Why I’m a Coach, Not a Consultant
Posted on February 11, 2021 by Rodney De Iorio, One of Thousands of Business Coaches on Noomii.
Coaching is different from consulting, and its results are often far more powerful.
Like many coaches, I became a coach because I want to help people. I’ve always had a natural tendency towards helping people and its one of the things I love doing most. When I was a kid, I’d help the neighbors with their lawn or running an errand. After high school I entered the police academy to build a career around helping people. Eventually I found my way to coaching, which turns out to be the best form of helping I could imagine.
Many people seek out a coach because they’re looking for help, advice or someone to tell them what they should do in a certain situation. Being a business coach I’m often told, “I want a coach that knows exactly what to do in my industry.” The truth is, if you’re looking for someone to tell you what to do, you’re not looking for a coach – you’re looking for a consultant.
The Difference Between a Coach and a Consultant
While similar, coaching and consultants are different. A consultant will give you advice for your business (or life) based on their experiences. They’re often experts in a certain industry and will help guide you to results based on how they did it. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, it doesn’t give much room for you to decide what’s best for you and your business.
A coach, on the other hand, focuses on you and helps you figure out what’s best for your business and life. No one is more of an expert on you than you! As a coach, it’s my job to help you better understand yourself, overcome your gremlins and reach your goals on your individual path. Even if you have the same exact business as someone else, your path to success won’t look like someone else’s path.
Keeping the Whole Person in Perspective
I also focus on coaching the whole person. If you’ve hired me to coach you on business decisions but you’re having personal conflicts, we can work on that. We often like to segment our lives and pretend like our business life doesn’t interfere with our personal life or vice versa. We know this isn’t true which is why we discuss anything that’s affecting your life. Coaching the whole person gives the best results because it keeps all of you in focus, not just a piece of you or a piece of your business.
My clients have often been amazed by the success and fulfillment they’ve felt by keeping their whole life in perspective. They’ve developed a better outlook, attained their goals and feel more fulfilled than when we started working together. My clients appreciate the help to figure out and walk down their own path to success and fulfillment.
