What is Coaching, anyway?

Coaching is about so many things, but questions are at the heart of it. And for those unaccustomed to Coaching, the most common question is “What, is Coaching, anyway?”

I believe Coaching is a transformative process.

There is collaboration between Coach and Client where the Client identifies a Goal or an area of his/her life in which to make a change.

The Coach will assist the Client in specifying this Goal and in identifying the steps and actions necessary in order to achieve this Goal.

Very often, through this process, a Client will change.

He/she will realise his/her potential, become energised, take control where he/she felt helpless and become the master of his/her own destiny.

Coaching has the power to change lives for the better.  All it takes is a skilled Coach and a willing Client.

I arrived at coaching over a year and a half ago as a client.  I didn’t know what coaching would do for me or what I would get from it but, I knew I needed a change.  I was fortunate to have an excellent coach and, with the help of my coach, I brought about change.  Part of that change has brought me to this point.  I am now a Coach.

I’ve tried to explain coaching to many people over the last year with varying degrees of success. That definition has changed several times since and will, I believe, continue to change as my understanding changes and I gain experience.  On hearing the various definitions given, many people see it as ‘common sense’ or are surprised that it is a profession at all.  But, the reality is, is that it is a very demanding, complex and rewarding profession and if it were such ‘common sense’ then people wouldn’t need coaching.  They would know how to affect change themselves.

I find myself justifying the profession but, of course, one of the important things that I’ve learned on this journey is that I can’t control what others think about anything.

I can only do the best I can as a Coach to help those who seek to change.