When people think about coaching, they often confuse it with therapy or mentoring. While both have their value, they are fundamentally different from coaching. A therapist helps you address unresolved psychological issues, and a mentor offers guidance based on their past experiences. Simply put, therapy and mentoring focus on the past, while coaching is all about the future.
A coach helps you explore new possibilities, steering you away from reliving your past or settling for a ‘default’ future—one that would naturally unfold without someone challenging your thinking. Instead, together with your coach, you design a created future.
Coaching has its roots in sports. Whether you enjoyed watching the Olympics or enjoy theatre, films, or music, you've likely seen how athletes and performers benefit from coaching. The higher the level of competition or performance, the more coaching is involved. The reason for this is simple: two pairs of eyes see more than one. A coach offers a perspective that you cannot see yourself, helping to bring out the best in you.
Interestingly, whether in sports or leadership, a coach doesn't have to be better than you at your profession to coach you effectively. Many successful sports coaches weren't top athletes, and many great executive coaches weren’t famous businesspeople. Coaching is a unique skill set distinct from the actual performance.
As Albert Einstein wisely said: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used to create them.”
Let me share an experience. I coached a man named Jarrett, who has a demanding international career. Jarrett is well-liked and successful by many standards but was on the verge of burnout. He felt overwhelmed by the expectations placed on him, and his health was beginning to suffer. We worked together to re-prioritize his life, focusing on his health and setting boundaries. The results were transformative; Jarrett felt calmer, made more conscious choices, and achieved a better work-life balance. His leadership and communication skills improved, leading to enhanced overall performance for both him and his team. A fantastic outcome was his promotion the following year, and he got back in shape to compete in a local sporting event.
This is just one example of how executive coaching can empower individuals to create an optimistic future and impactful results. Coaching is direct, urgent, and focused on helping you create your desired future.
So, back to the question: Why would you hire an executive coach?
The reason is simple: without a coach, most businesses and people repeat each year as just another version of the last. Even in a changing world, they cling to the same thinking patterns and beliefs, often striving for just a 5-10% improvement over the previous year. This is what's known as a ‘default’ future.
A coach, on the other hand, challenges you to think differently. They ask questions like: “What would you like to create? If you could start your future from scratch and anything were possible, what would you invent as an out-of-the-box goal?” These questions ignite your creativity, enabling you to envision and invent a completely unexpected future—a ‘created’ future.
The number one value of executive coaching is that your future is created by your vision, creativity, and potential. The most significant breakthroughs happen when both you and the coach think outside the box, exploring all possibilities. Then, when you discover a new path you’ve never seen before, you can confidently say: “That's what I want to do! Now, let's create an action plan to make it happen!”
