. She said, "Thank you coach for being there for me. You have no idea how much you have helped me."

Results May Vary

Does signing up for the Virtual Ripple Coaching Program guarantee you too can make $25,000 more a year? Of course not.  But it does promise to stir the fire, stoke the flame and help you reevaluate a few things in your life.

The program is for anyone at any stage of their life or career. The program will ask you some tough questions. It will challenge you. My coaching will help you uncover things that you didn't even know were there.

Carol found some courage in the program that only a coaching relationship could uncover. Is it a guarantee to do the same for you? I don't know. I will say this, however. If you give it a try, the Ripples that will come out of the experience will be undeniable.

I've put my heart and soul into this program and promise to deliver something that will benefit you. No, it is not a sample program and/or part of some upgrade to bigger and better programs. I'm not like that. I just wanted to put some things into a program that can help you. That was my only motivation and my only goal.

This program is 90 days of powerful content you consume at your own pace but you can use it as many times as you want! All for the one-time cost of what my typical 1-on-1 coaching sessions cost per session. I'm biased but I think this is a deal of a lifetime!

Carol called me the other day and asked me to wire up some licenses for a few of her new direct reports. It clearly made a positive impression on her. I'd sure like it to do the same for you.

Ripple On!!!

I guess you could say, if you've read this far, I'm applying for a job. To be your coach!