what is coaching?

There are a lot of people out there doing what they call “coaching.” True Coaching is done by a certified professional in a very unique way.

 Coaching is not telling you what to do; it is helping you become aware of your unique blocks and then providing a way to bring clarity and control into your  life.

Coaches are solutions focused, they help you be the very best you that you can be. They inspire and champion. Coaches can get you to do things beyond what you thought you could do. Coaches help you come from a place of true confidence.

Coaches are specially trained to work with people in all walks of life to help them achieve their goals, live their values and be the best they can be.

HOW IS COACHING DIFFERENT THAN THERAPY?

Therapy: “What are you running from?”
Coaching: “What are you running towards?”

Therapy often seeks to understand the past and what went wrong in order to be better in the present. Coaching focuses on the present and future. A coach may work with a client who has a good life, but wants the coach to help them make it even better.

A client may comes to therapy because they feel dissatisfied with their life and want relief from psychological and/or physical symptoms.

Therapy and coaching are not mutually exclusive, and in fact, they are quite often successfully paired together and work tremendously well in conjunction.

HOW is Coaching different than Mentoring/consulting?

A mentor is a senior person in the business or a role model in personal/academic settings who guides a junior person based on the mentor’s greater experience. A coach does not have to be a senior person in the client’s line of business, academic pursuits or life goals. The client has to know the business, the coach is a trusted advisor.

Consultants focus on the business system as a whole and consultant's recommendations affect individuals indirectly. Coaching affects individuals directly. Coaching will very often be part of a consultant’s recommendations for a business.

WHO HIRES A COACH?

Everyone and anyone. Companies hire coaches to improve teamwork, to coach executives and help managers.

Individuals hire coaches to improve their life, their relationships, their performance and their overall happiness.

IS COACHING JUST THE LATEST FAD?

Coaching is indeed gaining popularity in business, but it is here to stay because it is one of the most cost effective ways of making people, and organizations more effective.

People now expect to be able to do more, and to fulfill their dreams and goals, mental, emotional, financial and spiritual. A coach helps people to do that. A coach is someone committed to your advancement and well-being, and there is nothing trendy about that!

What are THE standards and ethics of COACHING?

Coaching is a new profession; though my accreditation by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), I am enthusiastically committed to their to their Code Of Ethics (link to PDF)

The ICF Code of Ethics describes the ICF core values, ethical principles and ethical standards of behavior for all ICF Professionals, including myself.