Are You Clear On What Coaching Is?
Coaching – ever wondered why it’s called that? Of course, it has nothing to do with whistles, clipboards, or game film!
The origin of the word coach is traced back to a small village in Hungary known as Kocs. In the 16th century, Kocs was famous for making fancy horse drawn “kocsik” or wagons. Later the four wheeled “wagon” was referred to as a coach or what you might think of as a carriage.
Back then a coach was literally a means of carrying people from one place to another; a mode of getting you from where you are to where you want to be.
And that’s what I adore about coaching! Helping leaders, professionals, and entrepreneurs get from where they are to where they want to be!
Still confused?
A horse drawn coach is concrete, tangible. No doubt you have a picture in your head.
Imagining how a life or leadership coach transports someone from where they are to where they want to be – that’s more challenging to grasp!
Perhaps exploring the progression of the word coach will shed more light on the concept. Fast forward to 1830 where the word coach became slang for a tutor at the University of Oxford. In essence, a coach in this context “carried” a student through an exam.
Thirty-one years later at the University of Oxford, the trainer who prepared athletes for competition was dubbed a coach.
In the 1980s Sir John Whitmore coined the term “Performance Coaching” which he used to describe a self-directed learning process that was different from sports coaching. He was also the co-creator of the popular “GROW” model of coaching.
At nearly the same time in Canada, Marilyn Atkinson founded Erickson Coaching International.
Thomas Leonard, known as the “father of coaching”, established the very first coaching school in 1992, Coach University. Two years later He founded the International Coach Federation – a global coaching organization that continues to advance excellence in the coaching industry today.
The ICF Defines Coaching As…
“Partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process
that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”
Still unclear?
Coaching is…
- A conversation with purpose between a coach and a client that leads to new insights, strategies, awareness, and more that facilitate growth, change, and moving forward.
- Client driven – the client determines the overarching goal for working with a coach and they determine the focus of each session, as well as where the session goes.
- About holding a safe space for a client to process, tap into what’s not yet been allowed to surface, and gain new insights and awareness.
- A process that regards the person being coached as capable, wise, and great potential.
- A partnering between the coach and the client. In Christian coaching, the Holy Spirit is at the center of the coaching process.
Perhaps another “transportation” analogy might help. Imagine driving a car that has no mirrors or defroster. You might be able to limp along if you were going very slow and traveling a short distance.
Most people don’t drive short distances or that slowly, so attempting to drive without mirrors or a defroster would make no sense!
Now, Think About Your Life
I bet your pace of life is fairly brisk too! A pace desperately in need of mirrors and defrosters!
That’s where coaching comes in! A coach helps you get where you want to be by serving as a mirror. It’s a chance for you to see yourself and your situation in ways you haven’t before.
Making the time to step back and reflect is hard to do and yet it yields remarkable results including awareness that lead to change, more creative ways of approaching your life and work, clarifying what actually matters to you, and envisioning what’s possible. Scheduled time with a coach creates space for that.
A coach “carries you forward” by asking provocative questions that invite you to look at your situation differently and choose options that before you didn’t see.
When your windows are fogging up in your vehicle, your visibility is severely limited. Coaching has a way of removing the fog that exists around your purpose, values, personality, strengths, Fear Monster, and more! With new found clarity, it’s nearly impossible to not move forward.
Now, Let’s Touch On What Coaching Is Not!
Coaching is not…
- Prescriptive – you know you best! While a coach may facilitate brainstorming options, you know better than anyone else what options are right for you.
- Advice giving. While you may want someone to tell you what to do, your buy in is far greater when you choose your own course of action.
- Just about action steps, although that is a part of the process. Coaching is also about processing and allowing new realizations to propel you forward.
- Dwelling in the past, it’s about moving forward. That doesn’t mean never looking back, but that the primary focus is forward!
- For everyone! It’s for those who are well-adjusted, emotionally healthy, and committed to putting in the time and energy needed to achieve results. It is not counseling or therapy.
What Qualifies A Coach?
Many people refer to themselves as coaches, but what is required to be an ICF (International Coach Federation) certified coach?
- A minimum of 60 hours of ICF approved coach training
- 100 hours of coaching experience
- 10 hours of mentor coaching over 3 months
- Successful completion of a performance evaluation
- Passing score on the ICF Exam (updated in 2019 and more challenging)
Just a quick note that may surprise you: The coaching process is unique and powerful even when a coach it not an expert in your field or has knowledge about the topic you are seeking coaching around!
A certified coach is able to guide the conversation in such a way that knowing every detail isn’t necessary for you to experience great benefits!
Is Coaching Right For YOU?
If you are dealing with unresolved mental health issues including trauma, it’s best to seek out a licensed mental health professional first, prior to coaching. The healthier you are, the more able you are to successfully move forward.
It’s also important for you to be open, curious, and willing to put in the time and effort needed to successfully get where you want to be.
Obstacles…
Don’t let obstacles like these keep you from experiencing the benefits of working with a coach:
- Believing that coaching is a luxury – you are worth investing in!
- Thinking you are too busy – that’s a great reason to get to the root of what’s driving all the activity!
- Fears of appearing weak or being perceived as under-performing – many of the most successful people work with coaches – that’s why they are successful!
- Putting it off – I will enlist the help of a coach when…there is no time like the present!
- Trying to figure it out yourself – remember that getting from here to there? It’s much quicker when you allow a coach to assist you in the process!
Putting a price tag on a life that’s lived with skill and brimming with peace and joy is hard to do! Or work that is done in a life-giving way!
There will continue to be plenty vying for your attention! Coaching naturally encourages you to prioritize and eliminate what’s not worthy of your time.
Asking for help takes strength and courage – there’s nothing weak about that! Do you want to be empowered and operate more fully in who God created you to be? Than coaching is a terrific option! If you want to grow or improve the results you are getting – it’s a great choice too!
If you were able to figure it out on your own, you would already be where you wanted to be!
Work With Me!
I believe wholeheartedly in the coaching process! So much so that I work with a coach myself.
Partnering with others brings me great joy and I’m fully committed to helping you get where you want to be and eager to cheer you on when you reach your goals.
If you aren’t sure where you want to be, let’s explore and flesh that out too! What if you had a vision for your life and/or work that energized you?
Ready to get started? Schedule a Coffee Chat and learn more about working with me and the various options available.
Originally posted on 7/24/18, this post has been updated and revised just for you!
© Can Stock Photo / deandrobot
