London Life Coach
Life Coaching and Consulting - A Comparison - by London Life Coach
In the UK and London life coaching popularity is steadily increasing. Where a few years back it was uncommon to meet someone who knows what life coaching is, it is now becoming more mainstream knowledge. If you’re still not clear on what life coaching is, please visit one of our previous articles. This article is the first of a series that compares life coaching to other professions that are often confused with the former. Today’s article compares life coaching with consulting.
How is consulting...
A consultant is considered an individual with a high level of expertise in a specific area. It is a prerequisite that consultants posses knowledge and skills that is superior to their clients’. This is because consultancy follows a problem solving approach supported by recommended solutions.
In broad terms, consultants are called in to investigate a problem or deliver a task that their clients are not qualified to handle. This means that consultants are indirectly doing their client’s job.
Additionally, consultants could be limited to a very specific task or objective at hand. And the task at the consultant’s hand is the only thing that the client has control over. Once assigning the consultant a task, the client does not interfere with the consultancy process. The consultant then proceeds to tackle the task at hand in any way deemed appropriate.
Similarly, clients have no control over the results of the consultancy process. Once the job is done, and a report is produced, it will be produced from the consultant’s expert point of view. The client is then free to discuss the results but has not power to change them.
Following that, consultants usually produce and present a list of recommendations for the client to action in order to solve the problem. The consultant has little interest in whether the client finds the recommendations, uninteresting or challenging.
And that’s job done.
... compared to coaching
Starting the comparison backwards, constant feedback and continuous monitoring to your progress is one of your life coach’s main areas of focus. Life coaching is all about getting results and achieving your goals. And to know whether you’re on the right track requires keeping an eye on your advancement.
Before that, any action plan and tasks that you and your life coach agree on are assessed from your perspective. Unlike a consultant, one of your life coach’s primary concerns is how you perceive the task at hand. Whether it’s difficult, boring, uninteresting, uncomfortable etc. your life coach will work with you to overcome these challenges.
Exactly opposite to consultancy, you have complete control over your results. Ideally your life coach would be extremely clear about this early on; making sure that you fully understand that it’s only you who owns the results. It’s not your coach, it’s not anyone else. It’s you. And when you become a super star, it’s also you who will glean all the glamour. Not your coach, not anyone else. It’s you.
Contrasting to consultancy, many clients would start with a life coach not knowing exactly what they want. Your life coach would then work with you on all areas of your life simultaneously to eventually achieve a holistically balanced life. That does require however, breaking things down and being specific on the goals required to achieve.
And finally, your life coach is not necessarily an expert in the field you’re being coached on. Additionally a life coach very rarely, if ever gives direct advice. The life coaching process is about assisting you find the resources within and around you to reach your goals.
Summary
Life coaching in London I’ve come across many people who confuse coaching and consulting. Consulting is often a one time job, geared to solve a specific problem by providing a set of recommendation. Life coaching is a continuous relationship getting you to unleash your potentials, realise your capabilities and live your dreams. If you'd like to find out more, don't hesitate to contact us.
Until next time,
Tarek N
Copyright (c) 2009 www.TarekCoaching.com – London life coach, Master RESULTS Coach, Performance Consultant, Master Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
How is consulting...
A consultant is considered an individual with a high level of expertise in a specific area. It is a prerequisite that consultants posses knowledge and skills that is superior to their clients’. This is because consultancy follows a problem solving approach supported by recommended solutions.
In broad terms, consultants are called in to investigate a problem or deliver a task that their clients are not qualified to handle. This means that consultants are indirectly doing their client’s job.
Additionally, consultants could be limited to a very specific task or objective at hand. And the task at the consultant’s hand is the only thing that the client has control over. Once assigning the consultant a task, the client does not interfere with the consultancy process. The consultant then proceeds to tackle the task at hand in any way deemed appropriate.
Similarly, clients have no control over the results of the consultancy process. Once the job is done, and a report is produced, it will be produced from the consultant’s expert point of view. The client is then free to discuss the results but has not power to change them.
Following that, consultants usually produce and present a list of recommendations for the client to action in order to solve the problem. The consultant has little interest in whether the client finds the recommendations, uninteresting or challenging.
And that’s job done.
... compared to coaching
Starting the comparison backwards, constant feedback and continuous monitoring to your progress is one of your life coach’s main areas of focus. Life coaching is all about getting results and achieving your goals. And to know whether you’re on the right track requires keeping an eye on your advancement.
Before that, any action plan and tasks that you and your life coach agree on are assessed from your perspective. Unlike a consultant, one of your life coach’s primary concerns is how you perceive the task at hand. Whether it’s difficult, boring, uninteresting, uncomfortable etc. your life coach will work with you to overcome these challenges.
Exactly opposite to consultancy, you have complete control over your results. Ideally your life coach would be extremely clear about this early on; making sure that you fully understand that it’s only you who owns the results. It’s not your coach, it’s not anyone else. It’s you. And when you become a super star, it’s also you who will glean all the glamour. Not your coach, not anyone else. It’s you.
Contrasting to consultancy, many clients would start with a life coach not knowing exactly what they want. Your life coach would then work with you on all areas of your life simultaneously to eventually achieve a holistically balanced life. That does require however, breaking things down and being specific on the goals required to achieve.
And finally, your life coach is not necessarily an expert in the field you’re being coached on. Additionally a life coach very rarely, if ever gives direct advice. The life coaching process is about assisting you find the resources within and around you to reach your goals.
Summary
Life coaching in London I’ve come across many people who confuse coaching and consulting. Consulting is often a one time job, geared to solve a specific problem by providing a set of recommendation. Life coaching is a continuous relationship getting you to unleash your potentials, realise your capabilities and live your dreams. If you'd like to find out more, don't hesitate to contact us.
Until next time,
Tarek N
Copyright (c) 2009 www.TarekCoaching.com – London life coach, Master RESULTS Coach, Performance Consultant, Master Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
