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WHAT IS COACHING?
ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS

There are two questions I probably get asked more than any others: ‘What is coaching?’
and ‘How do I coach?’

‘What is coaching?’ is a question that can potentially lead to many hours discussion as we
debate the differences between coaching, counselling and mentoring and examine the
various disciplines that have contributed to the development of coaching, such as positive
psychology, cognitive therapy, brief solution focused therapy and psychosynthesis. How to
coach opens up even lengthier debate; what works for one person may not be useful for
another and some of the best coaches use approaches or techniques gained over many years
of coaching experience which cannot necessarily be pinned down in terms of theories or
coaching models.

For the purposes of this article, therefore, I have attempted to answer the two questions as
succinctly as possible, while still providing the answers people desire. However, for more
detailed information on the differences between coaching and its related fields, or on specific
coaching models and techniques, you may like to read some of my other articles which can
be found on my website here
www.performancecoachtraining.com/resources/free_articles.html

What is coaching?

Performance coaching is a process which enables people to work out what it is they want to
achieve and then to act on the solutions identified through coaching which are the most
congruent and appropriate for them personally. This is accomplished through a style of
dialogue between coach and coachee which assists the coachee to gain new insight and
clarity of thought and then to move forward with energy and purpose.

The guiding principle of performance coaching may best be described as ‘self directed
learning’, which puts it at odds with the more widely understood application of the word
‘coaching’, meaning ‘instructing’. Adding to the confusion around the term ‘coaching’ is a
proliferation of coaching categories, such as executive, business, career and life coaching. So
to make sense of the confusion and understand better, ‘what is coaching’, we need to take a
look at its history.

Performance coaching made its first ‘appearance’ as we know it during the 1970s when
Harvard graduate, Timothy Gallwey, became captain of the Harvard tennis team. Gallwey
noticed that when he left the court, his students tended to improve faster than when he was
there to instruct them. Already a disciple of spirituality and psychology, Gallwey explored
this paradox and developed a series of techniques to encourage the benefits. One of his key
findings was to apply ‘directionality’ – naming one’s goal before starting out. Tim wrote a

© 2012 Carol Wilson www.performancecoachtraining.com

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series of books called ‘The Inner Game’, applying this and his other theories to performance
in life and work, as well as in sport.

In the 1980s, Gallwey’s work was embraced by English baronet, Sir John Whitmore, who
brought the techniques to Europe and founded schools of skiing and tennis to develop them.
At one point, Whitmore’s team was asked to provide a day of ‘self directed’ tennis coaching
by a large organisation which wanted its managers to incorporate the Inner Game approach
into their leadership styles. This was termed ‘Performance Coaching’ to differentiate it from
conventional sports coaching, and Whitmore wrote a book about it called ‘Coaching for
Performance’, which has since been translated into nineteen languages and has become a
kind of bible for coaches and organisations.

Performance coaching as we know it today is seeing an upsurge in interest among people

who recognise its potential for transforming lives, and within forward thinking organisations
looking for a new way of being that supports both organisational and people development. It
is usually a formal, agreed arrangement, carried out by a trained coach in a 1:1 or group
setting, but the techniques may equally be applied more informally in our day to day
interactions with friends, family and work colleagues.

Socrates is sometimes said to be the first coach on record, because of sayings attributed to
him including:

‘I cannot teach anybody anything; I can only make them think’.

What is coaching’s underlying philosophy?

The core principle of coaching is self directed learning. Coaches believe that everyone has
their own best answers inside and that the coach’s job is to provide a space to draw them out.
Emanating from this belief are another eight key principles which may be summed up as
follows:

Responsibility
Awareness Self belief

Self
Trust directed Blame free
learning
Action Solution focus

Challenge

© 2012 Carol Wilson www.performancecoachtraining.com

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Awareness:

There is a misconception that coaching is about pushing people into action. The
opposite is the case. Through coaching, the coachee is enabled to gain new awareness
and insights, identify goals and take challenging actions.

Responsibility:

We prefer to create our own solutions than be told what to do. A core principle of
coaching is self-responsibility, or taking ownership of our decisions.

Self Belief:

There are two components to building people’s confidence. Firstly, allowing them the
space to practise, stretch themselves and make mistakes; secondly, giving them
recognition for their achievements through authentic, deserved praise which builds
their self belief.

Blame Free:

When mistakes are treated as learning experiences, individuals are motivated to try
again and learn from the experience. Blame stops them in their tracks and can create
a belief that achievement is impossible and therefore not worth attempting.

Solution Focus:

When we dwell on a problem, it seems to get bigger and drains our energy. When we
focus on the solution, the problem appears smaller and we find more energy to deal
with it. This is why solution focus works in coaching – and other areas of life too.

Challenge:

Most of us like to be challenged and stretched within a supportive and encouraging

environment. In coaching, we encourage people to set their goals as high as possible,
because we tend to impose limits when setting goals for ourselves.

Action:

Coaching uncovers new perspectives and awareness. Coachees gain new insight,
which leads to more options, which in turn leads to a desire to take action and
change.

Trust:

Trust is pivotal to the coaching relationship. Without trust between coach and
coachee, no coaching will take place.

How to coach
There are many exceptional, self taught coaches out there who have learnt how to coach
through a combination of intuition, hard work, experience and a commitment to their own
self development. In the early days of coaching this was almost the only choice. However,
things have changed and there are now some excellent, accredited training courses available.
I would always recommend that people who want to learn how to coach attend a good quality

© 2012 Carol Wilson www.performancecoachtraining.com

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training course that offers the opportunity both to learn the theory and to practise the skills
in a safe and confidential environment.

In terms of how to coach, one’s coaching foundations should comprise an understanding of

the GROW or similar model as well as the coaching techniques described below.

GROW is the original coaching model developed (with others) by the pioneer of coaching in
the United Kingdom, Sir John Whitmore. It is used to help the coachee identify the Goal,
explore present Reality, consider the available Options and create the Will to make it
happen. You can read more about the GROW model in my article here
http://www.performancecoachtraining.com/resources/docs/pdfs2/The_GROW_Coaching_
Model.pdf

Used alongside the GROW model, techniques for listening, questioning, clarifying and
reflecting enable the coachee to develop new insights which feed into and support the GROW
process, while developing trust between coach and coachee.

Having said all that, my advice to new students of coaching is to learn the basics of how to
coach and then throw the rule book aside and use their own intuition! That may be a little
flippant but the point I’m trying to make is that intuition is one of the best tools we have at
our disposal. Good coaching is 80 per cent the coach and 20 per cent the coaching model.
However, that 20 per cent remains vital – without the human body underneath it, the clothes
you wear will not have any shape.

Can anybody learn how to coach?

The answer to this question is a resounding ‘yes’! While some people may be considered to
be natural coaches, thanks to role models from their early life or general life experiences,
anybody can learn how to coach.

That is not to minimise the level of expertise and knowledge of professional coaches. As
coaches, we are all at various stages in our coaching development. Learning how to coach is a
work in progress. There is always something more to learn about ourselves and others that
keep us as coaches on our toes, and we all benefit from being on a continual learning path
that allows us to acquire new skills for the benefit of our coaching practice. And perhaps one
of the nicest things about learning how to coach is that the effects of your training are
immediate. You can put what you have learnt into practice straight away

In terms of what people gain from learning how to coach, this varies from person to person.
For some people the best thing is being able to communicate with others in a more positive
way; for others it’s about helping people achieve the success they desire; while for others it’s
about becoming an exceptional leader or manager-as-coach.

Whatever coaching is, or comes to mean to you, one thing is certain: it will change your life
and work, not only in relation to achievements but in terms of the feelgood factor as well.

References:

Gallwey, Tim (1997) The Inner Game of Tennis. London, Random House
Whitmore, Sir J. (2009) Coaching for Performance. London, Brealey
Wilson, C. (2007) Best Practice in Performance Coaching; A Handbook for Leaders, Coaches,
HR Professionals and Organizations. London, Kogan Page.

© 2012 Carol Wilson www.performancecoachtraining.com

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About the author:

International speaker, writer and broadcaster Carol Wilson is Managing Director of

Performance Coach Training, on the Global Advisory Panel at the Association for Coaching,
and former AC Head of Professional Standards & Excellence. A cross-cultural expert, she
designs and delivers programmes to create coaching cultures for corporate and public sector
organisations all over the world and was nominated for the AC Awards ‘Influence in
Coaching’ and ‘Impact in Coaching’.

www.performancecoachtraining.com
www.associationforcoaching.com
www.cleancoaching.com
+44(0)207 022 4923
carolwilson@performancecoachtraining.com

© 2012 Carol Wilson www.performancecoachtraining.com