Coaching vs. Advice: the fundamental difference

During my coaching sessions, clients often ask me for advice.

And 9 times out of 10, I refrain and ask the client how they would answer the question or what they think they should do.

This is because good coaches rarely give advice; we create a process that enables individuals to gain new insights about their current perceptions and behavior and an awareness of new possibilities. Generally speaking, most people know how they need to change, but they struggle with “healthy” resistance or they experience blind spots. So coaching is about building the client’s awareness of new possibilities, flawed assumption, and creating an action plan for change.

This 90-second video expresses this point, about the importance of letting the client come to their own conclusions about the new behaviors they need to practice and experiment with in order for positive change to occur.

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