Considering getting coaching? If so, be sure you know what coaching is.

Question: What is coaching?

To get an answer to this question, do 3 things:

(1) Clarify what coaching is and is not:

• It’s your coach drawing from you, not you drawing from an expert. So, it’s not mentoring.
• It’s focusing on improving the present, not focusing on healing the past. So, it’s not counseling.
• It’s you being in charge, not someone else being in charge.
• It’s you identifying your goals, not someone else identifying your goals.
• It’s you setting the agenda of your coaching sessions, not someone else setting the agenda.
• It’s a focused conversation with the purpose of you taking action, not a conversation with the purpose of you getting listened to.

(2) Experience a coaching session. You can do this by watching a 5-minute video of me getting coached. A coaching session usually takes 30-60 minutes and includes identifying a goal for the coaching session, exploring the current reality of the goal, brainstorming options for addressing the goal, and determining action steps. In this video, you’ll see me identify my goal and then begin exploring the current reality of my goal.



As you saw in the video, my coach asked questions (instead of giving advice).

(3) Familiarize yourself with 1 or more definitions of coaching:

• Coaching is a relationship in which you receive the support, encouragement, and accountability you need to achieve the mission God has given you.
• Coaching is the ministry of strategic encouragement (Romans 12:8).

Question: What would you say if someone asked you, “What is coaching?”