What is coaching? A reflective overview by a neophyte coach
Coaching is an exploration-learning-development process || Image credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

What is coaching? A reflective overview by a neophyte coach

It has been a year of formal studies in coaching at Cambridge (Undergraduate Certificate level), and now I am continuing one more year with the Undergraduate Diploma in Coaching part-time programme of study, focusing on developing a solid understanding of the psychological underpinnings of my coaching approach.

I decided to study coaching after experiencing a multitude of real benefits from engaging in this kind of process as a "coachee". Since 2018 I’ve seen profound improvements in my personal, professional, and family life thanks to leveraging Elisabeta Stanciulescu’s group programs and in-depth individual sessions, as well as the coaching services from Bravely in the past year, thanks to Autodesk’s employment perks.

Given all this, I want to offer an overview of what coaching is, based on my current theoretical and practical knowledge. I share this in trust that it might be useful in some way to those looking to use coaching services, as well as to those who may be using coaching skills in their current role and calling it “coach” when in fact it might be a role mixing other multiple hats – therapist, mentor, trainer, or people manager.

What is coaching?

If you were to ask me what coaching is and I’d have to give a short answer, I’d say that:

“Coaching is an exploration-learning-development process, in which the coach and the coaching-beneficiary form an alliance aimed at the beneficiary learning to discover and maximize their resources – whether internal, also referred to as human-potential, or external, with the purpose of achieving an end-goal or a set purpose.”

?In fact, in the coaching literature there are many definitions, and they vary based on the purpose of coaching, the context in which it is deployed, the approach in which it is applied as well as by whose perspective it is - the coach, the coached-client, or the paying-client. So, if there was more space to answer the question “What is coaching?”, we could go on and on as there is a whole domain in which coaching professionals are answering it in depth in diverse and continuously evolving manners.

It is being recognized that coaching became a victim of its own fame and that its meaning has been diluted for the general population because of its diverse definitions, yet in the recent past, a lot of progress has been made towards professionalising coaching, especially with heavy contributions from countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States. So, hopefully, this article helps clarify a few things for the reader.

Based on my analysis of more than 70 definitions of coaching, I identified the following purposes as the most common ones for an extended range of coaching approaches and applications:

  1. To stimulate growth potential and facilitate development
  2. To achieve goals and raise performance
  3. To enhance self-directed, reflective, deep learning and raise awareness
  4. To support change, increased agency, and ownership
  5. To build on strengths, facilitate the identification of solutions and discovery of internal and external resources
  6. To create a relationship that is encouraging, supportive, and constructively challenging for the coached client

What is not obvious from this list is that the success of the process lies heavily on the involvement and effort of the coaching-beneficiary. You can have the most skilled coach in the world but if their coaching-ally is not doing the difficult work during the session and outside of it, then the results will barely be noticed or the whole thing will just go to waste. I will write more about this in a future article.

What about other human development interventions?

It is noted in the coaching literature that many definitions fail to differentiate coaching from other human development interventions. More, there’s confusion at the receiving end of these services too. Here are my selected key points about how coaching differentiates from therapy, mentoring, and training.

Compared to therapy, coaching is forward-looking and growth or skill development oriented, while most therapies are past-focused, and have a pathology orientation. For example, when the coaching-beneficiary is trying to find a solution and they discover a mental model/ a thinking pattern that holds them back from achieving their end goals, the coach would not go in-depth on the way that pattern was formed and analyse it for informing the present, but instead will focus on the future and work on building a forward-looking understanding with what there is in the present. For example, in such a moment of vulnerability, a coach might ask “what would you like to happen next?” as opposed to what most therapists would do: try to uncover what from the past has led to the current present.

Compared to mentoring, coaching does not give advice. The literature distinguishes coaching from mentoring by its focus on the achievement of defined outcomes, focus on performance and well-being, and focus on cognitive, emotional, and behavioural change through the development of knowledge, skills, and abilities. The most agreed-on distinction is that mentoring is focused on providing support and the transfer of domain knowledge and insight from a person with more experience to someone entering the profession so that they develop and grow.

Compared to training, we have a similar distinction to mentoring. Training offers information and facilitates the learning process of the trainee by delivering the information in the most optimal way for learning to happen. In coaching, information is also offered but it is mainly about the coaching-beneficiary’s awareness of self and of others, and not information from domains of knowledge about an industry, a profession, etc.?

Conclusion

I provided my own coaching definition, a review of the purpose of coaching based on my analysis of more than seventy definitions from the coaching literature and I highlighted a few critical differences between coaching, therapy, mentoring, and training. What did you find useful?

It is thrilling for me to be on this development path, and I am committed to sharing my discoveries, learnings, and skills as I advance on this journey of becoming an ever-better coach.

In the meanwhile, if you are interested in trying coaching with me, I am now open to take on new alliances as part of my 40 hours of practice for the Coaching Diploma at Cambridge over the next 6-7 months. I am offering a 6-hour program against donations to the NGO of your choice, in agreement with me, for amounts of your choice. More about this program soon or if you contact me directly.

To successful exploration-learning-development processes!

(Bibliography available upon request)

Mihaela Anghel

Coaching - dezvoltare integrat?, coach educational (certificat ACC de ICF)

2 年

Congratulations Lavinia!???

Ruth Hughes MSc

International Wellbeing Champion. Helping people to change, connect, succeed and thrive, using evidence-based coaching psychology and positive psychology | Coaching | Supervision | Training | Wellbeing | Performance

2 年

I so enjoyed reading about your ongoing coaching development, Lavinia. What a fabulous summary.

Diana Alexandru

Executive Coach ACTP - Project Manager presso Imola Retail Solutions SRL

2 年

Congratulations Lavinia! You’re a PRO!??

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