4 Coaching Fallacies You Must Not Ignore

“Are you like a councilor?”

“Do you give people advice on what to do next?”

“Are you like a mentor?”

Coaching- what exactly is coaching and what is it not.

Coaching is like counselling. False

Coaching may resemble counselling in that a client seeks help in understanding themselves in order to get unstuck and move forward. However, the way in which career coaches and career counsellors help clients resolve issues is totally different.

In counselling, the conversations are mostly looking at the past. There is an unresolved pain that needs to be healed or fixed. In coaching the conversation is 90% future based. Coaching does glance in the rearview mirror because there could be some valuable experiences or patterns there, but the past does not have to control how we choose to live our life.

I received my coaching certification in ontological coaching. Ontological coaching is characterized by “way of being,” in other words, it is how we show up in life, our behaviors and perceptions, which in turn affect our communication and behavior. For example: Two people can have a goal to make their first million. One can make the cash and be horribly depressed and greedy in the process. Or, one can make the cash while becoming a better person and finding fulfillment in the process.

Coaches give people advice, like a consultant or mentor. False

Coaches are not consultants/mentors. Consultants and mentors give advice based on personal experience. Which can be positive or negative based on their own mentality and beliefs.

In contrast, coaches believe that the client have the answers within them. But, like fish, humans we can’t see the water they’re swimming in. Coaching empowers clients by having them make decisions based on the clients own perceptions and attitudes.

You can get the same benefits from Mastermind group. False

Coaches are not mastermind group/peer group based. In coaching, the clients receive individualized attention allowing the coach to address the client’s individual beliefs or context that may be holding them back.

Think about it, it’s like joining a running group verses hiring a running coach to work one-on-one with you. If you want to succeed quicker, reach your goals and implement the training, you would hire the coach.

Coaching is a luxury. False

Coaching is a brilliant investment in yourself. It is not a luxury. Companies that have hired a coach had a 86% return on investment (ROI). The mean ROI for individuals working with a coach was seven times the initial investment and over a quarter of coaching clients reported an ROI of 10-49 times the cost. Totally worth the investment!

Interested in hiring a career coach? Connect with Kelly Melsted or browse our directory of career coaches and request a FREE consultation!