Inflection Points

6WHAT IS COACHING, AND WHAT IS THE VALUE OF COACHING?

Socrates and Plato. FDR and Churchill. Larry Page and Sergey Brin. From Hellenic wisdom to the Allied victory in World War II to the conception of Google, some of history's greatest achievements have been the result of partnerships.

When two people unite in an unswerving commitment to a common goal, great things emerge. Their distinct roles harmonize and their unique skills complement each other to produce exciting insights and bold actions.

Many people, especially the highly ambitious and successful, feel compelled to tackle their problems alone because they don't know how or where to ask for help, or they think they don't need it. Surely the idealization of individualism and independence plays a role, too. But in a partnership, the collaborative strength of both parties adds up to a whole that is greater than the sum of their parts.

Coaching is a specialized kind of partnership, and my role as a coach is to meet you on equal terms, not as an authority figure. I serve as an advocate who empowers you to achieve your goals, whether that means fixing something that's broken or missing in your life, or allowing you to build on your current success so you can continue thriving in your next endeavor. (More and more, coaching is focusing on the latter.) True and effective coaching is not directive, it is reflective.

In this chapter, I'll talk about what coaching is and is not, and how it compares to other supportive types of relationships. ...