In some of the recent discussions with my fellow coaches, we shared some thoughts on what coaching is and is not. I have jotted down my two pennies worth.
COACHING IS A JOURNEY.
Coaching is many things, and most importantly to me, it is a journey.
Imagine you as the coach is in a car with your coachee, where the coachee is in the driver’s seat taking you to a new destination. He/she has the complete control on the final destination, direction to take, and speed to move forward. In this journey, the coachee will experience up-and-downs, traffic jams, rainy days, and even detours. You are there for the coachee throughout the journey – accompany, support, encourage, challenge him/her to reach the desired destination but not to steer the wheel on his/her behalf.
As a coach and throughout the journey, one needs to maintain curiosity and neutrality, listen actively and ask powerful questions to elicit introspection and insight and help your coachee to see new perspectives and hold him/her accountable to evoke changes.
COACHING IS NOT COUNSELLING.
I have come across scenarios where the terms of ‘coaching’ and ‘counselling’ are used interchangeably. This is a big ‘no-no’ and coaching is not counselling (also known as psychotherapy).
Some key differentiating factors are listed below:
It is important to point out that these are guidelines and the terms may have different definitions and meanings in different cultures.
One of the analogies is to think of a coach as an athletic trainer and a counsellor as a medical doctor specialising in sports. Whilst they share similar knowledge of anatomy, kinesiology, nutrition, the trainer focuses on improving fitness and performance, and the team doctor mainly treats injuries.
Whilst a coach may explore the coachee’s past to understand the client’s present and future, it is important is that a coach does not diagnose nor offer treatment. The coach needs to make a referral to the appropriate professional when the help their client needs go beyond their experience or qualifications. In the same analogy, the athlete needs to be referred to the team doctor if there is reason to believe he or she has an injury.
COACHING IS NOT CONSULTING, NOR MENTORING.
Human beings are born problem-solvers. Being a consultant for most of my career, I was well aware of the differences between a consultant and a coach at the beginning of my coaching journey. Consulting is where we leverage on an expert’s expertise to understand a particular problem and present solutions, and consultants provide their specialist opinions and advice to resolve professional or technical issues. This varies greatly from pure coaching, where the coaches do not provide any opinion and answers come from the coachees.
A mentor is experienced and trusted subject matter expert with knowledge in a particular field, who can share their experiences and provide options to help others to move forward. On the other hand, a coach is an expert on the development of people in general, he/she does not need the subject matter expertise to help the client.
What are your thoughts about coaching?
