What is Coaching?

Coaching is a developmental partnership where a coach facilitates another person's learning and growth through structured conversation, powerful questioning and reflective dialogue. As Julie Starr, author of The Coaching Manual, explains, coaching is fundamentally about "helping someone to think for themselves, to find their own answers, to discover what they already know." Rather than providing advice or solutions, coaches create a space for coachees to explore their thinking, clarify their goals, and develop their own way forward.

Bruce Peltier, a psychologist and author of The Psychology of Executive Coaching, emphasizes that coaching operates from a positive belief in the coachee's potential. This strengths-based approach distinguishes coaching from therapeutic or problem-focused interventions.

Coaching vs Mentoring: Key Differences

While both coaching and mentoring support development, they differ significantly in approach and purpose. David Clutterbuck, a leading writer and researcher on coaching and mentoring, highlights that mentoring typically involves a more experienced person sharing their wisdom, knowledge, and networks with a less experienced mentee. The mentor often provides advice, guidance, and direction based on their own experience in a similar field or role.

Coaching, by contrast, is non-directive. The coach doesn't need experience in the coachee's field or deliver advice. Instead, as Clutterbuck notes, the coach's role is to "hold up a mirror" and help the coachee develop their own insights and solutions. Where a mentor might say, "Here's what worked for me," a coach asks, "What options do you see?"