What is Coaching?

What is the difference between advice, guidance and coaching?

Advice is based on my knowledge of careers, employers, recruitment practice, or assessment tools to inform you about specific things. For example, what is fact or myth about psychometric tests, how recruitment processes work, how to interpret results from a specific assessment. What you actually do is still up to you of course.

Guidance is discussing different ways of doing or looking at things. So that might be fairly directive and based on the above knowledge, e.g. what a specific interview question is really getting at. Or it may be a little more subjective, for example suggesting different strategies for choosing a career or conducting your job search, or how to sell yourself better. 

When it comes to thinking about career and life choices or tackling various work issues, then the guidance is less directive. I will listen, reflect back what I hear and challenge, giving different perspectives. Guidance is not passive because you need to work at your career, but it also isn't actually counselling. You only share what you feel is relevant. You can perhaps see how these three areas overlap and guidance gets close to coaching.

Coaching uses many of the skills needed above. Like guidance, coaching will probably touch on past decisions and events and like guidance it will then look to what you want to achieve in the future. Coaching then brings in a few more techniques and tools, some based on neuropsychology and cognitive psychology, some specific psychometrics. Again if any of those areas don't appeal that is fine. Coaching is VERY transparent - I always make it clear what I'm offering and you are always fully in control of deciding what you want to try.

Most of all coaching is focused on the future and always goals/ results focused. You choose the goals and I work to keep you accountable to those. With coaching more specific actions and time are frames agreed, than in traditional career guidance. You work harder as we draw on so much more knowledge and experience from you, not just me.

I know where all humans can slip up so we prepare for what might get in the way of you taking action and how you'd like to tackle that. We discuss strategies until you feel as confident as possible that you will do what you've set out to do. Each session we review what has worked well and what could be improved. We look at why and what to change, but completely without judgement. No shame, no blame, but also no justification - just straight onto trying another way.

Advice, guidance and coaching should all have purpose and desired target outcomes. Sometimes with advice and guidance it's not always so measurable or immediate, but still tangible to you. Coaching, if you're ready for it, will always mean quantifiable progress and more quickly than on your own.

What if you're not ready for coaching, or not sure?

Questions to ask yourself before hiring a coach.

If you're still not sure it's probably best not to over think it. If you know you want your life to change and if you hope you are ready to benefit from coaching, then go ahead and Book Me. If you aren't ready, or if there is something else you need to do first, then one or both of us will know within the first session. If that is the case I will refund the package, wish you well and hope to see you in the future.