What's A Coach Anyway?
In the fast-paced world of leadership and tech, many professionals turn to external support to navigate challenges and achieve their goals.
A coach is a trained professional who helps individuals unlock their potential, develop skills, and achieve specific goals.
Coaching is a structured, client-led process that focuses on asking powerful questions, fostering self-awareness, and driving action. It’s very relationship driven and coaches act as a key thought partner in navigating obstacles together with you.
Coaching does not provide direct solutions but instead empowers the individual to find their own answers through gentle and structured questioning.
How Can a Coach Help?
Coaching can support you in several key areas, including:
- Leadership development
- Navigating career transitions or role change
- Improving communication and interpersonal skills
- Enhancing decision-making and problem-solving
- Managing stress, resilience, and work-life balance
- Building confidence and self-awareness
A coach works with you to identify obstacles, challenge limiting beliefs, and create a roadmap for progress. The process is action-oriented, with measurable outcomes and accountability.
Coaching vs. Mentoring: What’s the Difference?
While coaching and mentoring are often used interchangeably, they serve different purposes and are not the same thing. If you’re considering working with a coach or mentor, it’s essential to understand their distinct roles and how to find the right fit for your needs.
Some people (like me) can act as both a mentor AND a coach and may swap between styles. Bare this in mind when you are choosing who might be a good fit for you.
| Coaching | Mentoring |
|---|---|
| Focuses on developing skills, mindset, and self-awareness | Focuses on sharing industry experience and advice |
| Ask questions to help you find answers | Provide guidance based on their own journey |
| Helps you unlock potential and set goals | Provides career insights and networking opportunities |
| Requires a trained professional with coaching skills | Can be informal, based on a personal relationship |
| Time-limited and goal-oriented | Often a longer-term relationship |
| Paid for | Can be paid or unpaid |
Coaches facilitate growth by enabling you to think critically and take ownership of your development, while mentors offer guidance based on their experiences in a particular field.
Whether you need a coach or a mentor depends on your goals. If you’re looking for guided, thought-provoking conversations to drive personal or professional growth and unlock new insights a coach may be the right choice for you.
What are the logistics?
Unlike mentoring, coaching is a paid service often to reflect the professional qualifications and/or experience of the coach.
Sessions normally last an hour and are often booked in blocks (3 is a good number I find!) to tackle a given issue together.
Your coach will take notes and remember specific information about you as your grow your relationship with them, allowing them to offer very personal guidance.
Many coaches do sessions online but many also offer in person sessions. You may find you want to meet weekly or every two weeks depending on the gap you need to put into practice what you’ve learned in your sessions together.
Most coaches offer an initial conversation to discuss your goals and see if there’s a fit if you’re looking to book a block with them.
How to Find the Right Coach
Look for accredited coaches (e.g., ILM or ICF-certified) with relevant experience that come recommended.
Try asking your peers or boss at work as well - you often don’t need to look far in your network to find someone that has used a coach!
Coaches I highly recommend are:
- Antoinette Ross amazing all round coach that can deal with all number of issues
- Joel Chippendale great for technology sector specific leadership coaching
- Regina Byrne fantastic for empowering women to be confident in their jobs
I’ve not used these directly but there are various websites you can use as well such as:
Have fun and I hope you find a coach that can bring you clarity and courage on your adventures. You won’t regret it!
