| What is Coaching? |
|
|
|
|
With the passage of time, a coach became a person who assisted a person or persons (aka “team”) from where they were (ordinary) to where they wanted to go (champions). Coaches are still most prominently associated with athletics, but also provide great service in the arts (e.g., singing, speaking, acting, etc.) and more recently in businesses and churches. Coaching is a one-on-one method of helping another person grow and change. Instead of teaching a set curriculum, coaches start with where you are, help you define where you want to grow, and then help you get there. Coaching is based on the idea that leaders take responsibility for their own growth. So instead of giving advice or telling you what to do, coaches ask questions to help you sharpen your own discernment of what God has for you. In essence, coaches co labor with people to build or define their vision and then be transformed for the better as they pursue that vision. A coach is a partner who walks with you for a season, provides feedback, a fresh perspective, and consistent, gentle pressure to move forward. |
Just as a lighthouse serves as a guide to aid navigation through water, i.e., moving ships from one place to another, a coach serves as a guide to aid navigation through life by helping a person move from one place to another. Looking back several centuries, a coach was a horse-drawn vehicle that took a person from where they were to where they wanted to be.