Executive Coaching Qualifications and Experience
Dr. Lacey L. Schmidt has provided career, leadership development, performance improvement, and executive coaching for a variety of interesting jobs and work teams, including: astronauts, flight controllers, firefighters, police detectives, nurses, chefs, restaurant managers, financial advisers, engineers, pilots, drilling operations supervisors, and minority executives working as expatriates in extreme or high-stakes environments. Dr. Schmidt relies on a variety of evidence-based coaching techniques and tools built from the latest psychological, occupational health, and cognitive science research.
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Why should people get WorkWiser Executive Coaching?
Just as you would enlist the help of a nutritionist or personal trainer to build your fitness more efficiently, you should engage a WorkWiser coach to build your professional fitness and leadership potential more efficiently. A little bit of fitness, or preventative work, with a coach helps you avoid painful and costly (and possibly career threatening) professional pitfalls. And if you're already mired in a painful working situation, getting coaching expedites your extrication and recovery. Work is one-third of most adults' lives, so it is worth getting a little help to make a third of your life more enjoyable and meaningful to you.
What type of client would want your WorkWiser Career Coaching?
Any one interested in making work more meaningful and effective for themselves, their team, or their organization would benefit significantly from coaching. Someone who wants to optimize their career, leadership, or teamworking potential using behavior-focused techniques will benefit the most from my coaching. We recognize that engaging a coach requires a lot of courage, commitment to excellence, and passion for achieving your goals. Looking in the mirror and facing constructive criticism is difficult, whether you’re an individual or an entire organization. We laud your courage and respect your need to have both an objective and supportive relationship with a coach who helps you obtain constructive, practical feedback. We work to make sure your bravery is rewarded with real tangible progress toward your aspirations.
Why you believe WorkWiser Coaching works?
Making a transition is difficult and none more so that going from a successful technical supervisor or manager to a strategic and inspiring leader. I believe coaching works because it provides personalized resources and objective feedback about how to make these transitions well. Coaching gives you quicker and easier access to the lessons hundreds of other professionals have learned the hard way; and the space to safely practice applying what you've learned in interactions with an expert guide by your side. The coaching process makes adapting to changes easier, and gives you more confidence in your leadership, and that is why I think most people feel it works so well.
Why do you think coaching fails for some? How could it fail for you?
I think coaching fails for some people for one (or both) of two primary reasons: 1) the coach and the client do not have a shared understanding of what the client wants out of the process, and/ or 2) the client is not at the right time in their life (doesn't have the time or resources) to do the homework that is an inherent part of an effective coaching relationship. Because I spend so much time working with my client to examine, define, and revisit what they want out of the process, my coaching doesn't fail for any one for that first reason alone. I don't hesitate to send a client to another coach, if another coach aligns better with what they want or need out of the process. As for the second reason coaching fails, I think it is important to recognize that we can't always control what is going on in our lives-- so sometimes the only way to succeed is to call a temporary halt to the coaching process and find the right resources and time before proceeding again. The most important thing is to nurture your desire to learn, grown, and develop as a professional in whatever ways you can afford to all of the time, so that you never have to suffer that career crisis flu or those really debilitating working blues.
