5 differences between a COACH and a CONSULTANT

There can be many misconceptions around the coaching business. Although coaching had been around for a while, people are still slightly confused as to what coaches actually do. Truthfully, when I first found about about coaching, I was also quite baffled as I was coming from a consulting environment.

When I launched the business and started training as a coach I found it quite challenging to shift from giving advice to listening and asking questions that would allow the client to tap into their own wisdom.

So as a first blog post i decided to prepare a short description between what a coach does and what a consultant does.

1. Coaches guide the clients to their own solutions.

Consultants advise and provide solutions from their own expertise.

2. Coaches are focused on people and their growth.

Consultants focus on results.

3. Coaches are hired to support the clients as they achieve a certain outcome.

Consultants are hired to produce a certain outcome.

4. Coaches are trained to ask powerful questions to help guide the client.

Consultants are trained to know about the project they will work on.

5. Coaches can work with different types of clients for various goals.

Consultants are usually specialists in an specific area area.

So, you might hire a consultant to set up your website, but you would hire a coach to guide you towards the content of that website.

Ultimately, who you hire will define your journey to your goal. By nature, people are different, so many will want a consultant to tell them what to do. But when a coach steps in and help you align with your goals and tap into your own strength and knowledge, that feeling is more powerful!

We each have our journeys and comfort areas and I hope this short description brings you closer to understanding your needs.