Coaching is a type of personal development where an experienced individual, commonly known as a coach, assists a client or student in attaining a certain personal or professional target by giving support and guidance. The coach can be called either a consultant or a mentor. The aim of the coaching process is to promote personal growth. Coaches may work with individuals individually or groups, but the process of coaching does not require one to have a Master’s degree in coaching.
Personal goals for coaching can include personal development, career goals, personal growth, or a combination of these. Coaches can help people identify their unique strengths and weaknesses, and develop ways of using their strengths to achieve their goals. It is common for clients to set personal goals that include the achievement of financial independence. Some other goals commonly set by clients include building a network of friends and increasing their productivity. Coaches are able to help people to identify their potentials and to work towards achieving those potentials.
Coaching can also involve mentoring, which is another common practice. In mentoring, a coach gives support and encouragement to a client who is having difficulty achieving personal development needs. Coaches may also mentor junior clients in order to assist them to move from being self-employed to having a job within a company. When it comes to career development needs, the process of coaching includes identifying career goals, developing a plan for attaining those goals, and providing support to the client to help them reach their goals.
Different types of coaching exist. One such type is known as coaching based on personality type. In this type of mentoring, coaches focus on helping each client to understand his/her unique personality and ability, and how to use that ability to achieve desired career goals. For example, some coaches may mentor clients with an organizational goal, such as becoming an administrator, while others will work with clients with a personal development goal, such as becoming a teacher or counselor.
Another type of coaching is called executive coaching. This type of mentoring involves working one-on-one with the client and helping them to set short-term and long-term goals. They will also help the client to develop strategies for achieving those goals, both individually and in collaboration with others. Coaches are not licensed psychologists and cannot diagnose a client’s problems nor provide medical advice. They cannot force their clients to change behaviour patterns nor can they give them advice on how to quit smoking or drinking alcohol.
In all forms of mentoring, there are three stages. In the first stage, or coaching introduction, a good relationship is established between the coach and the client. At this stage, the two parties are merely starting out, exploring their possible relationship and working together to find good solutions to the clients’ problems. During this stage, the coach will usually teach the client personal development skills, such as how to be effective leaders, negotiate well, create positive leadership styles, and develop good communication skills. The last stage of this process is where the client hopefully has a plan to achieve their goals.
