Professional coaching is focused on the client. This involves helping clients set goals, prepare for new roles, overcome challenges, boost confidence, and take action towards achieving the career and life they want.

Coaching differs from therapy, consulting, and mentoring. While these areas may overlap in approach, they have distinct differences. Therapy focuses on the past to fix what is "broken." Consulting provides analysis and recommendations to solve problems. Mentoring offers advice and guidance from experts. Coaching is future-focused and helps clients identify and achieve their goals.

Coaching is becoming more widely used in professional settings because of the positive results. Here are a few articles that highlight the research on the effectiveness of coaching.

How Does Coaching Actually Help Leaders, Forbes.com

Why Professional Coaching Should Expand Beyond Executives, Forbes.com

The Effectiveness of Executive Coaching, Korn/Ferry Institute

Leaders Need Professional Coaching Now More Than Ever, Harvard Business Review

I am a Certified Professional Coach through the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (IPEC), which is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) certified program. The ICF sets stringent education and experience requirements and ethical guidelines that coaches must meet and follow, demonstrating their thorough understanding of coaching competencies and setting the standard for the profession.

Coaching is provided in both individual (1:1) and group formats. Both formats can be conducted virtually or in-person.

Two group coaching formats exist. The first is the coaching cohort, aimed at individuals with similar backgrounds receiving group coaching. Sessions are often issue-driven or structured exercises that facilitate discussion and reflection. The second is a more programmatic approach with structured and guided conversations based on a pre-determined curriculum.

Professional coaching has many benefits, leading to increased happiness, satisfaction, and success. Incorporating coaching into an organization offers personal growth and development, improved performance, increased confidence and self-esteem, better relationships, stress reduction, career advancement, improved decision making, and increased motivation.

While supervisors and managers may have good intentions when trying to coach their employees, they may not have the necessary training, time, objectivity, and expertise to be effective coaches. Therefore, organizations may benefit from investing in professional coaching services.

Managers may not be familiar with coaching, and it's important to clarify that it's for everyone, especially leaders and high performers. Here are tips to approach a resistant manager about implementing a coaching program: Remind them of research that supports coaching over formal training, identify specific goals, discuss return on investment, highlight the importance of a coaching component in sustaining behavioral change, and offer to pilot a coaching program on a smaller scale.

Professional coaching offers a space for open and honest discussions, guidance, and support in reaching goals and enhancing overall well-being. The coach will conduct an assessment of the client's situation and goals during the initial session, and each session will be tailored to the client's needs. The coach provides encouragement, support, and accountability to encourage progress towards the client's goals.

Coaching relationships can range from 3 to 16 sessions over several months, depending on the client's needs and goals. Clients may take breaks and restart as needed. Group coaching cohorts are ongoing, and individuals can end participation at the end of a billing cycle.

Confidentiality terms are discussed in the first coaching session with the client. Progress towards specific goals may be shared with an organization that pays for coaching, but only with full disclosure and client consent.