Services

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The power of the one-to-one coaching relationship is the partnership between client and coach.  Working together in a safe and trust-filled environment, empowering questions uncover your strengths, inner purpose and passion, as well as identify blockages. A key component is accountability! Friends and family may be great sounding boards, but how effective are they for keeping you on task? Forget about keeping yourself accountable; it’s human nature to make excuses for your own actions (or inactions). 

And finally there’s creating proactive plans. The planning process is managed in digestible (and quantifiable) bites. Probably the hardest part of any transition is the emotional toll, especially when you view everything in broad, seemingly unattainable strokes. That’s why it’s important to create plans that are both practical and achievable. The advantage of working with Michael Ackerman as your coach is that you will be celebrating each small win at a time. Having success, lots of success, is a proven way to move forward.  

Weekly coaching phone sessions last 45-minutes, with an initial in-person meeting lasting 90 minutes.  Throughout the process, there are assessments and homework assignments, and unlimited email exchanges.   

Change is scary. That’s why people see a benefit to not changing. But not taking action is actually taking action, just as not making a decision is actually deciding not to choose. The only way to make an effective transition is to focus on the benefits of the change, not the challenge or short-term pain in making it. The best way to do this is by connecting your values to the desired outcome. You will come to realize that the status quo is a values compromise that simply does not work.   The other difficult part about change is sustainability. The true benefit of Core Energy Coaching is based on the philosophy that lasting change will occur when clients explore where the core energy is in wanting to change. We all have overt or outer-directed goals. However, there's always a covert goal or inner motivation behind it. Tapping into that inner motivation helps clients gain clarity on where they are coming from and thereby make more conscious choices. Based on client feedback and real-world experiences, Michael Ackerman has developed the following programs:  

Working closely with Michael Ackerman, you’ll be guided through the steps needed to making a change – from real-world vetting of ideas, to planning, to networking and communications strategy, to cultivating the right mindset to overcome any and all obstacles that are likely to come up. Of note, there’s no guarantee you will land your ideal new career at the end of this program. In many cases, it may take more than a single step or single year to get to that desired place. However, you will gain both the confidence and clarity that you’re on the right path (and one that’s right for you).   Key components include:

• Awareness (strengths and weaknesses, value assessment and attitudes)
• Ideation (accessing your intuition and visioning) 
• Exploring Options (research, networking, education and training needs) 
• Planning and Goal Setting (AIM Smart ) 
• Owning Your Story (developing your personal brand and elevator speech) 
• Communications Strategy (cover notes, resume and social media, with a heavy dose of LinkedIn) 
• Networking and Interviewing (an ongoing process with tweaking)  

Schedule:  Depending on individual needs, the program takes anywhere from four to eight months.  

• 90-minute in-person introductory session/interview 
• Three weekly 45-minute phone sessions (per month)
• Written assessments and homework assignments 
• Unlimited emails 

This self-discovery coaching program includes two main components: an inner exploration to assess skills, strengths and weaknesses, values, and attitudes to uncover what’s the right fit; and an outer exploration that includes both a real-world reality check (how viable your next move is) and a quantifiable action plan to set you on your way. In both cases, you’ll work closely with Michael Ackerman through a series of assessments, assignments and personal one-to-one coaching sessions. By the end of program, you will either have one or multiple ideas. Sometimes the greatest challenge is picking one direction.  

• Attitude Check and Adjustments 
• Personality and Skills 
• Value Assessment 
• Ideation (Brainstorming)
• Reality Check 
• Real-World Planning and Testing  

Schedule:  Depending on an individual’s needs, the program takes anywhere from three to six months.  

• 90-minute in-person introductory session/interview
• Three weekly 45-minute phone sessions (per month) 
• Written assessments and homework assignments 
• Unlimited emails 

The secret to developing a positive attitude is learning to become a leader. Leading means inspiring others and yourself to take positive action. It’s viewing life and the people you work with more positively and taking responsibility for your thoughts, feelings and actions.    As a certified master practitioner, Michael Ackerman will lead you through an online Energy Leadership Index (ELI) assessment, and then show you how to apply the principles and concepts of energy leadership so you can shift your own energy and energy of those around you. There are four key steps:    

• Understanding Your Average Resonating Level (A.R.L.) of energy: Your current state of consciousness encompasses every thought, feeling, and emotion you had today or ever experienced, and every action you’ve taken in your life. This is analogous to the way the price of a stock fluctuates in the market each day, with your energy level going up and down all day long. 
• Awareness of Catabolic vs. Anabolic Energy: At the cellular level, catabolism refers to a breakdown of complex molecules, while anabolism is the opposite. What we’re really talking about are destructive and constructive forces. 
• Learn the Seven Levels of Energy (of Consciousness): At any given moment, you’re somewhere among these seven levels. Level 1 is victim consciousness, with the frame of reference being “I lose.” The higher anabolic energy levels (Levels 4-7) are about being an opportunist (“We both win”). 
• Identify Strengths and Gaps to Achieve Your Goal: We will work together to make whatever changes you feel make the most sense, in a realistic period of time.