Introduction
“Coach” is not a regulated term like Barrister or Chartered Accountant. So anyone can call themselves a coach, from teenagers on TikTok to people coaching Fortune 100 CEOs.
The coaching process is counterintuitive compared to most other growth methods, like consulting, teaching, mentoring, and advising. It almost doesn’t make sense when explained. Luckily, millions of leaders have worked with great coaches. Here’s a quote from Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, about his coach, Matt Mochary:
“Matt’s coaching has brought me clarity, focus, organization, less stress, higher performance (me and the team). I have always been skeptical of coaches but I think he can 10x the output of a lot of people and I hope he does!”
What is coaching?
Depends on who you ask. The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is globally known as the leading organization that sets the standard of coaching and defines core competencies. Over 40,000 coaches in 140 countries are certified by the ICF.
Other thought leaders have developed their own methods over the years. I am constantly learning from the teachings of Matt Mochary (startup CEO coach), Marshall Goldsmith (leadership development and organizational success), and Michael Bungay Stanier (organizational coach and author), among others. I may write about them more in future articles.
How does coaching work?
Coaching is a partnership. It’s a co-creative process that enables clients to work towards an outcome. The topics and outcomes can vary person by person and session by session. Some common themes are:
- Working through a problem or challenge (e.g., My team is not performing)
- Clarifying a question/problem (e.g., Do I want to sell my company?)
- Reflecting on an important personal or professional event (e.g., my co-founder’s comment made me angrier than I thought I’d be)
- Making decisions and setting goals
Great coaches are expert co-creators. You, the client, bring the technical and contextual expertise. They bring their curiosity and thought partnership. It’s like the coach is a magical flashlight that helps you see more clearly and helps you build a new reality.
Paraphrasing from Socrates, a coaching relationship can be something like this:
“The coach does not give the answer; the answer is already within the client, and through questioning, they can find the answer themselves.”
Wrap up
Coaching is highly experiential. Explaining it is like trying to explain the thrill of riding a rollercoaster or being in love. It leaves something to be desired. The best way to learn about it is to experience it.
Want to experience it for yourself or have questions? Say hi.
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