Bobbie Sue Wolk: Rosewood coaching: many of us have never stopped to evaluate how we choose to live and work and how that impacts those around us.

• Author: Stomierowski, Peg
• Position: VIEW FROM THE TOP - Interview

Business executive, know thyself. But, wait! If you don't, there's help. Bobble Sue Wolk of Rosewood Coaching LLC, found online at www.rosewoodcoaching.com, is a personal and professional coach.

Wolk, who's passionate about what she does, draws on some established workplace research in her coaching.

Factors identified in why executives derail, for instance, may trace to what author Daniel Goleman calls emotional competence--how change is handled, not being able to work well in a team, and having poor interpersonal relations. Some research also associates accurate self-assessment and empathy with superior leadership performance.

ABM: How's the view from the top at Rosewood?

Wolk: It's a beautifully wide view now that our world is not so flat or hierarchical; while I live in Juneau, my client base is spread throughout Alaska, the Lower 48, New Zealand, Australia, the South Pacific and Japan.

ABM: What makes a person coachable (or not)?

Wolk: Anyone who wants change and is willing to spend time each week reflecting and participating is coachable. I enjoy working with motivated people. Coaching is about working toward a specific goal. My clients determine their goals, passions and desires, and we work together. The results can be extraordinary. I love that coaching works with mental wellness--how to thrive, as opposed to only working with what is wrong.

ABM: How is business coaching affected by hard times?

Wolk: With people becoming more discriminating in spending, it's a good time to focus on core strengths and values, to build competitive advantage toward ensuring a profitable future. A recent global survey by the International Coach Federation (ICF) found both individuals and companies are extremely satisfied with coaching, 82.7 percent to 96.2 percent, respectively.

ABM: You moved from accounting into industrial/organizational psychology. How did that feel, and what was the quality of the coaching in your online graduate education?

Wolk: I received my four-year undergraduate business degree, with a major in accounting, from the University of Alaska, and my master's in science in I-O Psychology from Capella University. My online graduate education focused on the psychology of business, and I'm very impressed with the online teaching...