What does a Coach Do?

Some might ask what does a Coach actually do?  In reality a coach doesn't do anything; its the client that does in the coaching relationship.  The better question in terms of coaching is what does a coach provide?  A coach provides a structure for a conversation that leads a client to take action.  A coach asks questions that help bring more awareness to the client about what is going on in their life and what they would like to pursue or accomplish.

 

A coach will always think about what the client needs to do.  By listening and helping the client dig out information, the coach leads the client into discovering what they need to do in their situation. Without giving advice, a coach leads the client into discovering the pieces of information that bring more clarity to their client's situation. This new clarity gives them a focus for taking responsibility in their own lives. A coach is never responsible for their clients actions because a coach empowers a client to be responsible for their own actions.  In this sense then a coach actually doesn't do anything.  They rather create an optimal environment that allows the client to do what they feel and know they need to do.

So you  might ask again: What does a Coach do?  The answer is they do nothing.  The Client does all the work and creates a plan to get where they want to go.

How to Stay Focused on the Client

One of my certification clients just recently asked me about what I think it is that distracts us as coaches from focusing on our clients.  I thought it was an excellent question and I have posted my response here.  Hope this helps:

I find that there are several things that take our attention off of the client and on to ourselves:

1. Our sheer curiosity to want to know information for our benefit not necessarily the client’s benefit – to satisfy our curiosity rather than give the client room to pursue their curiosity.

2. Our lack of confidence in what we have to offer.

3. Our own insecurities – the client’s sharing with us remind us of things that we go through – things that we need to deal with.

4. Our lack of focus – approaching our client sessions without getting focused on what the client wants and needs.

5. Random stray thoughts that simply catch us off guard and draw us away from listening.

6. Our own guardedness – and reluctance to be authentic.

These are but a few that come to my mind – off the top of my head.  What I think gets us focused on our clients is our ability to lay aside the things that we know will distract us.  Our ability to prepare ourselves for our client sessions is important [spending a moment in prayer asking God to help us as coaches to cooperate with what He is doing in the life of our clients].  As well, creating relationship with our clients by our offering authenticity I believe creates an important openness in the relationship from both ends – our willingness to be open about ourselves [as we demonstrated authenticity in level I workshop] creates an openness in the client and brings the relationship to a deeper level. 

Giving ourselves in this way also helps us get focused on our clients, disarms our own uneasiness and establishes a level of trust.  If we lower the guards and feel comfortable in our own experience and our own skin that will translate into a level of comfort in our client sessions.  Practicing this is very important – it creates an important level of openness in our coaching. This last point about authenticity is by far the most important and is the crucial obstacle that we need to overcome in ourselves.  It alone will create an openness that will foster healthy coaching sessions where clients feel that coaches are real human beings that care about what they are facing and care about their goals that they want to pursue.