Coaching, mentoring and counselling are all forms of helping. They are practiced by people who are motivated by desire to see others develop and achieve their potential. However, as a coach it is important to distinguish between the three as they share some similarities, but are also different in both theory and approach. For a new coach it can be easy to blur the lines between them and stray into another form of helping that is not true to the non-directive, future focused and goal oriented philosophy of coaching. In this clip Andy explains the characteristics of mentoring and counselling and what distinguishes from coaching.
Key learning points:
Coaching is is about asking questions that cause another person to think in a solution focused way enabling them to move forward
Coaching is not about dispensing advice, guidance or expertise
Avoid getting involved in the 'content' of what is being said and concentrate on just asking high quality questions