Frequently Asked Questions — Executive Coaching and Facilitation in Montreal
1. What's the difference between an executive coach and a consultant?
A consultant brings answers and recommendations based on their expertise. An executive coach asks the right questions so you find your own answers and build your capacity to decide. The first gives you a plan; the second makes you more autonomous and better equipped for future challenges. At AMIRAL, I combine both roles depending on your need: coaching when you need to develop your leadership, management consulting when you need to structure and decide quickly.
2. What can executive coaching concretely bring me?
Executive coaching helps you gain clarity on your priorities, courage in difficult decisions, and effectiveness in your relationships with your teams, peers and leadership. Managers who work with a coach typically report: more direct communication, less avoidance of difficult conversations, better management of their energy and stress, and increased capacity to mobilize their teams. Results are measurable, but above all lasting.
3. Who is AMIRAL coaching for?
My coaching is for managers, executives and professionals who want to develop their leadership with honesty and rigor. This isn't "feel-good" coaching: I ask uncomfortable questions when needed. My clients include executives at multinationals, entrepreneurs, elected municipal officials and professionals in career transitions. The common denominator: a real willingness to change something, not just talk about it.
4. How does a typical coaching engagement unfold?
A typical engagement begins with a free 30-minute discovery call to validate fit. Then comes a framing session where we define your objectives and progress indicators. Coaching sessions (60 or 90 minutes) are usually held every 2-3 weeks, in person in Montreal or via video conference. A typical engagement lasts between 3 and 9 months, with milestone check-ins to adjust course.
5. What is the EQ-i 2.0 and EQ 360 assessment?
The EQ-i 2.0 is a scientifically validated psychometric tool that measures emotional intelligence: 15 competencies grouped into 5 dimensions, namely self-perception, self-expression, interpersonal relationships, decision making, and stress management. The questionnaire takes about twenty minutes online and produces a detailed report that we walk through together in a 90-minute debrief. The EQ 360 adds a multi-rater dimension: your colleagues, your leadership, and your teams also rate your competencies, which surfaces the gaps between how you see yourself and how others see you. It is a powerful starting point for leadership development. I am certified to administer and interpret both tools. When the assessment is paid for by an employer, the report belongs to the person assessed.
6. What happens when the employer is paying for the coaching?
The organization pays, but the person being coached is my client. In practice: what we discuss in session stays confidential, and what goes back to the employer is limited to the themes we are working on and the progress being made, agreed in advance with the person being coached. The organization's objectives are legitimate and we put them on the table at the start of the engagement, ideally in a three-way conversation rather than passed over the person's shoulder. When an EQ-i 2.0 assessment is part of the engagement, the report belongs to the person assessed. They are free to share it; no one shares it on their behalf.
7. Can coaching resolve a conflict or fix a problematic behaviour?
Partly, though rarely in the way people expect. I help someone recognize their triggers, hold their reactions under pressure, take feedback, and express disagreement without damaging the relationship. That work does change behaviour, and it lasts, because it changes how the person reads the situations they are in. What I do not do: I am neither a therapist nor a mediator, and coaching is not a substitute for a management process or a disciplinary one. It works when the person takes part willingly and owns their own objectives.
8. What are your rates?
Individual sessions start at CAD $250 (60 minutes) and CAD $350 (90 minutes) for early-career managers and professionals self-funding their development. Rates for senior executives, directors and corporate engagements are adjusted based on level of responsibility, complexity of challenges and organizational context. For team workshops, strategic facilitation and keynotes, engagements are tailored and vary based on duration, number of participants and level of customization required. A free discovery call lets us clarify the need and propose a clear quote.
9. Do you work with teams or only 1:1?
Both, and often in combination. My offering covers 1:1 executive coaching, team coaching, strategic workshop facilitation, leadership development workshops and conferences. Many engagements start with 1:1 coaching of a manager, then extend to their team as collective challenges emerge. The reverse is also common: a team workshop that reveals a need for individual coaching for certain leaders.
10. How do you facilitate your leadership workshops?
My workshops are not lecture-based training. I create experiential learning spaces where participants practice, question themselves and experiment in real time. Each workshop is custom-designed from your context, your challenges and your culture. Participants leave with concrete tools they can apply the next day, and above all with a lived experience that transforms their leadership practice.
11. Do you offer in-person coaching in Montreal or remotely?
Both. In-person sessions are typically held in Montreal (Verdun, downtown, or at the client's location). Remote sessions happen via Zoom or Google Meet. My international clients obviously work remotely, but many Montreal clients also prefer this format for its flexibility. Coaching quality doesn't depend on format, it depends on the quality of the relationship and the work. Sessions, workshops, and talks are delivered in French or in English, whichever you prefer.
12. What makes AMIRAL different from other coaches in Montreal?
Three things, essentially. First, a rare profile: engineering background with 20 years in executive leadership (notably at Cirque du Soleil) before becoming a coach. I combine analytical rigor and emotional intelligence, which lets me work as effectively with CTOs as with artistic directors. Second, a direct, no-fluff approach: I don't flatter to please, I question to help. Third, a combined offer of coaching + facilitation + consulting that allows intervention at multiple levels within a single organization, from 1:1 to executive committee.