Lots of people ask me, “So what is coaching all about?”
And the first thing I tell them is, “I don’t get a cap and whistle! So lose that image in your head!”
We all are familiar with several concepts:
- athletic coaching
- voice coaching
- counseling
- consulting
And leadership coaching or life coaching is none of these!
An athletic coach is a guy with authority – hence the whistle and cap – and expertise who trains (usually) young people to play a sport. A voice coach teaches people to sing, or at least how to sing better. A consultant bring his expertise into a situation to give advice and give direction. A counselor assumes that there is a problem stemming from something in the past that is causing a problem in the present and he bring solutions to “fix it.”
But a life coach or a leadership coach is a professional who not so much brings answers as he brings the right questions so that the person being coached is able to come up with his/her own answers. A coach brings a discovery system into the relationship in order for there to be change and forward movement from the present into the future hopes and ideas.
Coaching is about moving from where you are right now to where you want to be. A professional coach provides the vehicle for movement!
