Is 'coaching' a dirty word?

For me, coaching is both an industry and a method of supporting individuals on a personal transformational journey. Coaching enables a person (coachee) to move forward professionally or in broader life by seeing possibilities for action that they didn’t see before and make choices necessary to attain a new outcome for themselves.

As part of my leadership and communication practice I work with both individuals and teams to help leaders ‘observe differently to communicate more effectively’. The outcome being, in part, the person is more effective as a leader in getting things done.

After many conversations in the last year, I have experienced a number of different responses to the words ‘coach’ and ‘coaching’. These responses have varied from negative assessments of both the coaching industry and the role of coaching, to incredibly strong support for what effective coaching can do for individuals as they encounter life’s inevitable ups and downs.

My belief, reflecting on these conversations, is that many leaders in industry see ‘coaching’ as a dirty word. I believe this to be the case because the term (and industry) is so open to interpretation as to what it is and many people having  a personal positive or negative association with it. The industry  also has a low barrier to entry and as such purchasers of coaching are not quite sure what they are buying at times, or even what to buy. This is compounded by the  assessment of many leaders in this field that coaching is not a profession, as it falls “a long way short of satisfying the accepted criteria for what constitutes a profession” 1.

A profession refers to “an occupation, usually full time, and involving academic training, formal qualifications and membership of a professional regulatory body that confers professional status upon its members.” 2.

Regardless of the legitimacy of coaching being a profession as seen by leaders in industry or experts in the field of coaching, I believe that effective coaching can transform a person’s ability to see the world differently. This is enabled by a coachee being supported by a coach who  is humble, with a curious mindset and who asks  questions in a respectful and challenging way. In my experience, this transformational change enables an individual to take action and communicate in ways not previously thought possible. This new action and improvement in communication can deliver lasting change in a persons’ relationships, ability to listen and communicate with others, as well as their performance in the workplace.

Is coaching a dirty word? And what does coaching mean to you?

I would love to hear your views as I build my leadership and communication practice.

References:

1.       A.Sieler, Coaching to the Human Soul. Volume IV: Towards Professional Artistry With Ontological Coaching.

2.       Robert G Hamlin, Andrea D. Ellinger and Rona S Beattie, Toward a Profession of Coaching? A Definitional Examination of ‘Coaching’, ‘Organization Development’ and ‘Human Resource Development.” International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring. Vol. 7, No.1, February 2009, p. 14.