TEMPERANCE – Nicki Clark, a supervisor at MI Windows and Doors in Temperance, admits she was a bit apprehensive when she heard the company was offering a life coach program for its employees.

A life coach is someone professionally trained to work with individuals to identify their strengths and develop them while focusing on reaching personal and professional goals.

“At the first meeting, I was really nervous. I didn’t know what to expect. … He gave a quick personality test that nailed me to a T so he understood me and I became very comfortable at that point,” Clark said.

According to Jake Huskins, operations manager at MI Windows and Doors, he introduced the concept as a means of connecting with employees on a personal level. The company employs between 220 to 275 people. Many are seasonal employees.

Huskins said he remembers reading “The Dream Manager” by Matthew Kelly, a book about a fictional company that achieves exceptional results when they help their employees attain their dreams.

After reading the book, the company he had previously worked for brought in a life coach for the employees.

“What we realized is that if we could connect with people’s personal dreams, personal goals and then find a way for the business to feed into that and support them, there was more of a connection. It just made the relationship real,” Huskins said.

He said too many people punch a clock, do their job, punch a clock and go home. They don’t enjoy what they do.

The role of the life coach is to make a connection with the employees. To sit down with each employee, find out their dreams and find out how the organization can help them realize their dreams, whether that dream is to buy a home or to be the first one in their family to go to college.

In January, the Temperance company launched a life coach program with the assistance of David Guyor, a life coach and speaker based in Traverse City.

Huskins, who has worked with Guyor doing men’s ministry outside of the workplace, describes him as “a specialist in connecting with human hearts.”

Two weeks a month, offering eight to 10 sessions per day, Guyor schedules to meet with employees, from senior management to entry-level positions, and helps coach them to meet their personal goals.

The first session begins with a personality test and develops a profile similar to the Myers-Briggs test that identifies a person’s personality type, strengths and preferences.

The life coach’s role is to help employees achieve their personal goals. The 45-minute sessions are one-on-one and all meetings are confidential.

Guyor said he helps people dial in to their natural talents and interests. He helps the people he works with have a better understanding of who they are.

Huskins said employee response has been fantastic and many are appreciative of the program.

“I think it’s a great choice that the company decided to give this resource to the employees. It shows the employees that they are trying to help them build not only their work life but their outside life,” Clark added. “I have been recommending it to other employees. I tell them, ‘It’s not a counseling session. Sit down and give it a half-hour. If it’s not for you, it’s not for you.’”

Through Guyor’s coaching, Clark is focusing on using her strengths at work and home. She has a personal goal to buy a car for her son.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Temperance business hires life coach for employees