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What is Coaching?

What, How and Why

Coaching is relatively a new field. In this page we explore what is coaching, how change occurs and what are the benefits of coaching. Hopefully this will provide a basic understanding as how coaching can support you to sculpt the life you want.

Coaching

According to the international coaching federation (ICF) professional coaching is defined in this way :

"ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential, which is particularly important in today’s uncertain and complex environment. Coaches honor the client as the expert in his or her life and work and believe every client is creative, resourceful and whole. Standing on this foundation, the coach's responsibility is to:

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  • Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve

  • Encourage client self-discovery

  • Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies

  • Hold the client accountable and responsible

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This process helps clients dramatically improve their outlook on work and life, while improving their leadership skills and unlocking their potential."

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How is Coaching Distinct From Other Service Professions?​

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According to the international coaching federation"Professional coaching focuses on setting goals, creating outcomes and managing personal change. Sometimes it’s helpful to understand coaching by distinguishing it from other personal or organizational support professions.

Therapy: Therapy deals with healing pain, dysfunction and conflict within an individual or in relationships. The focus is often on resolving difficulties arising from the past that hamper an individual's emotional functioning in the present, improving overall psychological functioning, and dealing with the present in more emotionally healthy ways. 

Coaching: on the other hand, supports personal and professional growth based on self-initiated change in pursuit of specific actionable outcomes. These outcomes are linked to personal or professional success. Coaching is future focused. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one's work or personal life. The emphases in a coaching relationship are on action, accountability, and follow through.

Consulting: Individuals or organizations retain consultants for their expertise. While consulting approaches vary widely, the assumption is the consultant will diagnose problems and prescribe and, sometimes, implement solutions. 

With coaching, the assumption is that individuals or teams are capable of generating their own solutions, with the coach supplying supportive, discovery-based approaches and frameworks.

Mentoring: A mentor is an expert who provides wisdom and guidance based on his or her own experience. Mentoring may include advising, counseling and coaching.

The coaching process does not include advising or counseling, and focuses instead on individuals or groups setting and reaching their own objectives. "

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What Do People Say About Coaching?

There are many articles on this topic has been written here I will share a few:

How Does Change Come About

Everyone faces challenges. In order to overcome the challenges, change is needed. Yet fear of the unknown and and fear of failure are the strongest resistors to change. To bring about change a different set of actions are required than the current ones. Action comes about as the result of willingness and knowledge. The willingness is required by the person who wants a different outcome. This is a desire that demands commitment to take the hard steps literately for the sake of change. Knowledge is gained from experiencing the information learned.

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In coaching, the client shares the willingness and the coach supports the client by asking questions allowing the client to explore and find new learning. This learning, when experienced by emotion, turns the information into knowledge as it is felt deeper than just a set of facts. The combination of willingness and knowledge draws action. Action taken incrementally and consistently from a place of courage and strong desire for change brings about new habits. 

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The exploration results in new lessons being learned as a new way of thinking is introduced. Gradually this points to a new mind set. Each of these lessons encourage its own small action. In the long run, these small actions translate into transformation. And by looking back, not only has the client’s mindset changed, but their path is different. This long journey has many challenges and learnings, and one cannot arrive at the destination alone. The coach allows the client to hear his or her own thoughts and do the exploration and learning. At the same time holds the person accountable for his or her own actions. This collaboration brings about transformation in due course.

Benefits of Using a Coach*

According to the International Coaching Federation: "Professional coaching brings many wonderful benefits:

  • fresh perspectives on personal challenges,

  • enhanced decision-making skills,

  • greater interpersonal effectiveness,

  • and increased confidence.

And, the list does not end there. Those who undertake coaching also can expect

  • appreciable improvement in productivity,

  • satisfaction with life and work,

  • and the attainment of relevant goals.

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* ​​​​​​More information on benefits of coaching can be found in the ICF Research Portal, including case studies and industry reports.

Source: ICF Global Coaching Client Study was commissioned by the ICF but conducted independently by PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

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Consider Next:

​Now that you have a better understanding about what is life coaching, you can now get to know more about us and the testimonials by our clients.

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