Posted on June 30, 2009 - by Jus

101 | What Is Coaching

Kicking off with Foundation Coach, the first logical topic is defining what coaching actually is.  The reflection task on this topic asks me to respond to these questions.

1. If you have previously worked in a field that is related to coaching, which of the skills you applied in that field are applicable to coaching?  Which are not applicable to coaching?

I guess you could say that a lot of my career I have been in a ‘consultant’-style capacity, particularly recently.  The ‘consulting’ I have done is often external to the business, however it has sometimes been internal – working with colleagues towards a desired outcome in the workplace or the coaching approach I took with my team members in management positions.

The skills I have learned in my 13+ years in business that will be applicable to my career as a coach are probably;
a) As a strategist, my ability to reframe a client’s objectives from (most times) ‘empty objectives’ to ‘foundational objectives’ and to also identify the questions they have not yet asked themselves that could potentially create barriers to success.
b) As a manager, the coaching approach I have often tried to deploy in ’supporting staff to answer their own questions’ by challenging them to give me their answer, using their experience and knowledge, rather than just providing them with my answer.
c)  Again, as a strategist, my ability to see a clear pathway, in stages, from current state to desired end state.
d) After many years of working in a corporate environment, particularly in sales and marketing, I have much business knowledge that may assist me in being a business or corporate coach.

The skills that are probably not applicable to coaching are;
a) My ability to generate my recommended solution to a brief and deliver that to my client – this is a very ‘consultant’ way of doing things.
b) As a strategist, my role is often to ‘direct’ the thinking of the creatives.  Being overly prescriptive may go against the principles of coaching.

2. When might you refer a client to a therapist or psychologist for counselling rather than continuing with coaching?

If ever I was to get a sense that my client was not 100% emotionally healthy, I would recommend a client seek a therapist.  It’s likely that any emotional healing that needs to be done would stand in the way of them achieving what they set out to do by seeing a life coach, so it’s an important step in their journey, but not one that I am qualified to provide.

It’s probably worth noting that I would most likely refer my clients in this situation to a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist (CBT) as I have personally experienced this form of therapy and found it to be far more empowering and action-oriented than most forms of therapy (ie more in tune with Life Coaching).

3. How is coaching related to mentoring?  How is it different?

A mentor is someone with vast experience in a given topic/industry/skill set, and therefore usually older than the mentoree.  The relationship between mentor and mentoree is one of knowledge transference, passing on of wisdom and key learnings and insights from mentor to mentoree.  The mentoree probably ‘looks up to’ and seeks guidance from his/her mentor.

As a coach, my goal will be to develop a relationship where I walk side by side with my client, where my role is to help my client draw upon their own experience, knowledge and intuition in order to achieve better outcomes.

4.  How could a business consultant alter their business to become a business coach?  What are the key differences in the services they would provide?

Put simply, a business consultant would have to restructure their business from an ‘advice providing’ solutions approach (in a specific field or speciality) to a more holistic ‘facilitating’ solutions approach (in any field).  The services provided in the restructured ‘business coach’ model would be a side-by-side relationship where coach and client examine a business situation together, articulate the desired outcome(s), identify the barriers and devise a plan of action, for which the client takes responsibility for achieving.

5.  What is meant by the saying “all coaching is life coaching after the first three sessions”?  Do you agree with this statement?  Why?  Why Not?

I believe this statement is referring to the common experience of most coaches in the Business/Executive coaching area of expertise which sees a coach being appointed to facilitate the achievement of a specific, very rational and business-based objective which is explored and discussed in the first three sessions.  However after this time, key barriers to overcome in the action plan for achievement of this objective will no doubt include relationships, communication and family/work balance – three core elements of typical “life” coaching.

I do agree with this statement as coaching is a process of working with human beings, who are emotional, communicative and relationship-oriented creatures.  As a result, any coaching relationship with a client is bound to uncover other areas for improvement besides the specific subject the client originally came to the coach for.

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