What Is Professional Coaching?

What Is Professional Coaching? 3 Year Ago · 5 min read

Talyaa Vardar

Talyaa Vardar, MA, FCPC, MCC
Executive Coach, Psychologist & Art Therapist

Professional Coaching, for FLOW, is a creative support and partnership construct that discovers and brings out the real potential of an individual turning it into meaningful performance. Life itself is a creative process that individuals can realize depending on the extent of their self-awareness. FLOW Coaching turns this creative potential into a positive life performance that nourishes the individual and simultaneously supports him/her to make a more conscious contribution to their surroundings. Coaching does not focus on past failures and mistakes, but on generating alternatives related to the future. The goal is to generate results that can be monitored and measured.  With the support and encouragement of the coach, the individual finds answers within themselves.

An example of the definition of Coaching:

“Coaching is unlocking a person's potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them” –Timothy Gallwey 

What is Professional Coaching?

ICF's Definition of Coaching 

The ICF defines coaching as the thought-provoking, creative partnership process that inspires clients to maximize their personal and professional potential. With coaching, someone can very easily elevate themselves to a level that they might not be able to on their own.

A coach is there to supercharge your way into a much healthier lifestyle and they are also there to bring out the best in you. When you are looking for a coach, you should look for someone who shares the same ideals as you and someone with who you can also relate.

With that a coach is there to fundamentally provide coaching, clarity, encouragement, and accountability for their clients in a professional setting. Having a professional coach is a lot like having a professional trainer.

They are there solely for your benefit and well-being.

The Benefits of Coaching 

Professional coaching has many associated benefits. Individuals that experience the coaching relationship may gain fresh perspectives on personal challenges and opportunities, their reasoning skills in the decision-making process may become enhanced, they may achieve greater interpersonal effectiveness, and an increased self-confidence while fulfilling responsibilities.

Consistent with the degree of decisiveness and commitment to the will of increasing personal efficiency, they attain appreciable results in regards to increased productivity, satisfaction with life, and the attainment of personal goals.

According to the 2009 IFC Global Coaching Study, companies that made use of professional coaching services for business purposes increased their average initial investments, ROI (Return of Investment), seven-fold. Those who received personal coaching stated that this return was 3.44 fold.

When broken down, these are some of the benefits of coaching for those who need it in their lives:

  1. A strong support system who is there to walk alongside you to reach the dreams and goals you want.
  2. A sense of clarity about what you want in life and how to get there.
  3. The ability to overcome difficulties in life that you might not be able to alone and without support.
  4. Someone that will stand alongside you while you explore all your options, wants, and aspirations.
  5. Someone to keep you accountable for the things in life that you want to achieve.
  6. And someone who is truly there to look out for you.

If you are looking to become a professional coach yourself, click this link to go to our program page to find the next intake for yourself. All our programs are ICF Certified as well so when you graduate you will be a certified professional coach.