What Is Coaching?

Posted on December 11, 2012 by Judie Thompson, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

WHAT IS COACHING?
by Judie Thompson

Is Coaching Right For You?

Coaching is about achieving meaningful, positive change. A coach listens for understanding and “walks in your shoes” to view the world from your internal perspective. They help you to expand your awareness of strengths, resources and challenges that will support your growth and development. The coaching relationship is one of collaboration and not one of advice giving. Advice giving encourages dependency. Collaboration, in contrast, is a strengthening process that fosters growth and opens your world to a realm of possibilities. Coaching creates choices, growth and development.

Coaching Process

Coaching involves exploration. Through asking powerful questions, your coach will help you to discover your unique solution to your coaching goal. This sometimes is different than what appears on the surface. Your coach then supports you as you incrementally move towards your dream. Your coach is by your side as you walk your unique path towards the achievement of your vision.

How will we work together?

We will work together in sessions of approximately 55 minutes each. The sessions will take place at a frequency determined between the client and coach. The usual frequency is once every week and often reverts to once every other week as coaching progresses. The client will bring their goals into the coaching session. The coach will guide exploration of the topic and an assignment will be agreed upon between the client and coach. Working between coaching sessions is important to help you to move more quickly toward achieving your goals. In the following session, progress will be reviewed and further exploration will take place. It is important to understand that progress happens inside as well as outside the coaching session. Both are equally important.

How does coaching differ from psychotherapy and mentoring?

Your coach has specific training and employs the latest in research to the coaching relationship. However, your coach is not a psychotherapist. Psychotherapy addresses deep and prolonged issues according to the DSM IV. Coaching clients have good mental health and are merely in need of assistance in clarifying a direction on the path they are seeking.

Coaching differs from mentoring. A mentor offers advice and is seen as the wiser of the two in the relationship. In contrast, a coach rarely offers advice, unless consulting is part of the arrangement, and the relationship is always one of equals.

Principles of coaching

Thompson Coaching & Consulting adheres to all principles of the International Coaching Federation (ICF). A few of those foundational principles are as follows:

Principle 1: The Client is resourceful
o The client has the resources to solve his or her problem with proper exploration. The client has not come to be fixed.

Principle 2: The coach’s role is to develop the client’s resourcefulness through skillful questioning, challenge and support
o The role of the coach is not advice giving.

Principle 3: Coaching addresses the whole person
o Coaching addresses the past, present and future. However, the past is only visited to inform the present and future. Coaching is not therapy.

Principle 4: The client sets the agenda
o The client determines the focus of what they want to achieve.

Principle 5: The client and the coach are equals
o The coach and the client work together in a partnership of equals.

Principle 6: Coaching is about change and action
o Clients come to coaching because they want to change something. Coaching closes the gap between potential and performance.

© (2012) Thompson Coaching & Consulting
www.tccgroup.us
484-358-5084
What is coaching?