This blog aims to give an overview of coaching and how it must be distinguished from other related human development interventions, referred to as helping professions, like mentoring, advisory, consulting, facilitation, training, therapy, counselling, etc.

For the above reasons, I am sharing some of the coaching fundamentals that should be considered by the coaching sponsors, buyers, organisers, coachees (clients), and coaches. They will assist you in introducing coaching to your human capital, management, and leadership development portfolio.

The Journey:

Coaching is a journey of personal and professional development that must be enjoyed by both the coach and the client. All the stages of the coaching process must be identified, recognised, noted, and measured. The journey is always leading somewhere, i.e., it has a destiny. If such a destiny can be imagined, it will be reached.

The Process:

How we deliver the coaching follows a crafted process, including the coaching sessions that make up the entire coaching programme. Such coaching sessions are integrated rather than being stand-alone.

Progressive Build-Up:

The individual coaching sessions progressively build on each other. That is why performing agreed actions in-between the coaching sessions is critical. The last session of every coaching programme is defined as an ending coaching session. Its focus is on the reflection and evaluation of the entire coaching programme.

Thinking Partnership:

The coach and client are thinking partners during the coaching sessions and the entire coaching programme. The common objective is to support the implementation of the coaching agenda of the client (coachee).

Accountability Partner:

The coach consciously plays the client’s accountability partner (coachee) role. He or she intentionally challenges the client to implement the decisions and do the agreed-upon tasks during the coaching sessions. Otherwise, there would be no shift or transformation that is so desired.

Collaboration:

It is impossible to achieve the objective of the client and the coaching programme if the coach and coachee are not collaborating, all in the client’s interests.

Confidante:

The coach is the client’s confidante. This means that the coach provides psychological safety and motivation for the client to be comfortable in being vulnerable and subjecting himself or herself to the facilitated intervention by the coach.

Rapport:

The objective of the chemistry session is to build rapport between the coach and the client. Sometimes it takes longer for the connection to be made. It is normal and should not be forced but allowed to emerge as we continue holding further coaching sessions.

Trust:

The coach and the client should trust each other and the process. They must believe that the coaching programme will meet the client’s goals.

Honesty:

Coaching is a partnership between the coach and the client. For such a partnership to exist, the coach and client must be honest with each other.

Equality:

The coach and client are equal in their coaching journey. Their relationship is not like that of a boss and subordinate. The coach is not the client’s boss and does not issue instructions. The client will never be forced to attend the coaching session or participate in any coaching programme. No coach should coach someone who does not want to be coached.

Reflective:

The reflection on the coaching is done continuously throughout the entire coaching programme and at the end. The client learns a lot from such reviews. Hence, the saying that life is understood backwards and lived forward.

Agenda:

The agenda of all the coaching sessions and coaching programme belongs to the client. The coach supports the client in discussing the agenda items and their implementation.

Real-Life Issues:

Coaching is an essential intervention for the client. It supports the client’s personal and professional development. The coach encourages the client’s real-time issues in the coaching sessions.

Presencing:

For the coaching sessions to be effective and impactful, the coach and client must be fully present and listen actively, effectively, and generatively. The coach is trained to acquire this competence while he or she facilitates the development of it by the client.

Facilitation:

This is the main deliverable of the coach in the coaching sessions. The approaches used by the coaches differ. The client ultimately gets used to their coach’s methodologies and techniques.

Confidentiality:

Confidentiality must be guaranteed by the coach. This is one of the most critical core competencies of coaching.

The coaching programme will broadly consider the coachee’s (client’s) perspective and the purpose of their involvement in the coaching programme. The coaching process would be the implementation of the coaching programme plans. Such plans will guide the individual coaching sessions. We often emphasise unpacking the coachee’s (client’s) perspective in our coaching programme implementation.

Coaching is a helping profession and, therefore, progressive in nature. It is about more than resolving past problems but preparing the coachee (client) to face the challenges today and in the future. It is about the development of the client.

Chapter 3 of my book, Holistic CAREER Development COACHING and MENTORSHIP Perspective! The Insights from my Personal and Professional Development Journey! covers in detail the perspectives on coaching and its importance in human capital, management, and leadership development. The book is published by Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, and can be obtained at Amazon Retail Online Store using the following links:
Hardcover Edition
Paperback Edition
eBook Edition on Kindle

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You may also access the episodes of the Book Review chapter by chapter at INSIGHTS Online Podcast, www.InsightsOnlinePodcast.Com, which is also available on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, and most popular podcast platforms.

Written by Sam Tsima