Types of Coaching
Coaches describe the services they provide according to whether they work in community, business or corporate settings, with individuals or groups. Titles include: Life Coach, Business Coach, Leadership Coach, Career Transition Coach, Team Coach, and Executive Coach. Some coaches combine coaching skills with consulting as a value-added service, to better help clients achieve their desired outcomes.
LIFE Coaching is typically conducted in a community setting with individuals and groups of all ages and stages in life e.g. mothers returning to work; social workers wanting to develop better communication and assertiveness skills; professionals wanting to rapidly build rapport with clients. Life coaches typically establish their own business, and transition into it full-time as their income from coaching grows. Alternatively life coaching is an ideal skillset for individuals wanting to offer coaching as an additional service to their current clients e.g. personal trainer, hairdresser, family day-care operator. Life coaches explore various issues with clients relating to communication, relationships, motivation, assertiveness, stress, conflict resolution and negotiation. They learn how to support clients through problem identification and exploration of possible solutions into action planning and accountability, all the while providing support and motivation to assist them accomplish their ideal, end result. In addition, life coaches help clients achieve their most desired future, helping them to clearly identify their goals and ways to get there.
Business Coaching is typically conducted in a small business environment with the owner or manager of the business. Issues may relate to business profitability, viability or growth, client retention and staff management. The coach works with the client to understand the client’s situation, identify the best possible future and help the client gain insight into the solutions that are within them. The coaching sessions identify the business' strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, develop strategies based on market research into customer needs and trends, determine business performance measures, and compare business results with industry standards, using business data to build growth and wealth. Setting clear goals is the first step to action planning and measuring the results. At times, education or training may be needed as an additional intervention.
Career Transitions Coaching may be conducted in either community or corporate settings with individuals who wish to make a career change voluntarily (e.g. seeking promotion, retiring) or with those who have had a career change forced upon them involuntarily (e.g. being ‘let go’ or redunded). Both groups need or want to find a new job. First, the coach works with the client to explore the emotions that surround their circumstances and develop a desired future moving forward. Next the coach focuses on two important aspects which are critical to securing the client’s next position – their employability and marketability. The two factors, together with the client’s readiness to take up a new position, de-identify with their current organisation and re-identify with a new organisation, are explored.
Leadership Coaching is typically conducted in a corporate setting with middle managers and emerging leaders. The coach works with leaders to help them become more inspiring and motivational with their teams and others, manage change projects more effectively keeping the people aspects in mind, and navigate organisational communications more successfully including their own visibility and influence within the organisation across all levels. Leaders then go on to coach their direct reports by having scheduled coaching, feedback and corridor conversations on a regular basis to improve employee performance, increase employee engagement, and retain talent.
Executive Coaching is typically conducted with the CEO and senior executives in organisations, and at times, with members of the Board. The executive coach acts as a sounding board, helping busy and time-poor executives isolate their issues or concerns and gain clarity on a specific goal, before undertaking action-planning with them. Issues may relate to the performance of the organisation, strategic direction, relationships with colleagues, communication issues, assertiveness etc. Executive Coaches typically operate their own business.
Team Coaching is conducted in organisations with intact teams to help them meet their performance and productivity targets. Any issues affecting the team’s effective functioning are addressed as the coach guides team members to peak performance.
The Diploma of Professional Coaching offered by the Australian Institute of Professional Coaches is the base course that prepares people to become excellent coaches no matter what field they work in. Becoming a Professional Coach can be personally and professionally challenging, as you learn more about yourself as well as how to help others succeed in life.
This modified excerpt is taken from the book “Positive Psychology Coaching” by Dr Susanne Knowles which is available from www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com.
Book Reviews and a Book Trainer are available on www.susanne.knowles.com.
