Coaching is a collaborative, professional relationship. It’s a confidential framework for inquiry that is customized to meet your unique questions and concerns. One size does not fit all.
It’s also an opportunity to identify what you value, what you need, what drives you and what you want.
It’s designed to raise awareness, generate insights, inspire action and create accountability for achieving the goals and results you seek.
It’s based on the premise that you’re capable of drawing your own conclusions, finding appropriate solutions and setting your own direction for achievement and success.
There is often confusion between coaching, counseling, consulting and mentoring; it’s important to understand the distinctions between these four unique approaches. Each approach is highly valuable and worthwhile. While they all may have some common threads each one addresses a different need.
How is coaching different than counseling or therapy?
Counseling, or therapy, often looks to the past in order to discover, heal and understand.
Coaching, on the other hand, looks to the future in order to make a good life even better. In coaching, the starting point is the client’s desire for personal and professional success. Coaching focuses on forwarding all aspects of the client’s life to extraordinary. Coaching is not about how you came to be who you are; it’s about getting you from where you are now to a future that you want.
How is coaching different than consulting?
A consultant is an expert who dispenses advice and has answers. The consultant holds the agenda, imparts knowledge and offers suggestions to improve effectiveness and increase success.
Coaching sees the client as creative, capable, intelligent, and having answers within themselves or the resources to find them. Coaches act on the premise that the definitive expert regarding your life and work is you.
How is coaching different than mentoring?
A mentor often has many more years of experience than the person being supported. Mentoring is akin to role-modeling—the client sees attributes, qualities or abilities in the mentor that he/she wishes to learn or emulate.
Coaching is a partnering of two equals which focuses on the unique and intrinsic qualities already within the client that may not be recognized or appreciated. The coach helps the client affirm and embrace their own true self.
What Does Coaching do For You?
Coaching jump starts you. Coaching with a professional coach accelerates growth and achievement that can be difficult to accomplish on your own.
Coaching facilitates clarity and self awareness. We can’t change what we aren’t aware of. Self awareness serves as a foundation for powerful choices.
Coaching creates accountability. Insight alone won’t move us forward. Committing to take certain action between sessions increases the likelihood that you will.
Coaching keeps you on track. Loss of momentum and motivation is one of the reasons we don’t follow through. Coaching keeps you connected to your vision and goals.
Coaching provides immediate feedback. This allows you to maintain momentum and, if needed, course correct immediately.
Coaching builds on itself, over time. There’s a cumulative impact of working together.