Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about coaching:

1. What Is Coaching?
Coaching is a partnership between a coach and an individual or team, that supports the achievement of extraordinary results, based on agreed goals. Coaches do not provide answers; rather, they create an environment to ask the right questions that inspire individuals to explore within themselves for the answers. Coaching concentrates on where you are now and what you are willing to commit to do, to get where they want to be in the future. Coaches support individuals’ intentions, choices and actions, with their skills, approaches and methods.

2. What are the benefits of coaching?
Individuals who engage in a coaching relationship can expect to experience fresh perspectives on personal challenges and opportunities, enhanced thinking and decision making skills, enhanced interpersonal effectiveness, and increased confidence in carrying out their chosen work and life roles. Consistent with a commitment to enhancing their personal effectiveness, they can also expect to see appreciable results in the areas of productivity, personal satisfaction with life and work, and the achievement of personally relevant goals.  

3. How can you determine if coaching is right for you?
To determine if you could benefit from coaching, start by summarizing what you would expect to accomplish in coaching. When someone has a fairly clear idea of the desired outcome, a coaching partnership can be a useful tool for developing a strategy for how to achieve that outcome with
greater ease.

Since coaching is a partnership, also ask yourself if you find it valuable to collaborate, to have another viewpoint and to be asked to consider new perspectives. Also, ask yourself if you are ready to devote the time and the energy to making real changes in your work or life. If the answer to these questions is yes, then coaching may be a beneficial way for you to grow and develop.

4. What has caused the tremendous growth in the coaching industry?
Coaching has grown significantly for many reasons. Generally the world has changed a lot, and coaching is a useful tool to deal with many of those changes. For example, coaching is a great tool for today's challenging job market. There is more job transition, more self-employment and small business. Some of the real life factors in the business world include:

• Rapid changes in the external business environment
  
• Downsizing, restructuring, mergers and other organizational changes have radically altered what has been termed the “traditional employment contract”—companies can no longer achieve results using traditional management approaches
  
• There is a growing shortage of talented employees in certain industries—to attract and retain top talent, companies must commit to investing in individuals’ development
  
• There is a widening disparity between what managers were trained to do and what their jobs now require them to do in order to meet increasing demands for competitive results
  
• There is unrest on the part of many employees and leaders in many companies—people are wrestling with fears around job insecurity and increased workplace pressures to perform at higher levels than ever before.
  
• Companies must develop inclusive, collaborative work environments, in order to achieve strategic business goals, and to maintain high levels of customer satisfaction

In addition, individuals who have experienced the excellent results of coaching are talking to more people about coaching. In short, coaching helps people focus on what matters most to them in life: business and personal. People today are more open to the idea of being in charge of their own lives. Coaching helps people do just that; so the industry continues to grow.

5. How long does a coach work with an individual?
The length of a coaching partnership varies depending on the individual's or team’s needs and preferences. For certain types of focused coaching, 3 to 6 months of working with a coach may work. For other types of coaching, people may find it beneficial to work with a coach for a longer period. Factors that may impact the length of time include: the types of goals, the ways individuals or teams like to work, the frequency of coaching meetings, and financial resources available to support coaching.

6. How do you ensure a compatible partnership?
Overall, be prepared to design the coaching partnership with the coach. For example, think of a strong partnership that you currently have in your work or life. Look at how you built that relationship and what is impotant to you about partnership. You will want to build those same things into a coaching relationship. Here are a few other tips:

• Have a personal interview with one or more coaches to determine “what feels right” in terms of the chemistry. There is generally no charge for an introductory conversation of this type.
  
• Look for stylistic similarities and differences between the coach and you and how these might support your growth as an individual or the growth of your team
  
• Discuss your goals for coaching within the context of the coach’s specialty or the coach’s preferred way of working with a individual or team  
• Talk with the coach about what to do if you ever feel things are not going well; make some agreements up front on how to handle questions or problems  
• Remember that coaching is a partnership, so be assertive about talking with the coach about anything that is of concern at any time.

7. What does coaching ask of an individual?
To be successful, coaching asks certain things of the individual, all of which begin with intention. . .

8. What is the difference between coaching and therapy?
Coaching is a profession that is focused on helping others to look forward and toward the future. Therapy, on the other hand, seeks to heal emotional wounds from the past. Therapy outcomes often include improved emotional/feeling states. While positive feelings/emotions may be a natural outcome of coaching, the primary focus is on creating actionable strategies for achieving specific goals in one's work or personal life. The emphasis in a coaching relationship is on action, accountability and follow through.

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