“Whatever the individual reason, it all starts with the client.“
Who is a coach?
- a partner in achieving goals (personal or business)
- a partner in exploring choices
- sounding board
- someone who offers unconditional support
- someone who will push you beyond your limitations
- motivator
What is coaching?
Partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. (ICF)
Every client is…
- the expert in his or her life and work
- creative, resourceful and whole.
My responsibility as a coach is to…
- elicit client-generated solutions and strategies
- hold the client responsible and accountable
- discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve
- encourage client’s self-discovery
What are some of the examples of why would someone need a coach?
- to achieve specific goals (write a book, reconnect with the family, start a business, to get fit)
- to work on a specific area of life (career, business, relationships, family, health, wellness, spiritual etc.)
- gain clarity (find some answers, clarify life purpose, identify core strengths, values, skills and resources)
- improve performance (to be more creative, accelerate results, better goal setting, better time management, career guidance, business advice, to be more effective, better communication skills)
- improve the quality of life (more satisfaction, to create more balance, more fulfillment, more peace of mind, more happiness, less stress, less pressure, resolving old issues)
- growth (personal or professional, better self-esteem, more confidence, motivation, inspiration, move forward)
Benefits of coaching
- balanced life, better quality of life
- improvement in health, fitness, family relationships, professional relationships, etc…
- better sense of oneself
- better decision making
- being more positive
- better support system
- living “in the present”
- seeing more opportunities, noticing less obstacles
- doing more, more energy
- higher self-awareness
- setting better goals
- lower stress level
- self-discovery
- self-confidence
- better communication skills
- improved individual performance
- improved productivity
- increased motivation
- accelerated change
- professional growth
- foster a culture of learning and development
- better work-life balance
Coaching and other helping professions: what coaching is not.
Therapy
Therapy deals with issues in the client’s past that prevent them from moving on in their present lives. Therapy is focused on fixing an issue, healing pain, or helping with dysfunction. Resolving past issues is supposed to improve individual’s emotional and psychological functioning in the present.
How is Coaching different:
There is nothing wrong with coachees – there is nothing that needs to be “fixed”. Change occurs “from the inside” to achieve a future outcome, not by “fixing” a past issue to function well in the present. Coaching takes place in the present and is focused on the future – the past does not determine the future.
Consulting
Consultants are hired for their expertise. A consultant will advise the clients, provide them with information and suggestions as to what to do. The consultant will start with diagnosing the problems and then will fix the problems by providing and implementing solutions. Consulting is independent of the person, as it has set objectives to achieve set results.
How is Coaching different:
Coaching does not include advising. Coaching is tailored to individual coachees. Coachees are assumed to be perfectly capable to generate their own solutions.
Mentoring
Mentors are also hired for their expertise and to provide wisdom and guidance. Mentors are hired because they have experience and knowledge in certain area. Mentoring may involve various techniques: advising, counseling and even coaching.
How is Coaching different:
Coaching does not include advising or counseling. Coachees are assumed to be perfectly capable to generate their own solutions.
Training
Training programs are based on objectives, instructions and content provided by the trainer or instructor. With set curriculum, individual learning process is linear and constrained by that curriculum.
How is Coaching different:
The whole agenda comes from the coachee, the coach only provides guidance. Coaching is not linear, because our lives are not linear.