What Is Coaching?
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as a partnership between coach and client. The coaching process is a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires the client to maximize their personal and professional potential. It is a comprehensive process that may involve all areas of life.
Coaching is mainly about discovery, awareness, and choice. It is a way of effectively empowering people to find their own answers. A coach assists the client in designing their unique compelling future. The supportive coach then aids in developing the action steps to move the client toward their desired future by offering accountability. Thus, the client moves forward on the path of life-giving and life-changing choices.
Coaching is a CLIENT-DRIVEN Process
FAQs
What is the difference between coaching & counseling?
Coaches center their work around the belief that clients are emotionally and spiritually healthy.
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Therapists and other mental health professionals focus on healing, treating mental health conditions and helping people work through trauma and other issues from their past.
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Coaches focus on the future.
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Counseling generally aims to seek to understand the past and what went wrong in order to be better in the present.
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Coaching helps clients move toward their desired goals.
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Therapists utilize methods to enable the client to live in the present better.
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Coaching focuses less on weakness and more on building strengths and skills.
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Counseling is focused on helping clients get away from their pain or discomfort.
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Coaching allows the client to set the agenda, direct the conversation, establish the outcomes, and determine the tempo.
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Counseling often involves giving advice, counsel, and sharing tools and resources.
What does a coach do?
John Dewey says, "provoking people to think about their thinking was the single most powerful antidote to erroneous beliefs and autopilot."
A coach’s job is to listen 80% of the time. As they offer the gift of listening, the coach is to notice, point out observations, and be with the client wherever they are in the process. The coach uses simple powerful questions, provoking people to "think about their thinking," A coach dances in the moment with the client to evoke awareness and help move the client forward into their desired outcomes.
What is the
Coach’s Responsibility?
Coaching is built on the premise that people are, by their very nature, creative, resourceful, and capable of finding answers and making choices. People are whole and don't need to be fixed. Therefore, a coach will NOT tell people what to do.
The coach has the responsibility to:
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Create a non-judgmental, safe place for the client
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Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve
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Encourage the client's self-discovery
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Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies
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Hold the client accountable and responsible for the action steps they develop
A coach helps the client achieve the goals they establish through powerful conversations and questions that are intended to inspire new thinking and move the client beyond the mental blocks of what they thought was possible.
Why do I need a coach?
Daniel Kahneman, in his book "Thinking Fast and Slow" says, "We don't change well on our own. To stop adverse thinking patterns, someone outside our head needs to disrupt our thinking by reflecting our thoughts back to us and asking questions that prompt us to wonder why we think the way we do."
In other words, we need someone outside of our normal life situations to provoke us to think about our thinking. We have natural tendencies that may not be the best for ourselves or those we love. We make choices based on these erroneous beliefs.
A coach will challenge a client’s behavior patterns, provoke limiting beliefs, and help them design a path to the desired future. A coach will help an individual get unstuck, offering accountability and support throughout the journey. A coach will help the client discover values, the source of their strength, and live a fulfilled life.
A coach is that non-threatening, non-judgmental person to help move out of the ruts of life and discover a new groove.
How do I select a coach?
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For coaching to be effective, it is important to feel that your coach is capable of completely listening to you, without judgment. Therefore, speak informally with your prospective coach first and see if you feel comfortable with them. Most coaches offer discounted or free preliminary sessions – use these to help you make your decision.
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Determine what you need coaching around, then seek out a coach with that niche. While a good life coach has the skills to coach around most topics, coaching is a specialized field. Coaches define niches and develop a good coaching strategy based on the clientele they are serving. Coaching can be focused on: parenting or blended family, writing, health/wellness, financial, business, leadership, divorce etc.
Get referrals. Coaching is an investment in your future and the future of those in your family, business, or team. Check into your coach’s credentials, ask for recommendations from colleagues and friends. Talk to a few different coaches before making your decision. Coaching is about helping you achieve your potential and exploring what works best for you is part of that process. When you find someone that works well for you, stick with them.
What would be expected of me (the client) in a coaching relationship?
With Lead-Her Ministries Coaching, the client is responsible for showing up to the appointment on time and fully present. To gain the most out of the coaching experience, a client is asked to fill out a simple PREP form that gives the coach a quick snapshot of the progress made and challenges the client has experienced since the previous call. Clients are also encouraged to communicate with the coach between calls; sharing victories, asking questions, etc. The most important factor in a coaching relationship is authenticity or honesty. This partnership is built on trust.
REAL GROWTH comes from the work a client does between the coaching calls. A client must be committed to doing the work necessary to gain the results desired.
Who is coaching for?
While coaching can be beneficial for anyone, those who receive the greatest benefit are ones who earnestly desire to make changes in their lives and are willing to do the necessary work to ensure progress. Coaching is best suited for people who are basically well-adjusted, emotionally healthy, and functioning somewhat effectively, but desire more.
