What is Coaching Exactly?

As I’ve been hyping up the excitement for Potencia (woooo Potencia!), I’ve learned a lot about what coaching actually is. Equally interesting is to learn what other people think of, and expect from, coaching. While coaching has become more popular, most people still have not had a coach, so I figured, let’s set the record straight!

To you, my future clients: what is, and isn’t, coaching?

Let me start by saying that there are different types of coaches - sports coaches, health coaches,

business coaches…notice there are specific words attached to coach. I’m talking about what IECL calls “Big-C” coaching - coaching in its purest form.

Let me illustrate the difference - let's take a sports coach. What does a sports coach do? Helps the team practice, creates strategy, tells players how to improve, and yes, yells at them during the game. In other words, the sports coach is usually telling the players what to do.

Not in “Big-C” Coaching!

"Big-C" Coaching is pretty general - it involves “unlocking people's potential to maximize their own performance.” Still sounds like a sports coach...

But to understand a few key distinctions:

1. There is no power differential between the coach and the client

2. Philosophically, coaches believe the client already has the knowledge, talent, and potential needed to reach their goals

3. Coaching conversations are almost exclusively asking questions to raise awareness, perspective-taking, responsibility, and commitment to achieving their goals through action

   1. Conversely, coaches rarely insert their opinion or give advice

A lot of business and life coaches advertise a specific framework they use to coach - these coaches are of a different nature - they are usually specific to a certain domain or issue. This implies they know something you don't, and that will help you reach your goals. There is nothing wrong with coaches like these, but these coaches facilitate different results for their clients.

When might you use a coach?

While in most situations (except crisis) a coaching approach could be helpful, not all are created equal. Below are some examples to illustrate:

Situation	Is Coaching Appropriate?
You need help transitioning careers or cities.	​Definitely yes, this is a great use case for a coach.
​You feel like you have stagnated, either in your career or life.	​Definitely yes, this is a great use case for a coach.
You just experienced a breakup and want to figure out how to get past it.	​Probably not - this is a better topic for a therapist, family, or friends given the emotional nature of the situation.
You are on a performance plan and urgently need to improve	Not ideal, but it's possible. The urgent and prescriptive nature of what you would need to do to improve is not the best fit for a traditional coach. A coach uses a less directive approach than what is needed by a short-term performance plan.
​You want to learn more about how to navigate being a Black queer person in the corporate world.	Definitely not, because this situation is best meant for a mentor with this specific identity and experience.
You want to transition into Data Science at your current company.	Definitely not - because this situation likely requires education and possibly a teacher, to acquire specific content knowledge.

Misconceptions about Coaching

Let's set the record straight. What is fact from fiction as it relates to coaching?

Misconception (False!)	Correction (Truth!)
Coaching is only for people who have problems.	Coaching is for anyone who has goals - people with problems included.
Coaching uses “woo-woo” and ethereal techniques that aren’t proven (it's a hoax!).	Coaching is about performance first and foremost, guided by clear goals. Coaching effectiveness is grounded in research (click here to learn about methodology).
Coaching isn’t worth the money.	Pricing is different per coach, but ask yourself - how much is a life with more possibility (better mental health, more confidence, reaching higher goals) worth to you?
Coaches are like therapists.	Coaches are not the appropriate professionals as it relates to topics in therapy, like processing emotions, trauma, and understanding yourself or your past.
Coaches are like mentors.	Coaches are not mentors either - mentors have wisdom in a certain domain. Coaches are not experts on the "content" of your life (career field, a specific problem, etc.). Coaches are experts in asking the right questions.
Coaches are like advisors or consultants.	Coaches are not advisors (or at least, the "Big-C" coaches) - they do not give a lot of advice, or use a domain-specific framework. Coaches ask questions to help you process your situation, brainstorm options, and take action.

What is organizational coaching?

There is one key difference that distinguishes organizational coaching from other types of coaching - organizational coaching is when the client is sponsored by their employer, which pays for the service. Therefore, the employer (usually the manager and/or HR) is involved in the goal-setting process and negotiation of the coaching arrangement.

With a 1:1 coaching relationship, there is no other stakeholder involved, even if the client will be thinking about stakeholders in their life throughout their coaching conversations.

Conclusion

In this fast-paced world, we often want to get rid of a problem quickly, or we want results immediately.

Coaching doesn’t always work that way - we need to take the time to understand ourselves and situations fully, consider new perspectives or crazy ideas, take deliberate steps, build new habits, etc. - these are slowly but surely going to get you to accomplish the meaningful goals you have in life.

Still wondering if coaching might be a fit for you? Schedule a discovery session by clicking here.

For Learning and With Love,

Chris