Coaching is a term you might hear often, especially in personal and professional development. But if you’re not familiar with it, or if you’re sceptical, you might wonder what it’s all about. In this article, I’ll explain from my perspective:
- What coaching is
- How it can help, and
- Address common questions people ask.
So, What is Coaching?
Simply put, coaching is when someone (the coach) works with you to help you achieve specific goals. These could be personal, professional, or related to performance. However, coaching is about much more than just reaching goals. It’s about transformation, not just changing what you do, but how you think, approach challenges, and grow. It’s a partnership where the coach supports you, helps you gain clarity, and works with you to develop an action plan. Coaching also keeps you on track and accountable throughout the journey.
Unlike traditional mentoring or advice, where someone tells you what to do based on their experience, coaching focuses on guiding you to discover your own answers. A coach asks powerful questions, challenges your thinking, and helps you uncover the deeper drivers behind your goals, often pushing you to grow beyond what you thought was possible.
Types of Coaching
Coaching can apply to many areas of life, including:
- Transformation Coaching: Focused on helping you achieve deep, lasting change by shifting your mindset, unlocking your potential, and creating the foundation for long-term success and growth.
- Life Coaching: Helping you with personal development, whether it’s building confidence, improving relationships, or making a big life change.
- Executive Coaching: Focuses on leadership and professional growth, helping business leaders and managers sharpen their skills and perform better in their roles.
- Career Coaching: For people looking to make a career move, get a promotion, or find clarity on their long-term professional path.
- Health & Wellness Coaching: Designed to help you create healthier habits, from exercise and nutrition to mental well-being.
- Business Coaching: Helps entrepreneurs or business owners refine their strategies, optimise performance, and grow their businesses.
Regardless of the type, coaching is designed to unlock your potential and support deep, meaningful growth that can influence multiple areas of your life.
What Coaching is NOT
To clear up any confusion, let’s cover what coaching isn’t:
- Coaching is not about giving you the answers: It’s not about telling you what to do or giving advice. Instead, coaching is about working together to help you find your path and solutions.
- Coaching is not a quick fix: It takes time, effort, and a real commitment. True progress happens over time, and coaching supports you through that ongoing journey.
- Coaching is not just about fixing problems: While it can help you overcome obstacles, it focuses on empowering you to move forward, achieve your goals, and unlock your potential. The aim is to create lasting growth and transformation.
- Coaching is not a replacement for therapeutic interventions or mental health services: If you need support for mental health challenges, I encourage you to seek advice from a qualified therapist or healthcare professional.
How Coaching Can Help
Here’s how coaching can be a game-changer for you:
- Clarity: Coaching helps you get clear on what you really want, whether that’s a new job, better health, or a more balanced life.
- Overcoming Obstacles: Coaches can help you identify what’s holding you back, whether it’s lack of time, self-doubt, or other challenges—and work with you to overcome them.
- Accountability: A big part of coaching is having someone keep you accountable. It’s easy to lose focus, but a coach checks in regularly to help you stay on track.
- New Perspectives: Coaches can help you see things differently. This fresh perspective can lead to new ideas, solutions, and ways of thinking.
- Building Confidence: A coach helps you recognise your strengths and push past limiting beliefs, which can significantly boost your confidence.
- Improving Skills: Coaching can help you develop specific skills, like leadership, communication, or time management, that support your goals.
- Balance: If you’re struggling to balance work and life, a coach can help you set priorities, manage your time better, and create a healthier routine.
- Navigating Change: Life transitions, like a new job, starting a business, or even a lifestyle change, can be challenging. A coach provides guidance and support to help make the transition smoother.
- Self-Reflection: Coaching encourages self-reflection, helping you understand your motivations, values, and long-term goals. This kind of insight often leads to personal growth and change.
Common Questions or Misconceptions About Coaching
If you’re sceptical about coaching, that’s completely normal. Here are some common questions people ask, and my answers to help clarify things:
- “Can’t I just figure things out on my own?”
You can, but coaching can often help you make progress more quickly and effectively by providing structure, accountability, and fresh insights. - “What makes a coach qualified to help me?”
Coaches are trained in methods that help people clarify their goals, develop strategies, and stay accountable. While they may not be experts in your specific field, they’re skilled at helping you think more clearly and take focused action. - “Isn’t coaching just common sense?”
Coaching is much more than common sense. It’s a structured process that uncovers blind spots, sets specific goals, and helps you take action. A coach brings an outside perspective that can lead to breakthroughs. - “Is coaching really worth the money?”
For many, the value they receive from coaching justifies the cost, especially when it leads to achieving their goals and creating lasting change. - “What if coaching doesn’t work for me?”
Coaching works best if you’re open to the process and committed to putting in the effort. It’s also important to find a coach whose style and approach align with your needs. - “Why wouldn’t I just talk to a friend?”
Friends provide support, but a coach offers professional, objective guidance. Coaching has a structure that helps you stay focused and accountable, which is different from casual advice from a mate. - “Isn’t coaching just for people who are struggling?”
No! Many successful people, from athletes to business leaders, work with coaches to reach the next level. Coaching is about growth, not just fixing problems. - “How long does it take to see results?”
It depends on your goals and the effort you put in. Some people see results within a few sessions, while others may work with a coach longer for deeper transformations. - “What if I don’t know what my goals are?”
That’s perfectly normal! A coach can help you explore what’s important and help you clarify your goals.
Choosing the right coach
One crucial aspect of coaching is finding the right coach for you. There are many coaches to choose from, and it’s important to select someone who not only has your best interests at heart but will also challenge you to dig deep. Most coaches offer a discovery session, which is a great way to get to know the coach and for them to learn more about you. This session helps you decide if this is the person who will push you to become the version of yourself you want to be.
For those who can afford it, investing in the right coach is a powerful way to commit to your personal or professional growth. Think of it as an investment in yourself and your future.
Coaching for Everyone
Ideally, coaching should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their circumstances. If you’re out of work, struggling financially, or have recently been made redundant, there are still options available to you. I volunteer at Project Placed, an organisation that supports people in transition, offering services to help those navigating job loss and searching for new opportunities. They believe in empowering individuals with the tools they need to succeed, even in difficult times.
Final Thoughts
Coaching can lead to incredible transformation, but it requires commitment and a readiness to make meaningful changes. With the right mindset, it helps you align your actions with your goals, providing clarity, support, and accountability. If any of this resonates with you—if there’s something important you want to achieve but haven’t been able to on your own—it might be time to consider working with a coach.
Whether it’s someone else or even me, the right coach will challenge you, support you, and walk alongside you as you navigate your journey. Together, we can push beyond your current limits and reach new heights of success.
When you’re ready to take that step, I’m here to guide you. Let’s explore what’s possible and achieve the lasting results you’ve been striving for.