The Helm
In heraldry, the helm sits above the shield as a symbol of readiness, vigilance, and disciplined self-command. It represents a stance of clarity before action and protection without aggression. A helm does not strike, decide, or advance. It frames the field of vision, steadies the mind, and prepares its wearer to face what stands ahead. In coaching, the coach’s role resembles this heraldic function. A coach does not take command of a client’s decisions or direct their path. Instead, the coach helps the client see themselves and their circumstances with greater precision, strengthening their capacity to act with intention.
Many professionals begin coaching with assumptions drawn from more familiar roles. Some expect a mentor who will offer guidance drawn from experience. Others anticipate a consultant who will diagnose and resolve specific challenges. A few fear that the coach will behave like an informal supervisor, evaluating performance. Coaching is none of these. The coach does not wield authority over the client, nor do they supply the answers. Their purpose is to support the client as they prepare themselves for the internal and external challenges ahead, much like a helm readies and protects its wearer for the demands of the field.
The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as a partnership that promotes insight and strengthens an individual’s ability to generate their own solutions [1]. This principle is foundational. The coach is responsible for the process. The client owns the progress. Coaching is not about providing direction. It is about strengthening the client’s capacity to choose their own direction with clarity and confidence.
Clarity, Values, and the Client’s Direction
The helm as a heraldic symbol reinforces a key truth about development. Before a knight entered the field, they placed the helm to narrow distractions, block noise, and focus their view. Coaching often begins by doing the same. The coach helps the client clarify what matters, what they want to achieve, and why that goal carries meaning. Research grounded in Self Determination Theory shows that individuals persist longer and perform better when their goals are aligned with intrinsic values rather than external pressure [2]. When clients articulate goals rooted in their identity and purpose, commitment becomes more durable.
Clarity is essential not only for direction but also for seeing oneself accurately. In fast-moving environments, hidden assumptions, habits, and inherited beliefs can narrow awareness. Many professionals succeed early in their careers through patterns that eventually become constraints. Coaching helps surface these patterns through questions that invite curiosity rather than judgment. This work is consistent with the developmental research of Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey, who describe adult growth as a process of making previously automatic mental structures visible, available for examination, and open to change [3].
When clients begin to see their thinking more clearly, they often recognize new possibilities for action that were previously obscured by routine. It is similar to the revealing effect of lifting a visor on a helm. The world comes into focus. The field becomes discernible. What once felt indistinct can now be engaged with intention.
Creating Space for Awareness and Growth
The coach’s role deepens once clarity begins to emerge. Coaching requires a space where honesty is possible and reflection is safe. It is not a performance review or an evaluative conversation. It is a disciplined environment shaped by confidentiality, respect, and trust. Without these conditions, clients remain guarded. They protect their self-image rather than explore their growth edges.
This need for psychological safety is well established. Amy Edmondson’s research shows that teams and individuals learn more effectively when they believe they can voice concerns, uncertainties, or mistakes without fear of negative consequences [4]. Coaching builds on this insight by providing a space for clients to examine complex topics such as interpersonal dynamics, sources of tension, patterns of reactivity, and untested assumptions.
The difference between a coach and a mentor or manager becomes unmistakable here. A mentor shares expertise. A manager assesses performance. A coach does neither. The coach’s work is not to tell the client what to do. It is to help the client see themselves more accurately and with greater integrity. When coaching succeeds, clients develop increased capacity for self-leadership. The aim is not dependence on the coach but independence from them.
The heraldic helm underscores this idea. The helm protects but does not act. It allows its wearer to focus, but it does not determine their movement. In the same way, the coach offers support and structure, but the client steps onto the field and chooses their course.
Learning Through Experimentation and Accountability
Coaching is not only reflective. It is practical and iterative. Clients explore a challenge, consider possibilities, choose an action, test it, and return with observations. The coach helps them interpret outcomes, refine their approach, and continue experimenting. This rhythm resembles deliberate practice, in which mastery emerges from cycles of action and reflection rather than a single moment of insight.
Research in executive coaching supports this approach. Anthony Grant’s work demonstrates that iterative reflection combined with structured accountability leads to improved self-regulation, higher goal attainment, and more effective leadership behavior [5]. Accountability in coaching is not imposed from above. It is an invitation to return to one’s commitments and examine alignment between intention and behavior. The coach asks the client what they aimed to do, what happened, and what they learned. This form of accountability strengthens agency rather than pressure.
Clients often discover that progress is uneven. Growth rarely occurs in a straight line. Insight may appear before behavior entirely changes. Challenges may resurface in familiar or unexpected ways. Coaching helps normalize this variability in the same way that a helm shields without dictating every movement; the coach helps the client stay protected during the vulnerabilities of experimentation while still moving forward.
The work can be uncomfortable. Coaches do not avoid brutal truths. They offer both compassion and candor. They hold up a mirror so the client can see not only their strengths but also the patterns that limit them. The combination of support and challenge builds trust, and trust allows change to take root.
Navigating Change and Course Correction
The helm, as a heraldic symbol, also signifies adaptability. It was designed to withstand impact, deflect force, and allow its wearer to adjust quickly. Coaching carries a similar role. Clients begin with one set of goals, but as they grow, their understanding deepens. New information emerges. Assumptions shift. Context evolves. The coach helps clients navigate these changes without losing sight of their broader purpose.
Coaching differs from fixed performance frameworks in this regard. It is dynamic. It assumes that development unfolds over time. A client may begin working on delegation and later discover that the root issue lies in trust, identity, or assumptions about control. The coach supports this process by facilitating honest reflection and guiding the client toward actions aligned with their evolving understanding.
Ultimately, the coach’s role is to strengthen the client’s ability to lead themselves. Coaching develops awareness, intentionality, and disciplined follow-through. These qualities allow clients to face challenges with steadiness rather than reactivity. When coaching works well, clients emerge more capable, more grounded, and more aligned with their values and purpose. The helm symbolizes readiness and clarity. It protects without limiting. It frames the field of vision. Coaching does the same. It equips individuals to step forward with focus and courage, prepared to meet what lies ahead.
References
[1] International Coaching Federation. (n.d.). ICF Core Competencies.
[3] Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. (2009). Immunity to Change. Harvard Business Press.