Why people tell me they want a coach
After almost 20 years in the public service, this is now my fifth year as an accredited executive coach. In the past 5 years I’ve had the privilege of working with hundreds of public and private sector clients – both on an individual and group coaching level.
In recent months, I’ve been reflecting on what motivates people to seek a coach and why they may choose coaching over other methods of personal development such as mentoring, training and counselling.
There is a distinct difference between each one; both in the nature of the relationship and the outcomes.
To simplify, this table shows some of the similarities and differences between (accredited) coaching, mentoring, training and counselling…
| Accredited coach | Mentor | Trainer | Counsellor/ Psychologist | |
| Help people realise their potential | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Built on mutual respect and trust | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Set time period | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Required to keep client notes or reports | No | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Questions vs telling | Questions | Telling | Telling | Questions |
| Structured vs unstructured | Structured and unstructured | Unstructured | Structured | Structured and unstructured |
| Focus | Goals Leadership | Personal development | Skills | Awareness and feelings |
As the table shows, coaching is absolutely a two-way street. The relationship between a coach and their client is designed to help the person reach their full potential – which the coach does by guiding them with relevant questions and offering techniques to help the “coachee” move from where they are to where they want to be.
In my own coaching relationships, I draw on my work and life experience, combined with my coaching training, to guide my clients on:
- effective goal setting
- identifying and leveraging strengths
- pinpointing and addressing weaknesses
- challenging preconceptions
- developing valuable skills such as time management, emotional intelligence, etc.
This is why I offer a free 15 minute coaching session before people sign up for a coaching arrangement. This no-obligation appointment gives us time to discuss the goals that they want to achieve so we can decide together if we’re a good match.
10 reasons why clients ask me to coach them
In case you’re undecided about coaching, here are 10 reasons why clients have said they wanted to engage my services (and gave us a great starting point for setting our coaching goals)…
- Tired, confused and unfulfilled
- Always busy but never getting anything back
- Career crisis or change of direction
- Burn-out
- Mentoring others with no personal support
- Nearing retirement with more to give
- Unsuccessful in job or promotion opportunities
- Skills development to remain relevant
- Change how I relate to others
- Need a sounding board to challenge how I approach situations
If you’re facing similar issues, or simply want to find out if a coaching arrangement would benefit you, please book a free 15 minute coaching session.
If you have other questions about coaching, feel free to connect with me at kv@kimvella.com.au.