When we talk about the role of a coach, it’s important to know that there are different kinds of coaches. An athletic, fitness or voice coach is more of a teacher and subject matter expert, whereas a life, business or executive coach is more of a partner. While a fitness coach may provide specific guidance regarding diet, exercise and living habits, a business coach is more so there to ask questions, help provide a different perspective, and help you come up with solutions related to your business. In other words, coaching helps manifest a person’s potential in a specific area of life or holistically, whichever you choose It is a process that helps improve performance and focuses on the present rather than on the past. Coaching helps people gain better insight and to ‘learn how to learn’ rather than directly be taught.
Coaching vs Consulting
Coaching is different from consulting in that the coach does not do any work for the client. A coach helps their clients implement the solutions they have helped them find within themselves, in order to live the life they have dreamed of living. You may use a consultant if you need someone to help you write a business plan or need help implementing certain systems within your business.
Coaching vs Therapy
It’s also important to know the difference between a coach and a therapist. The main difference is that a coach does not provide any kind of “diagnosis”, therapy or healing. While a coach can be a sounding board for going over past issues and helping pinpoint any mental or emotional roadblocks to reaching goals, their primary role is to help their client gain clarity, come up with solutions, and move forward. Therapists primarily focus on the past and their goal is to work towards emotional and mental healing.
What are some of the benefits of hiring a coach?
While there are many benefits to hiring a consultant and a therapist, they all serve a different purpose. Below we have outlined some of the benefits of working with a coach that you wouldn’t get by working with a consultant or therapist.
- Coaches can help you identify any issues, blind spots or weaknesses that you may not be aware of. They can help provide a different perspective, so the approach to any issues is more holistic.
- A coach will work with you to help define your goals, identify why they are important and help you develop a roadmap on how to achieve them.
- A coach will help you brainstorm a variety of options and solutions that will help you meet your goals, as opposed to an ‘either or’ scenario. Once an option or solution is agreed upon, the coach will help you list your action items.
- A coach is an accountability partner. When you commit to a goal or set of goals, you make a promise to yourself and to your coach that you will reach your goals within a certain amount of time. The coach will help hold you to that promise.
- Because a coach meets with you on a regular basis, they help you stay consistent and avoid any tendency towards procrastination. They are there to support and encourage you, and make sure progress is being made so you don’t fall behind on your plan of action.
- Coaches help you learn how to balance your professional life and personal life in a way that is right for you. People often bring unresolved problems at work home, so it interferes with their family life. A coach will help come up with solutions to those problems, so clients can spend quality time with their loved ones as opposed to always talking about work.
- If a client is open and interested, a coach can also introduce skills, such as mindfulness and meditation practices, that help the client become calmer, more focused, and more balanced.
These are just a few examples of the benefits of hiring a coach. A coach is a trusted professional who truly cares about your success in all areas of life.. It is a genuine partnership where everybody wins!
