Inc. This is a beautifully written piece by a delightful coach named Ken Homer. He was gracious enough to allow me to post it here to help in defining a distinction we are often asked about, that between coaches and consultants. I make a clear distinction between the two. Consultants often train, facilitate, advise and may even on rare occasions, coach. The methods for achieving such optimization are many and varied and rely on a deep understanding of what it means to be human, finely honed observation skills, and a facility for clear communication.
Techniques have very little to do with producing results.
To be effective a coach needs to establish a relationship with a client in which there is mutual trust and respect. The coach also needs the required expertise in the coaching domain to make powerful distinctions which give the client new perspectives from which to view their world and their participation in it, along with an ability to structure a path of practice which will lead to a mutually agreed upon outcome. Commitment to walking this path is required on the part of both the coach and the client. Often the initial stated outcomes are not achieved, which may or may not be the result of the coach's efforts. Sometimes, not reaching the intended result leads to real breakthroughs for the client.