What is Coaching?
It seems like such a simple question, but if you asked 50 coaches ‘what is coaching?’ you’d probably get 50 different answers!
Gone are the days when coaching was perceived as a sign that you were underperforming, with everyone from CEOs to early career high-potential employees working with a coach. In fact, the global executive coaching market is currently estimated to be worth over $9 billion.
Coaching has become an essential tool element in an organisations toolkit for personal and professional development, but what exactly is coaching? And is all coaching the same?
At a high level it is a process that involves supporting individuals to achieve their full potential by enhancing their skills, overcoming challenges, and fostering personal growth. It can be used with employees who are underperforming (often called performance coaching) where specific outcomes are closely monitored and expected, however it is more commonly offered to high performers to support them with their development. I often tell my clients it is to help them to get from good to great.
One of the key elements is that the coach typically supports the client (or coachee) to find their own solutions to their problem – it is not about the coach sharing their own experience and opinion (this is usually associated with mentoring)..
Three elements of coaching
I believe there are three different elements of executive coaching, and when talking to potential new clients, I share the diagram below. This is usually very beneficial as it helps us to explore what they are looking for from a coach and whether I am the right person for them
A coaching engagement may require all three elements, but not all coaches can support you in all of them. It is important as a client to understand what you really want and need so that you choose the right coach, and the coach can focus the sessions in the appropriate way. I have outlined below the differences between the three, and shared an example of how the same challenge can be approached in different ways depending on what the client wants, and to what level of depth they are willing to work
Skills Development
Skills development is focused on the acquisition and refinement of specific skills or competencies. For instance, a manager might seek skills coaching to develop better communication or presentation skills, or perhaps they want to learn to handle conflict better.
In skills coaching, the coach works closely with the individual to identify specific areas for improvement. The coaching process often involves setting clear, measurable goals and developing a structured plan to achieve them. Techniques might include practice exercises, rehearsing situations, gathering feedback, and performance evaluations. The emphasis is on tangible outcomes and practical applications.
To get the most out of this style of coaching the client needs to be open to practicing and getting feedback on the skill they are trying to develop. There may be more direction and advice given in this style of coaching as the coach is likely to have tips and techniques that they can impart to help the client improve. The client also needs to find time and opportunities to practice the skill.
Problem-Solving
Problem-solving coaching is designed to help individuals navigate specific challenges or obstacles they face in their personal or professional lives. Unlike skills coaching, which focuses on developing particular competencies, problem-solving coaching is about addressing current issues and finding effective solutions.
In this type of coaching, the coach acts as a facilitator or thought partner, supporting the coachee to reflect on their problem. This might involve identifying the root cause of the problem, brainstorming possible solutions, evaluating options, and implementing an action plan. The coach provides support and guidance, but the emphasis is on empowering the coachee to take ownership of the problem and the solution. The widely known GROW model (Goal, Reality, Options, Will) is an example of the problem-solving coaching approach.
Problem-solving coaching is useful in situations where individuals feel stuck or overwhelmed by a challenge. It can encourage the client to break down complex issues into manageable steps and helps build critical thinking and decision-making skills. It can be really useful in helping clients see things from multiple perspectives, or to gather the courage to take a particular course of action. This type of coaching can also be valuable for teams, helping them to work collaboratively to overcome obstacles and achieve their goals.
This is a very common style of coaching and to get the most out of it the client needs to be open to reflecting on a situation – exploring their own thoughts and behaviours and those of others. It does require a willingness for introspection and openness to challenge (although the degree of and style of challenge may vary with different coaches)
Transformational Coaching
Transformational coaching goes beyond the development of skills or the resolution of specific problems. It is about fostering deep, lasting personal growth and change. Transformational coaching typically involves exploring an individual’s values, beliefs, and behaviours to identify areas where they may be holding themselves back. I call these self-saboteurs.
The goal of transformational coaching is to help individuals achieve a higher level of self-awareness, and to challenge limiting beliefs that may be preventing them from reaching their full potential. This type of coaching often involves reflective exercises, powerful questioning, and the exploration of deeply held assumptions. It is often challenging and may bring up thoughts and emotions that have been long buried.
Transformational coaching is particularly impactful for individuals seeking significant change in their lives, whether it’s a career transition, a shift in personal relationships, or a desire to live more authentically. It’s a journey of self-discovery that can lead to profound changes in how individuals perceive themselves and their world.
It is not for everyone, and to get the most from this style of coaching the client needs to be willing to slow down, deeply reflect and be open to challenging who they are and what they believe. I find that the people who come to me for transformational coaching may have tried other coaching approaches in the past, and may have had some success, but now recognise that there is something deeper within them that is fundamentally affecting their ability to overcome a problem in the long term.
Which element is best?
The interesting thing about coaching is that a client may present with one issue, and you could choose to tackle the problem using one or all of the three coaching styles. For example, a client may decide to work with a coach because they have had feedback that they lack executive presence and that their communication could be better.
Skills based approach – Work on communication and presentation skills – for example use of breathing exercises, practice presentations, coach reviews and gives feedback on written communication. Skills are built through practice, feedback and repetition.
Problem solving approach – Conversations focus on recent or upcoming situations where executive presence is required. Exploration to deepen understanding of executive presence and communication styles. Challenge and reframing of perception of situations (e.g. ‘I don’t belong in the room, everyone else has more experience than me’ – coach asks client to come up with 5 reasons why they do belong in the room).
Transformational coaching – The focus here will be on understanding what is holding the client back – what deeply held beliefs do
they have about themselves and the situation that are preventing them from communicating effectively and displaying executive presence. The focus is not only on the beliefs and behaviours, but where they come from. And, more importantly, helping the client
to reduce the impact that the beliefs or behavioural patterns have on them. For example, the client may have a deep seated lack of confidence that comes from a parent who always told them that they should be seen and not heard.
This means that no one approach is better than any of the others – they each have different aims and can be combined so that the presenting issue is tackled from different perspectives. Which approach is best for each individual client will be down to what challenge they are wanting to solve during their coaching, what style of coaching they are most comfortable with, and what skills the coach has developed.
Therapeutic Coaching
At Liberare Consulting we offer what we call ‘Therapeutic Coaching’ where we combine all three elements with a particular focus on transformational coaching. Our therapeutic coaches have had additional therapeutic training in addition to being accredited coaches. You can learn more about Therapeutic Coaching here.
