↗️ The 🕳️ hole or the ⛰️ Mountain

A few weeks ago, a client told me in a session that getting coached feels like therapy. I laughed for a moment and replied that I get why he might feel this way. "There's a lot of listening going on in both!", I said.

Therapy is really about healing and being listened to can feel like that.

Coaching, however, is about achieving something.

Sounds similar, but it's quite different.

Here are a few ways to think about it:

1️⃣ Therapy helps you climb out of a hole; coaching helps you climb a mountain.

2️⃣ Therapy debugs your operating system; coaching optimizes software utility.

3️⃣ Therapy repairs your house's foundation; coaching renovates for better living.

4️⃣ Therapy fixes your car's engine; coaching improves your driving skills.

5️⃣ Therapy rehabilitates an injury; coaching enhances your overall fitness.

Both therapy and coaching are valuable, and they serve different needs. And while coaching is common at work, therapy usually happens elsewhere.

The International Coaching Federation published a few resources to help Coaches (and Coaching Leaders) understand better, when coaching is not the right approach. I attached a helpful one-page to this newsletter. There's a longer version HERE. I highly recommend it, no matter whether you are a trained coach or not.

What I found is that leaders really benefit from at least basic skills to recognize when someone is dug in a hole (instead of climbing a mountain) and may need different professional help. Recognizing that reality can make so much difference.

Wish you well in the coming week!