As a career and executive coach I am often asked what coaching is.


Coaching appears to have had an early application in sports performance (Gallway, 1974). Parsloe defines it as “a process that enables learning and development to occur and thus performance to improve. To be a successful a coach requires a knowledge and understanding of process as well as the variety of styles, skills and techniques that are appropriate to the context in which the coaching takes place" (Parsloe, 1999). Parsloe emphasises the combining of styles, skills and techniques that are contextually appropriate together with an understanding of the coaching process. Whitmore (1992) highlights the need for coaches to have understanding of “the performance related, psychological principles on which coaching is based” whilst Parsloe (1995) positions coaching as “a form of tutoring or instruction – an instructional approach”. This emphasis on the didactic was modified by Downing (1999) whose definition emphasises facilitation as the defining characteristic. Whitmore (1992) agrees, seeing coaching as “unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.” Perhaps the most comprehensive definition is provided by Grant (2000) who sees coaching as a “collaborative solution focused, results oriented and systematic process in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of work performance, life experience, self directed learning and personal growth of the coachee”.


More straightfowardly, we can differentiate coaching by reference to its goal. It is possible to distinguish at least the following types using this lens:

• Performance coaching. Aimed at enhancing an individual’s performance, increasing their effectiveness and productivity at work.


• Skills coaching. Focuses on the core skills an employee needs to perform in their role. In certain circumstances this might resemble mentoring, which does not require coaching skills.


• Career Coaching. Focused on the individual’s career concerns, with the coach eliciting and using feedback on the individual’s capabilities and interests as part of a discussion of career choice. The process should lead to increased clarity, personal change and forward action.
  Personal or life coaching. Providing support to individuals wishing to make some form of significant changes happen within their lives.


• Business coaching. Business coaching is conducted within the constraints placed on the individual or group by the organisational context.


• Executive coaching. A way for organisations and individuals to improve performance. By improving the performance of the most influential people within the organisation business results should improve.


• Specialist coaching. Focused on stress or health for example and drawing upon the coaches’ specialist knowledge in these areas.

Alternatively, we can differentiate coaching practice from clinical practice. Some elements of distinction include recognising that coaching is often present and future focused and has a behavioural emphasis whereas psychological coaching and counselling are more overtly therapeutic and are likely to deal with psychological blocks at a more fundamental level. Psychotherapy, with its emphasis on the past, as well as the present and the future, deals with pathological issues, more disturbed individuals and often employs a diagnostic medical model.