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Browse through these frequently asked questions to get a better idea of what Keystone and its services are all about, and to find out more about Mark de Roo.


So, what exactly is coaching, particularly in a corporate setting?
"Coaching" is a one-on-one process between an employee and a professional, certified coach where individualized action plans are developed in response to a particular project, organizational challenge, or professional / career need. Unlike counseling or therapy that focus on motives, coaching sessions immediately tackle an issue and generate action plans to accomplish it. The focus is on always making a difference. Realistically. Immediately. Big time.

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Who should be coached?
It would be easy to suggest that coaching is for everyone. It isn't. It would be just as convenient to suspect that coaching is meant for employees with serious performance problems. This, too, isn't necessarily true.

Coaching is more appropriate for individuals who are considered the future of the organization. "Star" employees, for example, can benefit or be rewarded with a coaching relationship that develops a new skill or aids in ensuring the successful completion of a critical project. New employees can accelerate their learning curve - and the organization's ROI in the new employee - through coaching. Also, a family member in line of succession in a family-owned business could strategize a meaningful development plan with the aid of a coach.

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Shouldn't an existing manager be conducting the coaching?
Yes and no. While managers should assist in the development of their employees, today's business realities fail to make this a high priority. Lean organizations place multiple activities on managers and executives, often excluding the development of employees. Coaching can ensure the professional development of key employees.

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What happens when you hire a coach?
Depending upon the need of the client or the organization, a contract is initiated between the coach and client that can vary typically between 3-9 months. 50 minute sessions are scheduled every 2-3 weeks. Each session creates a realistic action plan that the client will implement by the next session. The first agenda item is a review of what has - or has not - occured since the previous session. As a result, coaching offers a benefit that most other developmental methods fail to deliver: accountability.

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What's the bottom line? Can coaching really make a difference?
In a 1997 article appearing in Public Personnel Management, it was noted that training alone increases personal productivity by 22.4%. Yet, when combined with coaching, productivity escalated by an outstanding 88%. Beyond the numbers, clients report they:

• Businesses
• Agritek Industries
• Armada Group
• Bradford
• Bronson Hospital
• Cottage Home
• Driesenga Associates
• DSA International
• Edward Jones
• Fifth Third Bank
• Five Star Real Estate
• GMB Architects & Engineers
• Grubb & Ellis
• Herman Miller
• Hungerford, Aldrin, Nichols, & Carter
• Innotec
• Integrated Fabric Resources
• Lakeshore Document Services
• Magna Donnelly
• Meadowlark Builders
• MetroHealth
• Morgan Stanley
• MultiPackaging Solutions
• New York Life
• National City
• Optera
• Perrigo
• Pfizer
• Repco-Lite Paints
• Town & Country Group
• Trans-Matic Manufacturing
• Welch Laboratories
• Worden Company
• Worksquared
• Government, Educational & Non-Profit Organizations
• Central Wesleyan Church
• Davenport University
• Greater Ottawa County United Way
• Holland Area Chamber of Commerce
• Hope College
• Lakeshore Advantage
• Macatawa Area Coordinating Council
• Michigan Department of Career Development
• Resthaven Care Community
• Young Life

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