What is coaching

In its simplest form Coaching is a relationship between two people, the coach and the client. However there are instances where a coach may work with a group of people i.e. Corporate Coaching. For now though, we will consider coaching to be between two people.
Coaching assists a client to achieve whatever they want in all areas of their life. It identifies where the individual is currently in their lives, where they want to be, what choices they have for closing this gap and finally what they will commit to.
At ‘The Coaching Institute’, they define Coaching as “assisting the client to close the gap between where they are and where they want to be, through removing the stories they tell themselves about why they can’t, setting goals, and creating empowering beliefs and attitudes”.

The difference between coaching, therapy, counselling and mentoring

You might have heard that ‘coaching is really like therapy, counselling and mentoring, isn’t it?’ Absolutely not. Let us explain why. Patients seeking therapy and/or counselling usually have a problem arising from a specific incident, condition or trauma. A coaching client usually hasn’t experienced any of these. Many clients are successful, fulfilled people already and are looking to raise the bar, experience even more success and become more effective at what they already do well.
A therapist or counsellor usually starts with the past to find the solution to an existing condition. A coach, on the other hand ‘draws a line in the sand’ and starts with the ‘present’ and ‘the future’.

The Past does not equal the Future

The coach doesn’t have all the answers. Instead they have the absolute belief that their clients have ‘everything they need in a given moment’. The client reaches their own solutions through the coach’s skill in asking key questions.
All clients are accepted as the magnificent individuals they truly are.

Mentoring has similarities to coaching although there is a fundamental difference. Mentoring is usually about a specific task, job or process. The mentor is experienced in that particular area and knows the answers. So think of the mentor as the teacher and the coach as the guide.

It Really is Your Choice

Coaching is a ‘judgment and critical’ free zone. Coaching is all about the results that are obtained from the action taken by the client.

The Client

Every year most people set New Year Resolutions and wonder why they’ve got ‘side-tracked’ The dreams they had as a child have blended into the background of their ‘busy’ lives. The perceptions they have of themselves have probably been created by the opinion of family, friends, teaches etc. Through the coach’s questions, these perceptions are uncovered and if they are not supportive they can be change to a perception that is.
Coaching provides the client with the continual forward momentum; each session rediscovers the true magnificence of the client. It starts with ‘where they are right now’ and ends with strategies and tactics to move them forward and grow in any particular area of their life.