About

Vera Toal, Dipl. Exec. Coach, AMAC, MBA, MA, is an experienced personal coach, trainer, lecturer and international business manager. She is an Associate Member of the Association for Coaching in Ireland and is also certified as EQ-i tester. The Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i), created by Dr. Reuven Bar-On, is the first scientifically developed and validated measure of emotional intelligence.

Qualifications

As well as achieving an MBA (UCD) and MA (Bonn, Germany), Vera is also a FÁS accredited Master Trainer and holds the Diploma in Executive Coaching from the Irish Management Institute (IMI).

Previous Roles

Vera has held senior positions with Ericsson in marketing and account management based variously in Dublin, Stockholm and Paris with responsibility for numerous European markets. Vera was also the Public Relations Manager for the German Olympic Society where her responsibilities included event management, sponsor relationship management and press liaison.

Experience

Vera has lectured with the Senior College Dun Laoghaire (Diploma in Marketing Studies), and more recently with the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (various Diploma and Degree courses). She is also involved with the Irish Academy of Public Relations as lecturer and examiner.

FAQs

Would Coaching Be Right For Me?

In most cases the answer to this question is “yes”. The reason is simple: every individual has both the need as well as the capacity to perform better. Having to adapt to constant change, improving personal performance, or eliminating recurrent problems requires help. Facing theses challenges on your own, is not a recipe for success.

What Is An Executive/Personal/Life Coach?

In business and life, a coach is a committed professional that uses their education, training and experience to assist others in the process of achieving their true potential. A coach will help you to establish precise goal plans and then help you achieve the desired results. They will also help you to effect long term positive behavior change in your life and career. Your coach will assist you in varying ways including: » Supporting you through listening, questioning, advising and feedback. » Acting as a co-creator for solutions, strategy and ideas generation. » Being a trusted sounding board who challenges, debates, influences and clarifies. » Assisting your skills development through innovation, training, and mentoring. » Partnering with you in the development of an appropriate plan.

What is Executive/Personal/Life Coaching?

Coaching is a unique collaborative project between the client and the coach. It is structured around a confidential one-to-one relationship that improves executive performance, personal effectiveness, while reducing stress. The coaching process focuses not only on your executive leadership role, but on you as a complete person. Coaching provides the client with the needed opportunity to step back, seek appropriate clarity, reevaluate assumptions and experiences and gain fresh perspectives. This venture between client and coach is tailored around you for the purpose of developing your existing base of talents and abilities - then aligning them with your background, education, formal career training, experience and available resources

How Does The Coaching Process Work?

The executive coaching process is about optimizing your personal and professional success in correlation with your definition for success. Today’s marketplace and economics serve to remind you of the critical need to develop extraordinary inner resources, resolve, knowledge and leadership skills. Open and meaningful dialogue allows the client and coach to determine client need and then identify clear objectives. Initial meetings will address confidentiality and the mutual design of a process to achieve the desired outcomes. During the development of the clients plan, key strengths, weaknesses and developmental requirements will be examined. The use of questionnaires, assessments, interviews and performance observation may be utilized to provide added depth to the work, while revealing the blind-spots. Through these protocols, the client more fully develops from inside-out.

What About Privacy?

The coaching relationship is based on mutual trust. In this regard our session dialogue is completely private. Personal privacy can be a consideration for a client’s decision to conduct their coaching sessions by phone. Coaching calls typically provide also less distractions. As there is no personal agenda, you receive confidential and impartial third party coaching consultations. The only focus is on the client’s success.

What are the different types of coaching available?

"A collaborative solution-focused, results-orientated and systematic process in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of work performance, life experience, self-directed learning and personal growth of the coachee." (Anthony Grant, University of Sydney, 2000)

Executive Coaching

“As for personal coaching, but it is specifically focused at senior management level where there is an expectation for the coach to feel as comfortable exploring business related topics, as personal development topics with the client in order to improve their personal performance.”

Corporate/Business Coaching

“As for personal coaching, but the specific remit of a corporate coach is to focus on supporting an employee, either as an individual, as part of a team and/or organisation to achieve improved business performance and operational effectiveness”

Speciality/Group/Niche Coaching/

“As for personal coaching, but the coach is expert in addressing one particular aspect of a person’s life e.g. stress, career, or the coach is focused on enhancing a particular section of the population e.g. doctors, youths.”

“As for personal coaching, but the coach is working with a number or individuals either to achieve a common goal within the group, or create an environment where individuals can co-coach each other.”

Welcome to YOU CAN DO IT

By Vera Toal