Receiving coaching (and therapy) is no longer considered as taboo, which has led to many types of coaching. Celebrities, business leaders, and other public figures and are speaking openly about receiving help from practitioners. With this public acceptance the question then arises “What is coaching?” The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. In a nutshell, it’s working with a professional to help you achieve a goal through tapping into your potential.
Many types of coaches exist as there are many types of goals to achieve. When selecting a coach, start with what you’re aiming to achieve. Coaches are not one-size fits all so have an idea of what type of coach you need. Some coaches may be able to help you in multiple areas, but it is not the rule.
<What to look for when selecting a coach.>
The list below describes various types of coaching and what goals the coach can help you achieve.
Life Coaching – Life coaches help individuals reshape their lives and support them in personal development, gaining clarity, increasing self-awareness, and setting personal priorities while co-creating appropriate actions to accomplish personal goals and feel more fulfilled in life.
Leadership Coaching – Coaching that helps individual contributors gain skills to transition into leadership roles or leaders hone their strengths to become better leaders. Leadership coaching conversations focus on effective communication, managing team performance, delegating, managing up/across/down, influencing others, and more. As a management training tool, high potentials and leaders develop new skills, improve personal performance, overcome derailers, and advance their career. Leadership coaching often includes life coaching as you cannot lead others if you cannot lead yourself. This type of coaching is usually found in the workplace.
Executive coaching – Executive coaching is similar to leadership coaching with the exception that it focuses on senior leaders, chief executives, and founders in overcoming with the challenges, high stakes, and pressure typically experienced in those roles. Executive coaching conversations focus on self-awareness to manage oneself in challenging situations, making difficult decisions, driving business results and more.
Business Coaching – Business coaching supports entrepreneurs and often boarders mentoring or advising. It is more hands-on that traditional coaching as entrepreneurs are often seeking business tips to grow the business. Business coaches provide support in managing stress, growing the team beyond the founding team, making decisions, and avoiding/managing burnout. If the business coach also provides mentoring or advice, conversations will also include various business strategies, increasing awareness and sales channels, improving operations, scaling the business, and more. It’s important to note that not all business coaches have knowledge in managing a business, so it’s important to identify whether mentoring/advising is also needed besides coaching.
Career Coaching – Career coaching help individuals define career paths based on their aptitude, interest, competencies, and available options. A career coach supports in identifying strengths, discovering the best career direction, and developing a plan to gain the skills and start the search. Some career coaches also focus on resume development, the search process, and interview preparation.
Somatic Coaching – Somatic coaching is also considered mindfulness coaching. They assist in helping you connect with your emotions and how they feel throughout your body. This holistic style of coaching encourages you to closely observe your thoughts and perceptions while being aware of the various sensations that arise in your body. Imagine how you feel when someone asks you to do something that you’re hesitant to do, but you do anyway and wish you hadn’t. Your body has you physical cues that indicted accepting wasn’t a right choice, such as taking a deep breath are clenching your jaw. This type of coaching will help you understand those cues leverage them.
Relationship Coaching – Relationship coaches help people improve their interpersonal relationships as well as create new connections. This extends beyond relationships with significant others as you can also go to a relationship coach to mend friendships and other interpersonal relationships.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Coaching – Emotional Intelligence coaches assist in improving your emotional and social skills so that you can express yourself better and maintain social relationships. Improving your EQ implies having a better understanding of the people around you, social cues, what causes stress, and more. This can enable you to have higher self-awareness and balance the thin line between assertiveness and aggressiveness.
Wellness Coaching – Wellness coaching is a broad concept of health and fitness coaching aimed to help you feel well. Wellness coaches can support you in adopting healthy habits and making better lifestyle choices that can bring overall wellness. In recent times, it is also paired with mindset transformation coaching.
Accountability/Motivational Coaching – Accountability coaches are often synonymous with motivational coaches. They help you gain (or re-gain) your motivation while also holding you accountable. Become more productive, gain structure, and stay on track with the support of these coaches.
Productivity Coaching – Learn to manage your time (and self) more efficiently with a productivity coach. They will help you set goals and discover techniques to improve your productivity. Expect create habits and routines that put you more in control of your time and reduces the feelings of overwhelm.
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