It wasn’t until I became a coach that I realized that the word coach is one of the most misunderstood terms in the English language. So, let me clear up that misconception.
The term “coach” gets confused with numerous other business professionals who are all important—but they’re not coaches, even if that’s how they refer to themselves. In fact, I referred to what I was doing as coaching for many years, even though I really had no idea what a coach was.
For example:
Someone who pours vast amounts of knowledge into you to increase your intelligence is a teacher.
Someone who pours vast amounts of knowledge into you to increase your skills is a trainer.
Someone who provides unique assistance or advice to you from their expertise is a consultant.
Someone who is responsible to make sure that you complete your assigned work is a manager.
Someone who will take you along with them on the road to success is a leader.
Someone who provides wisdom and guidance based on their vast experience is a mentor.
You see, these individuals all have one thing in common…they pour information into you.
I know because I’ve served in every one of these roles throughout my career. And that’s okay because we all need as much information and knowledge as we can get. You should always be learning because that’s how you grow. But, your greatness, your potential, is not in the external world, it’s in your internal world. It must be drawn from the inside out, not brought from the outside in.
That’s where the coach comes in. A coach is someone who partners with you in a creative thought-provoking process that increases your self-awareness enabling you to discover your hidden potential which I call your Poiema, or your masterpiece.
Your current level of thinking has brought you to the point you’re at today. But unfortunately, most of us do not realize just how much we can improve our thinking.
To more fully understand the concept of coaching continue to part 2
