written by Andreea Motoc

​Since I started practicing professional coaching, I realized that even if the practice of professional coaching is here since decades ago worldwide, there is still work to do in supporting a good understanding of what professional coaching really is and in setting the right expectations clients have when they reach out.
Many times, in initial sessions, I’ve encountered clients expecting the coach to provide consultancy, guidance and direction, a solution to their problem, which is not what a professional coach would do, if they follow their code of ethics.
This is a normal initial reaction based on our past massive exposure to instruments like training and consultancy, even mentoring. And mostly, the association with sports coaching, even if the profession has roots there, can create confusion.

This article is meant to bring more clarity on what coaching is an what coaching is not so that businesses and clients who ask for professional coaching to know what to expect from a coach and  to increase awareness on what a good coaching practice actually means.
 
Coaching
Coaching is a non-directive process where the client has specific goals to achieve, professional or personal.
The coach is accompanying the client into finding their own solutions and ways to achieve their goals, being a keeper of the coaching process and supporting the client's creative thinking process that will finally lead to him/her identifying a path towards their goals.

Coaching is very different than other processes, as the coach will not offer solutions, advice or consultancy, the premises under which professional coaches operate being that there is no perfect solution apart from each client’s identified solution.
The mindset we have as coaches is that our clients are smart, capable people, who are the only ones who can find the best path towards their goals, us coaches accompanying their immersive journey,  assisting and stimulating their thinking process towards less obvious solutions or decisions that clients would feel confident in following through.
Coaching should be provocative, stimulating and activating client’s mind to unique approaches of their contexts.

Many times, I’ve seen confusions between coaching and mentoring, so let’s make a stop in defining this.

Mentoring
Mentoring is more directive, a mentor shares from his/her direct experience. Mentors operate from the premises that their mentees can learn from them being exposed to their examples and how they handle specific situations, similar to what mentee is currently living.  It can combine methods of consultancy, training and even coaching. Mentoring can be less directive than training or consultancy, as the mentee chooses what they want to apply, however, the suggested approaches that come from the mentor have a directive component, mentors guide mentees to a certain potential path. Sometimes it can even include training as an instrument used in the mentoring process

Professional Coaching versus Sports Coaching
If we come back to one of the roots of coaching – sport coaching - and comparing the differences and similarities, we can easily see why the term is identical but also better understand how they are distinct.
Coaching has indeed a strong connection with sports coaching, which is why there are some misunderstandings with the coaching profession practiced today by business and life coaches.
What was the coach doing on the field for the players? Considered each player’s strengths, strategized game approaches, planned thoroughly the type of practice that helped players develop their skills, inspired and motivated players to bring the best to their game.

So what are some similarities between a professional business/life coach and a sports coach?
1. They both have the intention to support their "clients" reach their full potential, grow.
2. They both aim to awake the creative spirit, where the "client"/players find their motivation to move forward.
3. They both accompany the client/player in their journey towards their goals.

But there are some differences that must be considered.
1. In professional coaching goals belong to the client, the process is stirred by the coach.
Sports coaches have a clear direction for their players, their process is most of the times directive. While with business/professional coach, the direction and the goal belong only to the client. The coach does not have or better said, should not have any specific direction in mind to influence the client, apart from simply aiming that the client finds their best possible fit solution and they reach their full potential, regardless of what their goal is. Of course, there are some potential ethical exceptions, as coaches follow a very clear deontological code, that might bring a coach to consider the goals.

2. No influencing in professional coaching
 While sports coaches might motivate through inspirational speeches, in business and life coaching there is a fine limit to these being considered influencing. The coach's intention is not to influence, but to observe patterns in the client's thinking process, bring them to light so the client can observe them as well and make his/her best calls.
A business/professional coach can still inspire through this thought-provoking process, through questions or sharing observations, but without the intention of guiding to a specific path. If at any times the client feels manipulated to follow a specific direction, this is not good coaching.

3. Leading questions versus thought provoking question.
In both types of coaching, questions are key. However, in sports coaching, many of them follow a specific desired answer, the right answer. While in professional business/life coaching, there is no such thing as the right answer to a question that the coach asks. Questions are indeed important, but they are not the purpose, there is not and shouldn't be a clear intention of the coach to ask a smart question.
It's more on asking the right question for the client to stop and truly think, to find his/her answer and solution. So it's more of the value that the client finds in the answer that counts.
The moment the coach focuses on what smart questions to ask, the value of the coaching process is lost, as it becomes more on how smart the coach is and less on the client's  discovery journey, which ultimately defeats the purpose of coaching.
Good coaching is thought provocative and in the end, finds the client feeling confident in pursuing the solutions he/she identified themselves while being accompanied by a coach.
 
With these comparisons I hope you can make smart choices when choosing the development instrument, you need. Either it’s training, mentoring, consultancy, coaching or others, choose wisely!