On Coaching, Part 2: What Coaching Is and What It Isn’t

“I have a counselor; is coaching the same?” First of all, awesome that you have a counselor. We are firm believers in the value of professional counseling; it just serves a very different purpose than professional coaching.

In very broad terms, counseling/therapy is generally geared toward the past and on healing past roots of current mindsets and issues, whereas coaching focuses on the future and moving toward your goals. There are indeed times in coaching when we expose a limiting thought or mindset you might have, such as, “I always have to be operating at peak performance,” but instead of analyzing the past roots of it, we would work with you to come up with a simple mantra that gets you moving forward such as, “Good is better than perfect,” for example. So, keep your counselor to help you heal from the past, and consider a coach to propel you toward your future goals. Both are fantastic!

Another common misperception about coaching is: “My coach will be the one to come up with a plan for me to reach my goals.” Nope! In Begin Development Coaching, except for our very first 2-hour goal-setting session, you are the one in the driver’s seat. What does that mean? It means the onus is on you to come to each weekly or biweekly coaching session with topics on your mind, questions to discuss, and updates about how you are progressing toward your goals. Instead of making your plan for you, your coach will help you refine your plan and clarify your goals as well as provide encouragement and accountability, asking you insightful questions to help you dream big.

You are the one taking the action; we are inspiring you to move faster.