What do some people think when it comes to coaching?  Well, they think the wrong things.  Here are ten of the most common misunderstandings I’ve seen or heard from coaches and non-coaches alike: 1.     Coaches mostly give advice.  People who know next to nothing about professional coaching assume it’s a lot like mentoring or advising. 

The longtime coaching icon Dean Smith died earlier this month. Newspapers here in North Carolina haven’t stopped running coverage of his life, his death, and his legacy in the weeks since his passing. His was a life of such substance that he left an incredibly large wake. I was on an airplane when I heard

Beginner coaches often seek to add value by helping the client solve a problem. And that’s okay – it’s kind of like, “Problem examined, problem solved, let’s get to the next problem.”

Meanwhile, masterful coaches add value by helping clients grow, develop, and become a new kind of person (often the kind of person who is more capable of dealing with life’s challenges).

One way to move from beginner to masterful coach is to pay attention to where the focus is. There are three options:

Not everyone needs (or wants) to become a professional coach who sees clients and earns a living through coaching. If the only realm in which coaching could be used were the professional coaching world, the world would be missing out some wonderful applications for coaching. Here is my list of the big four applications of coaching.