Coaching is a relationship of accountability and a time where clients pause to take a look a their lives, at how they are doing, and whether they are headed in direction that is fulfilling to them. Coaching has proven to have very powerful results when a person is ready to learn more about them selves and how they interact in their relationships with others. The goal of coaching is the development, growth, and success of those being coached.
The coaching process is done through a predictable set of skills, models and competencies to draw out new awareness and perspectives. It is client-centered, supporting them in creating solutions and strategies, while encouraging accountability to stated actions. A coaching conversation focuses on the present and how the client chooses to move forward.
The coach is a person who partners with the person being coached, gives honest feedback, inspires, challenges, and facilitates positive change to help them reach their goals. Responsibilities of the coach are to help their client discover, clarify, and align their thinking with what they want to achieve. A coach may perform these functions on an individual basis, or within a professional organization.
The mindset of a coach differs from that of a consultant or mentor by way of a coach does not offer advice. A coach asks questions to promote client self-discovery, listens intently, and facilitates the client in decision making. Understanding that we all hold a mindset of assumptions, beliefs, and strategies based on our life experiences and cultural environment, the International Coaching Federation (ICF) adheres to a form of coaching that honors the client as the expert in their own life and believes that every client is creative, resourceful, and whole. Since the client is responsible for moving themselves forward, they deserve the credit for their success. The value a coach brings is to set up the conversation and environment for that to happen. |
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