Have you ever wished you had someone that guided you through a particular crossroads moment in your life? Someone who provides you with a supportive environment that allows you to explore your thoughts, and beliefs, without fearing judgement. A person that is not there to simply teach you things while you sit back and listen. They listen to you, understand your life path and guide you on how to improve your performance and prospects. This while ensuring that you are able to face challenging moments. That someone is a coach, and this process is called coaching.

One thing that the coach does not do is identify the solution to your problem and dictate what you should do. A coach supports you in opening your doors and progress in your life. Whether in your career or simply in your day-to-day life. This is done through an intuitive, agile, and energising style of facilitation and frameworks. The coach would often help notice mindsets and shift them. They do this by challenging assumptions, broadening one’s perspectives, and assisting them in understanding better the system in which they operate.

Before we look at the different coaching methods, it is important to understand what a coach can and will do for you.

What can a coach do for you?

• Help you develop relationships whether in your personal life or at work. This can be on a 1-2-1 basis or as a team.
• Gain you clarity around your values, goals, strengths, and areas requiring improvement or attention.
• Identify what you really want and what you need to do to achieve this through questioning and active listening.
• Support you with setting your future goals concerning your studies, career, or family life.
• Assist you in re-discovering the purpose of your personal or work life.
• Provide you with objectivity by helping you see things from a different angle. This is particularly done in moments where you feel stuck, you are facing a challenge or in need of motivation.
• Enable you to build your confidence. While you may be confident in settings you are comfortable with, you may need support to build confidence in other settings.
• Guide you in managing your wellbeing.
• Holds you accountable for your actions and commitments. This allows you to stay focused and motivated to take the necessary steps towards your desired outcomes.
• Be your thinking partner when contemplating a career change.
• Identify points of improvement in your communication skills or leadership style.
• Provide you with a psychologically safe environment aimed at producing the best outcomes for you.
• Motivate you to identify specific steps for you to move forward through brainstorming and a thinking partnership. This allows you to achieve your goals with support and encouragement along the way.

What is it that a coach cannot do for you?

• They cannot serve as your therapist or counsellor. A therapist helps you deal with your past, while a coach supports you with your present and future ambitions.
• Find you a quick-fix solution. You need to invest time and effort to create lasting impact and progress. New learnings need to be put into practice leading you to observe your actions and outcomes. Through this process, you would be able to understand better your personal showstoppers and what you need to do to overcome them.
• Be your mentor or your teacher. Coaching is not Mentoring, however, sometimes it can take a blended approach based on the needs of the client.
• Provide you with one-way learning in a classroom setting. If this is what you are after, then you should be looking at training. Coaching is not focused on one-way learning, but it is focused on the overall development of individuals.

What coaching methods can I seek?

Now that you know what a coach can and cannot do for you, you can zoom in on what style or approach you need to focus on. Coaching is based on personal contexts; therefore, one needs to identify which coaching trajectory they would like to navigate through. Here are some of our favourite types of coaching:

Leadership Coaching – This type of coaching means that the coach would support an individual to raise their own bar as a leader. This allows them, their teams, and their organisations to maintain peak performance. This type of coaching includes future-proofing by preparing individuals to take on leadership roles. An example of which is jumping from a team player to a people leader. This type of coaching is ideal for someone who is moving into a leadership role or is already a leader. It allows them to identify ways through which they can become better. The coaching method is also beneficial for a company that wants to strengthen its leadership team.
Strengths Coaching – With this type of coaching an individual can identify their strengths. They then learn how to put them to work while bringing the best out in themselves and others. Strengths coaching is ideal for people who might feel like they want to understand themselves and their capabilities better and use them to their advantage.
Relationship Coaching – Here, an individual would be able to find greater fulfilment in their relationships, whether with their partner, family, friends, or colleagues.
Wellbeing Coaching – This type of coaching helps people and workplaces take better care of their wellbeing. Becoming better versions of ourselves means also knowing how to take care of our well-being through a healthy lifestyle, ensuring our happiness, and seeking emotional satisfaction.
Change Coaching – Through this style of coaching, an individual would be able to up their game in creating positive change. They also explore navigating through disruption and confidently embracing the mess and magic that come out of situations that push towards change.

What about coaching for organisations?

While coaching might seem very individual-based, its techniques can also apply to organisations, teams, and groups. Coaching programmes within companies are usually developed following a discovery meeting that leads to devising a vision and actionable steps. Creating alignment is crucial at the initial stages. It ensures that the company becomes more successful and continuously provides a healthy environment for people to work in.

Coaching can help your team members unlock their full potential, improve their performance, and achieve their goals. It also helps them feel that the company is investing in their growth and success. Together, the company, the end client, and the coach can create a customised coaching plan that meets the unique needs of the team or company.

Overall, coaching can be a powerful tool for individuals looking to identify their next best step in life. Coaching can help clients achieve their goals and live their best lives. This is done by providing clarity, accountability, objectivity, support, and an action-oriented approach.

This article was written by Liana Naudi, an HR Professional in Human Resources Management, Employer branding and coaching, with 8 years of experience in the industry.