In our Level I seminar – Leadership Coaching for High Performance, you create a list in response to this question – What Is Coaching and What Is It Not? Here are some of your responses:

What Coaching IS	What Coaching Is Not
Full presence	Multi-tasking
Non-judgemental	Judgment
Partnering	Mentoring

Now, add your own:

What Coaching IS	What Coaching Is Not

Role Clarity

Another topic of our learning is the importance of Role Clarity which is another form of Certainty/Clarity. Marcia Reynolds, says it best when she says this,

“There is no such thing as hybrid coaching.”

Furthermore, she says, you are either coaching or you’re doing something else.

Role Clarity is a way to get certainty about who we are as we do our work with others. Two roles in particular are often confusing, especially to the person with whom we are working. So, for the sake of clarity, let’s take a look at the difference between Consulting and Coaching.

Consulting	Coaching
Based on diagnosed weakness	Based on strengths
Often focuses on the past	Present and future-focused
Based on content and process expertise	Based on process expertise; content-free or content-neutral
Group or organization focus	Individual focus
Expected to have and give answers	Listens and refrains from giving advice
Tells what they know	Sets aside what they know to allow new, different, personal answers to arise from within the client
Hired to “fix” perceived weaknesses with groups or organizations	Hired to build capacity by focusing on perceived strengths of individuals

Your Words of Certainty:

And finally, nothing speaks more powerfully than your own words of clarity about what coaching is. Here is evidence of your clarity about what coaching is and what it is not. These are some of the quotes you have created that demonstrate your understanding.

“Coaching is a CONTINUOUS PROCESS that provides self-worth, improves confidence, and allows a safe space for reflective conversation in order for growth to take place.”

“Coaching is a continuous opportunity to motivate and inspire a growth mindset by developing positive relationships and reflective practices.”

“Coaching is meeting someone where they are and empowering them to continuously grow in order to improve student outcomes.”

“Coaching is a partnership built on positive relationships for continuous growth.”