During months of market research one question was posed time and time again “what is coaching?” A google search for a definition of coaching will return quite literally thousands of sites. The International Coach Federation suggests the following:

“Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. Professional coaches provide an ongoing partnership designed to help clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Coaches help people improve their performances and enhance the quality of their lives. Coaches are trained to listen, to observe and to customise their approach to individual client needs. They seek to elicit solutions and strategies from the client; they believe the client is naturally creative and resourceful. The coach's job is to provide support to enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that the client already has.”

We focus on either transactional coaching, which may mean working with an individual or a team to be more effective in achieving their goals, within a 6 month period. Or transformational coaching, which typically requires a longer engagement and works towards achieving a whole new way of thinking and feeling.

Characteristics of coaching are:

Perspective: provides insight and perspective aligning an individual or teams developmental goals with those of the organisation.
External mirroring: models effective two-way communication and feedback in order to improve the performance of the coachee.
Fostering self-insight: concerned with helping the coachee grow through introspection and feedback from others.
Concerns about personal growth: concerned that the coachee is successful at learning and becoming a more effective leader.
(Adapted from original article in Linkage Inc.’s 2000 Best Practices in Organization and Human Resources Development Handbook)