What is the Difference?

What is the Difference in Coaching to Consulting to Parenting to Mentoring and Therapy?

What is coaching?  Too often COACHING is wrongly perceived.  This post will explain what coaching is as compared to the other helping professions by using the experience of learning to ride the bicycle.  (This story was originally written by Michael Stratford.)

Consultant:  Studies the mechanics of riding the bike.  Teaches you the law of physics, how the bike is propelled, what is necessary for balance, and law of motion.  A consultant tells you where to sit and where to put your feet and when to pedal.  They may offer or suggest a training program to update your bike.  Then he/she leaves.

Therapist:  Discusses the basis for your fears about riding and the consequences of falling.  Discusses if your parents rode and why that might be important.  Explains why it is important for your self-esteem or psyche, for you to learn this and be successful.  Therapists are very useful to un-wire whatever baggage may be impeding your potential to ride.

Parent:  Buys the bike for you.  May put on training wheels and take them off when they think you are ready.  Runs by the bike holding on until you have balance to continue, and then cheers you on as you go off riding into the sunset.  Occasionally will threaten to take away riding privileges if you don’t comply with ground rules.

Teacher:  Is the expert on bike riding.  Communicates this information to you as your listen and prepare to apply the information.  The teacher then quizzes you to assess your preparedness for the upcoming task and insists that you understand before you attempt the event.

Mentor:  Shares with you their experiences/expertise of bike riding.  Gives you tips and ‘drafting’ and the most effective way they’ve found to ride.  Models the way they think you should ride, gives you strategies about things like changing tires quickly in a race, how to get the most speed for your effort, what the best bike is to buy in their opinion, and how to negotiate gravel at the bottom of a hill.  Teaches you their version of proper maintenance, warns you of dangers of riding in traffic, and tells you how to avoid them.  Sometimes holds an ‘I know better than you since I’ve been there before, so you better listen to me’ hierarchical position.

Coach:  Listens to your desire to try bike riding.  Asks you if you need instructions on how to ride and asks where you might get them.  Asks if you like the color/kind of bike you’re about to ride.  May even help you pick the bike up and help you get onto it.  Runs along side the  bike ‘checking in’ with you to see if you are enjoying the experience and asks what might make it more fun.  Will help you discover what you need to take care of yourself when/if you fall.  When you stop, the coach might ask about your experience and what was valuable, and whether or not you want to pursue mastery of bike riding.  If you do, the coach asks you how you might devise a plan whereby you can attain that mastery.  If you don’t, then the coach may ask you if you want to continue riding casually or if you want to devise a plan to sell the bike.