Understanding Coaching
A Starting Point for New Clients
Many professionals advance through their careers without ever participating in formal coaching. They may have strong mentors, supportive managers, or access to training programs, yet still have no direct experience with a structured coaching relationship. Because the term is used so broadly, many people approach their first coaching engagement with understandable uncertainty. They wonder what actually happens in a session, whether coaching overlaps with therapy or consulting, and how it contributes to professional growth. These questions are natural, especially for those who have never worked with a trained coach.
Coaching is not mysterious, but it is distinct. At Bexar Coaching & Advisory™, coaching is a disciplined, collaborative process that helps clients think more clearly and act with greater intention. It creates space for exploration, experimentation, and reflection that is difficult to find in the normal pace of work life. This structure aligns closely with the internationally accepted definition from the International Coaching Federation, which describes coaching as a partnership that “elicits client-generated solutions and strategies” through a thought-provoking process that inspires personal and professional growth [1].
What Coaching Isn’t
Before understanding what coaching looks like, it is essential to clarify what it is not. Coaching is not therapy. Therapy focuses on healing, diagnosis, and emotional well-being, while coaching focuses on present goals and future choices. Coaching does not analyze psychological history or treat mental health concerns. It is also not consulting. Consultants diagnose problems and deliver expert recommendations. Coaches do not provide prescriptive answers. Instead, they help clients examine their assumptions, weigh their options, and choose their next steps with intention. These distinctions appear throughout the ICF Code of Ethics, which emphasizes scope, boundaries, and the client’s autonomy [2].
Coaching is also not managerial supervision. Managers evaluate performance, correct behavior, and set priorities. Coaching serves a different purpose. It removes evaluation from the conversation. It protects the psychological space a client needs to speak honestly about challenges, patterns, and developmental goals without fear of organizational consequences. The confidentiality standard outlined in professional coaching ethics is not a courtesy, but a requirement that allows clients to explore complex topics honestly [2]. Without this trust, coaching loses its effectiveness.
What Coaching Is
Once these boundaries are clear, the nature of coaching becomes easier to understand. Coaching is a structured relationship designed to create movement. A coaching session is neither an informal chat nor an open-ended conversation. It follows a deliberate rhythm built on inquiry, reflection, and accountability. This structure is well supported by research. A comprehensive meta-analysis published in The Journal of Positive Psychology found that coaching significantly improves goal attainment, self-efficacy, and overall psychological functioning in both workplace and non-workplace settings [3]. These findings reinforce what clients often experience: coaching helps people become more effective by assisting them to think more clearly and act more deliberately.
Coaching shifts responsibility to the client in a productive way. Most professionals are accustomed to receiving answers. Managers direct, mentors advise, and consultants propose solutions. Coaching requires clients to generate their own insights and commitments. This ownership is one reason coaching results tend to be durable. A study published in Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research found that clients who actively shaped their own goals and solutions during coaching maintained improvements long after the engagement ended, mainly because the change was self-driven rather than externally imposed [4].
Confidentiality is one of the most essential elements of the coaching relationship. Clients must feel safe enough to examine their assumptions, admit uncertainty, or explore sensitive interpersonal challenges. In many cases, coaching becomes the only space in a professional’s life where this level of honesty is possible. The ICF identifies confidentiality as a cornerstone of ethical practice because it creates the conditions for trust, and trust is the foundation upon which growth occurs [2]. Without this protection, coaching becomes less about learning and more about performing for the coach.
Coaching is also a collaborative process. The coach brings structure and skill, but the client brings context, commitment, and the willingness to reflect between sessions. Coaching is not passive. Clients often find that the most meaningful progress happens between sessions when they test new behaviors, reconsider assumptions, or try new approaches in real situations. A global longitudinal study conducted by the Human Capital Institute and the International Coaching Federation found that organizations with strong coaching cultures experienced higher engagement, stronger leadership pipelines, and better team performance, primarily because employees carried learning from coaching into their daily work [5]. This reflects a central truth of coaching: insight matters, but application sustains growth.
For many professionals, coaching becomes a stabilizing anchor in an otherwise fast-moving environment. Work demands often encourage reaction rather than reflection. Urgent tasks overshadow strategic decisions. Coaching interrupts that cycle. It creates intentional space for thinking and planning that would otherwise be crowded out. Over time, clients begin to internalize this reflective discipline, and their approach to challenges becomes more deliberate and less reactive. This shift often proves more valuable than any single insight generated in a session.
As coaching becomes more common in organizations, its impact is increasingly supported by measurement rather than anecdotes. Research from the International Coaching Federation’s global survey of coaching clients reports that a majority experience improved work performance, stronger communication skills, higher self-confidence, and better relationships at work and home [6]. These outcomes reinforce what the coaching profession has long recognized: when individuals develop clarity and self-awareness, they make better decisions, lead more effectively, and create more positive environments.
Conclusions
In upcoming issues of The Sheaf, this series will explore two foundational topics for readers considering coaching for the first time. The first article, “What Coaching Is and What It Is Not,” will examine the boundaries and purpose of coaching in greater detail using examples from workplace settings. The second article, “How Coaching Works,” will describe typical structures, engagement models, and the roles of both the client and the coach in a successful process. Together, these articles will give prospective clients a clearer understanding of what coaching entails and how it supports meaningful, sustained professional development.
Coaching is not a trend, and it is not a luxury for executives. It is a disciplined practice rooted in partnership, accountability, and reflection. When clients understand the fundamentals, they step into the coaching process with confidence and purpose. That clarity forms the beginning of growth that can extend far beyond the coaching engagement itself.
References
[1] International Coaching Federation. (n.d.). ICF Core Competencies.
[2] International Coaching Federation. (n.d.). ICF Code of Ethics.
[6] International Coaching Federation. (2016). ICF Global Coaching Study: Executive Summary.