What is Coaching? (& What It’s Not!)

In today’s highly competitive marketplace, many career-minded individuals have turned to working with a business coach to maximize their personal and professional potential.  

Whether it’s to unlock leadership abilities to manage more effectively, or to navigate a career transition, or even seeking personal fulfillment on the journey to passion and purpose in life, most ‘coachees,’ are looking to tackle issues that they are stuck on. 

Just a few short years ago, the coaching industry surpassed the $1B mark here in Canada, which I believe demonstrates both the demand and value in the field as a whole.

Yet despite its growing popularity and foray into the mainstream business lexicon, there are loads of misconceptions out there around what coaching really is. 

I mean let’s face it - in today’s “gig” economy, there’s not much stopping somebody who has an interest in helping others simply calling themselves a coach.

But it’s not that simple.

Today’s professional coaches must undergo extensive training through an International Coaching Federation (ICF) accredited membership organization to be considered legitimate. 

And given that the ICF has a track record of 25+ years improving lives, relationships and business performance, that makes sense. By taking the time to appreciate the methodologies behind effective coaching, a professional coach understands how to help clients make real and measurable differences in their lives.

Sometimes, however, it’s easier to understand what lies at the heart of this transformative field by exploring what coaching is not.

No leather couch for miles

Okay, so that may not be 100% true. Some coaches may in fact choose to have a comfortable setup for their clients to enjoy while working together.

But the fact remains - coaching is not therapy or counselling.

Many forms of therapy or counselling are built on exploring the past and what has come before. It often focuses on trying to heal or “fix” problems from the past, which the individual feels is preventing them from finding peace or achieving success in the present. 

In contrast, coaching revolves around growth and looking ahead to the future.

Strictly speaking, coaching shouldn’t even be considered mentoring either.

Oftentimes, mentors are experts in a particular field or discipline who are leaned on for their insights and counsel. The individual asking for the mentor’s advice is likely to follow it, or strongly consider following it in however they proceed. 

Coaching, on the other hand, provides individuals with the space and opportunity to pave their own way forward, often guiding them to the solutions they need through the use of questioning, observation and feedback.

Showing - not telling

When done properly, coaching is not meant to be prescriptive. 

There’s no real playbook or pre-determined ideas around how a clients’ needs will be met.

Rather than telling you what to do or how you should manage an issue that you’re looking to progress on, effective coaches ask the right questions to guide you to the answers you already have within you. 

This is where coaching becomes showing - not telling.

A true coach/coachee relationship is collaborative and built on a two-way journey towards self-discovery. A coach understands that their client is fully capable of generating their own solutions to whatever problem or question they’re looking for answers to. Personal, individual transformation is something that we’re all capable of and that we have within us.

An effective coach understands how to show you the best way to light your path from point A to Z.

More confusion at the coaching crossroads

There are a few other fields worth mentioning that coaching gets commonly confused with.

Coaching is not consulting - in most consulting scenarios, a company or client will seek out expertise from someone and then apply it to solve their problem. In coaching, however, it’s the client’s expertise that’s uncovered and presented as the solution. That’s a big distinction which needs to be called out.

Also, coaching is not training or teaching - when someone goes through training, the control lies almost solely with the trainer, who passes on information that the trainee is expected to absorb and assume as fact or taken as gospel. However, in coaching, it’s the client who drives most of the conversation and ultimately arrives at the answer they’re looking for. The coach is simply there to facilitate that process - not author it themselves.

One more important thing to point out: coaching is not a quick fix or band-aid solution for any issue, no matter the nature, scope or size. To be effective, coaching must be a collaborative process that involves a true commitment to change through meaningful conversations. Clients must be ready and open to coaching, meaning that they are deeply committed to learning and growing by exploring their core values, motivations, goals, competing priorities and, limiting beliefs. 

Okay, Karine - chill… what IS coaching?

Before I share my own personal philosophy and thoughts on the coaching field as a whole, I figure it makes sense to share the textbook definition of coaching from the ICF.

The ICF defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” 

You can see that right off the bat, there’s an emphasis on the partnership between coach and client. That’s the central component of any coaching arrangement and at its core, what separates coaching from a wide range of other fields as previously discussed.

From my perspective, coaching has always been about the collaborative nature of the coach/client relationship. Working together, my clients and I have meaningful conversations that  feature asking the questions that we rarely ask ourselves, all in pursuit of helping them unlock the answers and solutions that already lie within. 

Coaching promotes self-reflection, evokes awareness and accountability within those who are participating in the process. I know that by creating a psychologically safe space for my clients to think, to be open with themselves and not hold anything back, that we’re able to unlock the power they have within to overcome whatever challenges they’re facing. 

Great coaches understand that without rapport and trust - combined with an element of accountability and commitment - true change or progress are unlikely to happen. 

But I believe in the potential of people, and always look to empower my clients to focus on the future possibilities - not past mistakes. 

What coaching did for me - and what it will do for you

With a background in high performance athletics - I received a scholarship to play NCAA basketball at a Division 1 school before an injury cut my playing career short - coaching has been a part of my life since I was a little girl.

Now it’s important to point out that of course, athletic coaches have a wide variety of skill sets specific to their sport… 

BUT - there are a lot of parallels one can draw between them and a business coach, too.

Early on in my basketball career, coaches helped me discover the work ethic, discipline, resilience and commitment level needed to achieve my goal of playing at the highest collegiate level.

While their years of experience and expertise were invaluable to my development, it took me recognizing my own natural abilities and passion for the sport to take me to the next level. In the end, my coaches’ guidance helped me see the right doors to stand in front of - but it was on me to open them. 

Out on the basketball court, I was always naturally inclined to support any of my teammates who were struggling or looking for answers in their game. Great coaches recognize potential and help clients locate it within themselves. I took that responsibility on at an early age, when I was asked to coach a team of 11-year olds despite being only a teenager myself. This experience offered me endless opportunities to practice observing, providing feedback, giving recognition and asking questions of my players to help them answer their own questions and achieve true skill development. I may not have realized it at the time, but this idea of believing in others’ potential and showing them the way to uncover their own potential was life-changing for me. 

From a career standpoint, I’ve also received a lot of coaching inspiration from managers I’ve worked with. One of the first individuals I reported to was an absolutely flawless leader who helped form my understanding of what it means to have others look to you for guidance and direction. Since then, I’ve modelled her approach and tactics in the many management roles I’ve been fortunate to hold throughout my career.

If I’m being honest with myself, coaching has provided me with so much self-fulfillment and discovery, I’m not sure where I’d be without it.

And I know it can do the same for you, too.

Finding the right coach is key though, as it’s not one size fits all. Making sure you’re being honest with yourself about the “fit” may be as important as the work that follows. 

That’s why scheduling a FREE, no-obligation Discovery Call is the best way to get started. I’d love the opportunity to learn more about how you’re looking to change your life and welcome the chance to explore how we can work together to make that happen.