POV: 2 Kinds of Coaching
So there I was at a conference this last weekend, and the facilitator was talking about how he coaches couples. I always want to stop and ask, "What do you mean when you say, 'coaching'?"
The verb "coaching" has its roots in an actual coach, like the one Cinderella took to the ball. Coaches, the noun, take people from one place to another, from a certain here to an intended there.
Now, no one owns the word 'coach,' and it has at least two common meanings. The first is the one most people think of first - a sports coach. They work with children all the way to the pros. They commonly focus on one sport, though my son-in-law, Skyler, seems to coach whatever is needed if it affects one of his kids. He definitely prefers and is best at football, though. Not only does he love football, but he knows a thing or two in that field. He played football and understands what it takes to build a team, etc. (One time he coached his daughter's soccer team because there literally was no one else there...
What Is Coaching? [The Skinny and The Blunt Truth]
"What is Coaching?" I whispered to the rep from Southwestern Christian University when I was considering getting my Master's there.* I was a little embarrassed that I didn't really know.
How about you? Coaching is a buzzword and has been steadily gaining popularityĀ since I first asked that question over 15 years ago.
Webster's primary definition for coaching is the noun version - like Cinderella's coach, or a stagecoach from the Wild West. In that case, coaching is a means to get from one place to another - like our modern-day Uber or Lyft. The second definition Webster gives is "a tutor" or "one who instructs or trains".
Here's the blunt truth. No one owns the word "coach," and it is used differently by different people. The first thing that probably comes to most people's minds is some sort of sports coach, or maybe a skills coach that trains you in a specialty area. Some nutrition and fitness coaches would fall into this definition as well. These type of coaches have their own pa...
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