GWBC Radio: Kelly Marchal with Esprit de Merci

Intro: [00:00:05] Broadcasting live from the Business RadioX Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s time for GWBC Radio, conversations to grow your business. Now, here’s your host, Roz Lewis.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:24] Lee Kantor here. Another episode of GWBC’s Open for Business. And this is going to be a fun one. Today, I got with me Kelly Marchal and she is with Esprit de Merci. Welcome.

Kelly Marchal: [00:00:35] Thanks. It’s great to be here.

Lee Kantor: [00:00:37] Well, before we get too far into things, tell us about your work. How are you serving people and what do you do?

Kelly Marchal: [00:00:44] Sure. Really, the essence of what we do at Esprit de Merci is it’s about empowering and enabling leaders and teams to do their best work. We do this through a combination of services. Each engagement is a little bit different. But we might incorporate things like individual coaching for leaders and executives, design and facilitation of workshops based on specific needs for teams that might be going through a particular change or strategic initiative. We also provide or incorporate some independent work that sometimes can supplement for those workshops. And we host a small group coaching program for folks early to mid-career that we call Leadership Foundation.

Lee Kantor: [00:01:30] Now, are you finding that more and more organizations are leading into coaching as a tool to help their people get the most out of themselves and to really benefit the organization?

Kelly Marchal: [00:01:42] Absolutely. I think, you know, coaching as a profession is still relatively young and there’s a lot of different interpretations of what that might entail. It’s really ultimately a partnership in helping clients and team members see what sometimes they can’t see themselves and being able to sort of think out loud with a partner.

Kelly Marchal: [00:02:08] And so, with that, it provides a lot of development. And a lot of our development and learning happens in those uncomfortable spaces. And once we realize what we can get through, it prepares us for what comes next. So, we are seeing a growth in that applied either through, you know, external coaches or even as a component of just what leaders are doing differently today.

Lee Kantor: [00:02:34] Now, if someone who’s never had a coach before, then they get the opportunity to be coached, what are some things they can do to get the most out of the experience?

Kelly Marchal: [00:02:45] Sure. Great question. So much of it is being open and leaning into the experience. As I mentioned, sometimes this stuff can get uncomfortable and it just means that you’re gonna find some answers. You’re going to dig into some places that might give you insight that you might not have had before. Again, it’s the partnership of being able to think out loud in that safe space. And being willing to learn and, also, being willing to have a little fun.

Kelly Marchal: [00:03:19] If you take it so seriously, then, you know, sometimes you could miss something from the experience. And so much of it is just about getting clear on what the goal and the objective is and why that’s so important. And once you get to that space, the how becomes pretty evident. And it’s pretty easy to work through some of the steps that it might take to get there.

Lee Kantor: [00:03:47] Now, could you explain the difference between maybe other things that sound like this or could be construed as coaching, like consulting or therapy. Like, where are the edges of coaching as opposed to those other two?

Kelly Marchal: [00:04:02] Sure. Yeah. So, coaching is very future focused. It’s about taking something that, you know, you’re already in a good space in the present and you’re looking to make that even better. In many cases, therapy is going to be focused on things that may have happened in the past that can help you be more functional in the present and then prepare you towards the future. As far as consulting goes, a lot of times consultants will have a specific type of expertise. They might come in to diagnose a problem or create a solution and provide specific guidance. Wherein, the coaching space, it’s about the client taking more of the leadership role in understanding where they want to go and then exploring what those opportunities might look like rather than a prescribed approach.

Lee Kantor: [00:04:52] Now, when an organization says, “You know what? I’m going to dip my toe into coaching for my team,” do they start maybe with – is it an outgrowth of mentoring or is it kind of more – like, how does that idea kind of bubble up and evolve into coaching as the solution? What’s usually the typical path an organization goes through where then they eventually land on coaching?

Kelly Marchal: [00:05:18] Yeah. That’s a good question. Mentoring programs can also be really effective in terms of a lot of times – so that’s another great term is, how mentors come in. It might be somebody who’s walked in the shoes of that professional and could share some wisdom and experience from that. And that can often move into coaching and as somebody is developing in leadership. And certainly, as you go up the ladder, if you will, there’s more priorities, more stakeholders, more things to consider. And working with a coach can help explore some of those scenarios so that you can be that better team member with the stats that you may be on and team leader with the team that you’re leading.

Kelly Marchal: [00:06:06] So, a lot of times coaching might be introduced with employees that are being considered for higher levels of leadership and as well as people who have already achieved those roles. You never stop growing. You never stop learning. So, having this opportunity to work with this partner is something that makes sense at all levels in the organization.

Lee Kantor: [00:06:31] Now, do you find people that are open to coaching? They’re almost there in terms of, you know, achieving their goals because they’re being proactive. They’re self-aware that they need coaching. Like, they already kind of have some of those qualities that somebody in leadership would possess.

Kelly Marchal: [00:06:49] Often that is the case. And I think that, you know, as time goes on people are becoming more aware of the benefits of coaching. You know, in my case, the first time I worked with a coach, I honestly didn’t know a lot about it. And as I got into the process, I kind of was like, “Man, I wish I had known about this sooner.” So, it kind of varies depending on what that person’s exposure might have been.

Lee Kantor: [00:07:15] So let’s talk about how the process works. When you’re working with somebody, somebody might be assigned a coach? Or is it always voluntarily, like they’re asking for a coach?

Kelly Marchal: [00:07:27] It could be a couple of different ways. Some organizations like to kind of have a pool of coaches available. Because one of the things that’s really important about this is this relationship has to, you know, for lack of a better word, click. There has to be a good gut feel between the coach and the client that this is going to be a working relationship that’s going to be beneficial.

Kelly Marchal: [00:07:47] So, what makes a lot of sense is if an individual has been identified as a candidate for coaching, maybe they’ll get, you know, three or four coaches that they’ll get to sort of interview or engage with and then determine what they feel can be the best fit. And then, conversely, you know, they may see someone who’s got some kind of a path or experience that they can relate to and say, “Wow. This could be a person that I’d really like to work with.” And seek them out that way as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:08:21] At that point, is it, like, kind of a chemistry fit that you’re looking for? Like, what is the qualities you’re looking for, for a good match?

Kelly Marchal: [00:08:30] I mean, for me personally, I just love to learn from the people that I work with. And so, when there’s a sense of openness and willingness to share, which is really, you know, pretty much most people. And again, you know, willing to do the hard work and have a little bit of fun. Those are the simplest of qualities. And if they’re working in an area or an industry that perhaps I haven’t or don’t have as much familiarity with, it’s an opportunity for me to learn as well.

Lee Kantor: [00:09:03] Now, I’ve never had a coach, like, in a business sense. But I’ve had coaches, like, I’ve had personal trainers and fitness coaches. And just stylistically, some people like to yell, some people like to encourage, some people like to be quiet. How much of that stuff is important when you’re trying to find the match? Like, does it have to – like, do you have to look forward to it every week? Or is it something that some people dread but they know it’s good for them?

Kelly Marchal: [00:09:31] Yes. That’s such a great analogy. And yes, there are those times. And then, right after you’re done, you’re like, “Oh, I’m so glad I did that.” One of my favorite aspects of the job is to celebrate success. And a lot of times folks don’t see. They’re so focused on where they still need to go that they’re not always recognizing the progress that has been made. So, that’s one of the real benefits of these connection points with their coaches to kind of level set and see what’s happened and where to go next. And keep that balance there.

Kelly Marchal: [00:10:03] So, I don’t know that I do a lot of yelling so much, but I definitely enjoy the aspect of celebrating. And then, yeah, there are some times when you have to kind of just take a pause and reset if something seems to be going in another direction. That’s where I, as an observer, can sort of call that out and say, “Hey, here’s what I’m seeing is happening. What’s going on here?”

Lee Kantor: [00:10:28] So, accountability plays a role as well. Like, that’s part of your job is to hold me accountable.

Kelly Marchal: [00:10:36] To some extent and to also help you find tools that will help you hold yourself accountable.

Lee Kantor: [00:10:43] Now, is coaching a thing that you do for a period of time? Or is this like once you’re in it, you’re kind of doing this now? This is just a lifestyle part of your growth as a human.

Kelly Marchal: [00:10:55] Yeah. Sure. It varies. And there may be a season for some different things. And you may work with different coaches over time, depending on what those objectives are. You know, examples might be somebody that’s new at a higher level of leadership and they’re really transitioning to a new role or they may be transitioning to a new organization. It could be somebody who’s working on a particular area of growth that, you know, a coach that might have a certain level of expertise while they’re the thought partner and not the consultant. It’s kind of nice when somebody speaks the language and can kind of cut through some of that aspect of things.

Kelly Marchal: [00:11:36] So, it could be seasonal. And then you could even move to something where it’s kind of a once a month type of a deal of a check in process just to make sure that, you know, again, as you go higher in those levels of leadership, sometimes you just need that objective third party to be able to work through some things with.

Lee Kantor: [00:12:00] Now, you mentioned earlier that coaching is relatively new as a profession. Can you talk about the importance of working with a certified coach as opposed to, I would imagine, that somebody could just say their coach and not go through some of the learning and kind of foundational elements of being a coach?

Kelly Marchal: [00:12:21] Yeah. I mean, there’s certainly some amazing coaches out there that may not have gone through the certification process. What I like about it is that that’s a degree of standardization. The International Coach Federation was formed in the mid-90s, and that is the organization that governs the standards for certification and ongoing training and development for coaches. And also, we have a code of ethics that we work by so that, you know, it quickly creates a degree of consistency across the industry.

Kelly Marchal: [00:12:56] And the other benefit of it is going through the process of the certification itself, it means that as a coach, I become a client and I can better experience what my clients are experiencing. So, it’s pretty rigorous and hard work. But for me, it has been a really great way for me just to enhance what I want to do.

Lee Kantor: [00:13:24] Now, let’s talk for a moment about the GWBC. Why was it important for you to get involved with that organization?

Kelly Marchal: [00:13:32] Yeah. I heard about this not long. So, I started Esprit de Merci in late 2017, so I’m pretty new to this world of entrepreneurship. And in 2019, last year, I went through the process of certification and attended – actually just snuck it in right before we began to stay home. We had the last tables and ate lunch in February. And just was immediately warmly welcomed by this amazing community of folks. And no matter what area of business we were in, you know, everybody had something that they could relate to each other in.

Kelly Marchal: [00:14:12] And on top of that, just the facilitation that GWBC provides in connecting with some of the larger organizations who are looking to do business with diverse suppliers. So, this opportunity that we can all learn from each other is something that has been really great about the relationship with GWBC.

Lee Kantor: [00:14:33] Now, in your practice, do you have like a sweet spot on different types of people or maybe organizations that you work with? Like, maybe it’s in a certain industry or it’s a, you know, professional services or manufacturing? Do you have kind of a sweet spot that you like?

Kelly Marchal: [00:14:52] Well, one thing I’ve definitely noticed is that, really, regardless of the sector or type of industry that as an organization hits a certain size, there’s a culture whether you have intention around that or not. And depending on where that organization is, you know, having that purpose and value system that you work towards, yet also leveraging the power of diversity within teams. So, there’s a commonality that I see across all of that.

Kelly Marchal: [00:15:23] As far as the things that I enjoy the most in this is being able to leverage some of the background that I have. Prior to this work, I spent about half of my corporate career on the finance side and the other half on the HR side. So, being able to connect the business aspects with the importance of engaging and developing the teams. So, when the work involves, you know, those aspects, it really gets me excited.

Lee Kantor: [00:15:56] So, I know you worked with both individuals and organizations, what is the process when it is an organization? Do you go in through HR? Like, is it typically you’re working with one person and they’re like, “Hey, I should bring this to the rest of the team.” Like, what’s your kind of usual entry into an organization?

Kelly Marchal: [00:16:18] So, it depends. You know, in the case of the example of an organization that might be building a coaching pool, that’s generally going to be managed through the HR function. And again, depending on the size and nature of the organization, there isn’t always an HR function. So, in other cases, a team lead, they’ll just speaking about, “Hey, I want to bring my group together and we’re gonna be, you know, putting our strategy together. And I need to think about ways that we’re engaged. We’ve got new team members and we’ve got to put our plan together, these kinds of things.”

Kelly Marchal: [00:16:53] And so, as I began to talk to that person, I can see ways to incorporate aspects of coaching with that. So, it’s about facilitating and helping them bring that stuff together. So sometimes it has been working directly with a functional lead. And then, they’ll connect me in with an HR function if it exists at that organization. And then, sometimes it’s going in directly through HR and then they can see ways that I can work with their folks.

Lee Kantor: [00:17:25] And if somebody wanted to learn more about you, your work, or your team, is there a website?

Kelly Marchal: [00:17:32] Yes. It is www.espritdemerci.com. That translates from French as spirit of thank you. So, gratitude has always been a foundation in the approach. And it’s spelled E-S-P-R-I-T-D-E-M-E-R-C-I.com. And absolutely reach out to me, you know, through LinkedIn or send us an email at info@espritdemerci.com. I love meeting new people and I always look forward to conversations to see what we might be able to do together.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:06] Good stuff. Well, Kelly, thank you so much for sharing your story today.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:08] Thank you. It’s been a pleasure.

Lee Kantor: [00:18:11] All right. This is Lee Kantor. We will see you all next time on GWBC Open for Business.