How Coaching Came to Be

First, how exactly is coaching distinct?
A: Coaching is the psychology of human potential. It is a formal profession that honors the client as the expert in their life and work. 
What isn’t coaching then?
A: Coaching is not consulting. 
Consultants give specialized advice and guidance. Consultants are best hired when there is missing expertise needed to succeed. 
A: Coaching is not counseling or therapy. In counseling and therapy there is diagnosis and treatment of mental illness and is best for healing trauma or when emotional healing is needed.
So, when are coaches hired and what are they hired for? 
Coaches are hired to help leaders, professionals, groups, couples or individuals potentiate and integrate into their potential. 
In coaching people:

• Grow in their emotional intelligence
• Build upon natural strengths and gifts
• Expand in their capacity 
• Set and attain goals

Coaching has an origin back in the days of Socrates. 
The Greek philosopher asked questions getting people to think in new out of the box ways, inviting profound new answers unlocked by Powerful Questions. 
Fast-forward to today. 
In 1995 Thomas Leonard, a pioneer in formulating, formalizing and professionalizing coaching practices, established the International Coaching Federation. 
Why was coaching established as a profession? 
The other modalities were already taken. 
Coaching was born from the realization that a budding new approach was on the scene and creating profound results. But… it was not counseling and it wasn’t consulting, so what was it?
Well if you look at the olden days, we can see where the root of the word comes from.
Think of a horse and buggy, versus a train.
A train has an established set point. A train is locked in to a pattern of travel to get you from A to B. Let’s say from Tucson to San Diego. 
This is akin to consulting and counseling. In these modalities the route to a goal is established by the professional offering such services.
Coaching is completely unique. In coaching the destination and route is established solely by the client. 
Back to the horse and buggy. A person would hire a coach to get to where they wanted to go. Let’s say they wanted to get to the fairgrounds and yet could request to be dropped of at Woolworths along the way. 
The destination is established by the client and the coach holds a safe and professional service that takes them there.
The formulation of professional coaching is newer on the scene.
Theoretical based psychotherapy dates back to 801 AD. According to Google professional management consulting was documented for the first time back in the 1880s.
Getting into coaching right now is exciting.
Getting into coaching now means you are getting in on the ground level.
Coaching is expanding rapidly! 
Public Personnel Management reported managers that received training alone increased productivity by 22.4%. Whereas training, followed up by coaching, increased productivity by 88%! 
88%! That is a huge value add coaching provides.
People are falling in love with this results-based, client-centric, highly effective skill set, approach and profession.
​If you feel called to coach, we invite you to start by signing up for our Coaching Foundations module! Classes start back up May 11th.