Meet Faith Richardson
Get to know Faith Richardson, founder of Aligned Strategic Partners and a dedicated coach and consultant committed to guiding individuals towards personal and professional growth and empowerment. With a passion for helping clients achieve fulfillment, Faith founded ASP with the dream of offering clients support and encouragement in various aspects life and professional management.
Coaching vs. Consulting
Below is a general breakdown of coaching and consulting. Although they compliment each other, they are fundamentally different.
Coaching
Leadership coaching is a collaborative, personalized partnership between a leader and a trained coach to unlock potential and achieve specific personal and professional goals. Coaches use thoughtful questioning to guide leaders in identifying their strengths, overcoming weaknesses, enhancing communication, and improving decision-making and strategic thinking skills.Unlike consulting, a coach does not provide answers but facilitates discovery, empowering leaders to find their own unique solutions and grow their capabilities to become more effective and drive organizational success.
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What a Leadership Coach Does
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Guides, not instructs:
A coach helps leaders uncover their own ideas and solutions by asking probing questions, rather than giving advice or telling them what to do.
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Focuses on the individual:
The process is tailored to the leader's specific needs, strengths, aspirations, and challenges, making it a personalized development journey.
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Promotes self-awareness:
Coaches help leaders examine their internal thought patterns and hidden assumptions to foster personal transformation and make conscious choices.
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Develops key leadership skills:
This includes enhancing strategic thinking, communication, conflict resolution, and the ability to set clear visions for their teams.
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Fosters adaptive leadership:
The goal is to help leaders become more aware of their leadership style and the best approaches to use in different situations, becoming more flexible and adaptable.
Key Characteristics of Leadership Coaching
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Collaboration:
It's a partnership where the leader and coach work together toward specific objectives.
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Goal-oriented:
The coaching relationship is focused on helping the leader achieve tangible personal and professional goals.
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Process-driven:
It's a creative and thought-provoking process designed to maximize a leader's potential and improve their performance.
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Empowerment:
The core purpose is to empower leaders to find their own answers and make effective choices.
Benefits of Leadership Coaching
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Enhanced skills:
Leaders develop better decision-making, strategic thinking, and communication abilities.
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Improved performance:
Coaching leads to increased confidence, better team management, and greater overall effectiveness.
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Organizational growth:
By cultivating strong leadership skills, companies can boost productivity and achieve better business outcomes.
Consulting
A business consultant is a professional who provides expert, objective advice to companies to help them improve performance, solve problems, and achieve their goals, such as increasing profits, lowering costs, or improving efficiency. Consultants, who can be internal employees or external contractors, offer specialized expertise in areas like strategy, operations, marketing, finance, or HR to provide an external perspective and implement changes for clients.
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What a Business Consultant Does
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Works with management to implement new programs, restructure operations, and improve workflows.
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Reviews company data, analyzes market trends, and identifies opportunities for growth and cost reduction.
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Brings specialized knowledge and a fresh perspective that may be lacking in-house, acting as a bridge to specialized professionals like lawyers or accountants.
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Analyzes a company's current operations to identify challenges and inefficiencies.
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Develops and provides strategic guidance to help businesses adapt to market changes, enter new markets, or launch new products.
Types of Business Consultants
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Hired on a temporary basis by an external firm to provide expertise to multiple clients for a fee.
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Operate within an organization and are available to different departments to provide expert advice in their specialized area.
Common Goals a Consultant Helps Achieve
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Increase profits: and revenue.
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Lower expenses: and costs.
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Improve operational efficiency: and productivity.
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Create a stronger workforce: and lower employee turnover.
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Develop new products: or services.
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Enter new markets: or attract new clients.
Bringing Coaching and Consulting Together
Coaching and consulting work together by blending the expertise of a consultant with the developmental guidance of a coach to create a holistic approach to problem-solving and growth. A consultant provides external, expert-driven strategies to solve specific organizational challenges, while a coach works with individuals or teams to foster internal changes, build long-term capabilities, and ensure the successful implementation of those strategies. This partnership creates a comprehensive support system for both organizational and personal development, leading to more effective and sustainable results.
Consulting: The "What" and "How"
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Consultants bring specialized knowledge, best practices, and industry experience to address specific organizational issues.
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They diagnose problems, analyze structures, and develop actionable plans and solutions to achieve defined goals.
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Consulting engagements are often project-oriented, with the goal of delivering specific, tangible results within a defined timeframe.
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The client's role is to support the consultant and implement the recommended solutions.
Coaching: The "Who" and "Why"
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Client-Driven:
Coaches empower clients to find their own answers through self-reflection, goal setting, and accountability.
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Personal Development:
The focus is on developing individuals' skills, self-awareness, and internal capabilities for long-term growth and the ability to handle future challenges.
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Process-Oriented:
Coaching is typically an ongoing process that emphasizes building habits and fostering continuous learning.
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Client Ownership:
Coaches support clients in taking ownership of their development and achieving lasting behavioral changes.
How They Work Together
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Integrated Approach:
A consultant might develop a new business strategy, and a coach can then work with the team to ensure they have the skills and mindset to successfully implement it.
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Addressing Different Needs:
A consultant can fix a specific problem, like improving a product-market fit, while a coach can then help the team develop the systems and processes to maintain that improvement.
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Comprehensive Support:
For complex or multi-faceted situations, combining consulting and coaching provides both strategic direction and personal development, creating a holistic support system.
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From Strategy to Execution:
Consultants provide the roadmap, and coaches help the people on the journey navigate it effectively, fostering cohesive implementation and transformation.
SERVICES
ABOUT ALIGNED STRATEGIC PARTNERS
Our Approach
At Aligned Strategic Partners, our approach is centered on providing exceptional coaching and consulting services to individuals seeking personal and professional development. With a commitment to empowerment and growth, we strive to support our clients in their journey towards self-improvement and life management.
Our comprehensive services include personalized coaching sessions, goal-setting techniques, progress tracking, and seamless integration of life management tools. Your well-being and success are our top priorities.
TESTIMONIALS
Client Reviews
Discover what our clients have to say about their experiences with Aligned Strategic Partners.
Sara Johnson
Faith Richardson's personalized approach and insightful guidance have helped me achieve personal and professional growth. I highly recommend her coaching services.
Mark Chen
Faith Richardson's dedication to empowering and supporting her clients is truly commendable. Her coaching has been instrumental in my journey towards self-improvement and fulfillment.
Linda Rodriguez
I am grateful to Faith Richardson for her expertise, compassion, and commitment to helping me develop essential life management skills. Her coaching has exceeded my expectations.