The Savvy Entrepreneur

Q: How is coaching different from consulting, teaching, or therapy?

A: Coaching differs from consulting because the coach’s primary role is not to give advice or design solutions. Coaches ask questions and suggest alternatives that guide clients to discover their own unique answers and choose their own path. A coach may provide ideas, expertise, and skill-building techniques, but doesn’t solve clients’ problems for them, nor tell them what to do.

Coaching differs from teaching in that the coach doesn’t determine what the client will learn, nor provide a curriculum to be followed. The client decides what he or she needs to know, and the coach facilitates learning by providing accountability, feedback, helpful resources, or useful models.

Coaching differs from therapy because coaching sessions are primarily focused on learning and achievement, rather than healing or resolution. Coaches help clients to make changes in their lives by observing present conditions, visualizing future goals, and determining action steps. Analyzing past events, understanding emotional reactions, or determining the cause of a client’s behavior are typically not addressed in coaching.