Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize performance. Its more about helping people to learn than to teaching them.” –John Whitemore, In California Performance.
Coaching is a process that seeks to help you improve your performance, and focus on the “here and now” rather than focus on the unknowable future—and in so doing move you in action towards your dreams or the future you want to realize.
The key in coaching is awareness that leads to improvement or growth, and growth leads to contribution. I believe this is why coaching is so powerful! Why those who desire to achieve extra ordinary results in sport, life, career, and business seek coaching.
There are many forms of coaching, but the key with all forms of coaching is to help the individual to be and perform at their highest self.
Coaching is an art, and is demonstrated by how competent one is as a facilitator in asking the right questions in order to solve the particular issue at hand.
Coaching is not: therapy, counseling or mentoring
The differences between these various ‘learning methods’ can be summarized as:
| Learning Method: | Coaching | Mentoring | Counseling |
| The Question: | How? | What? | Why? |
| The Focus: | The present | The future | The past |
| Aim: | Improving skills | Developing and committing to learning goals | Overcoming psychological barriers |
| Objective: | Raising competence | Opening horizons | Building self-understanding |
Based on the work of: Clutterbuck, D. & Schneider, S. (1998) Source:https://www.skillsyouneed.com/learn/coaching.html
Observations, active listening, empathy, reframing and demonstrating you, the coach understand the needs of the coachee is critical. To do this well, the coach needs to be good at helping the client get in touch with their heart, mind and soul—their intentions as to why they sought coaching in the first place.
Effective coaching is synonymous to asking the right questions, and ultimately helping the client understand that the power lies within he/she to move things to whatever direction they desire.
In coaching, the client/coachee is always in charge and responsible to create whatever reality or results they desire. The job of the coach then is to help the client own and take responsibility realizing that, “for things to change you must choose to change.”
Commitment and accountability are the two other strands that make coaching effective. In fact, accountability becomes the holy grill of coaching because it is the way forward to realize the desired results. Commitment underscores the degree of one’s fierceness to what he or she want to achieve. How long are you willing to engage in order to attain your desired results? Grit is a must as nothing good comes from nothing. In essence, no pin no gain!
In a nutshell
Coaching is all about growth, and as Tony Robbins would say, “If you are not growing you are dying.” Why coaching means many different things to different people, but it’s generally about helping individuals own their power, own their challenges and improve on their own performance. Note, coaching is the same thing in sport, life, career and business. Therefore, a good coach believes that the client/coachee always has the answer to their own challenges, all a coach does is help unlock that!
Do you need clarity in how to attain a particular goal you wish to realize? Have you ever hired a coach? Did you know that by hiring a coach, you too could elevate your game in life, career and business much like an athlete hires a coach to help him/her elevate their play?
Share your thoughts on the comments below, I would love to learn from you too.
Carolyne helps professionals and organizations gain CLARITY in building better brands for better results. A coach/consultant, speaker, the author of Being Grounded: 21 Days To Come Alive and Love Your Life, and a contributing writer for various publications. To schedule your 45 minutes complimentary session with her, you can write her at carolyne@vpfstrategies.com
