Coaching can also be thought of as part of a continuum of skills that includes consulting, mentoring and teaching. All these skills co-exist under the umbrella of leadership.
I am trained in and practice (and train others!) in the skillset known as Co-Activity, or co-active coaching. You can read more about it here, but in a nutshell, Co-Activity seeks to strike a balance between doing and being, since some coaching styles can get hyper-focused on the doing part.
Co-Activity is great for problem solving and addressing big goals and challenges. With almost 25 years of Co-Active coaching experience, I can say it’s highly effective for learning how to be with all that stuff we can’t be with. But together, we’ll use a provocative process of inquiry in our coaching to help you maneuver the obstacles in your way and to achieve things you might not have thought possible.
One of Co-Activity’s most potent elements is the idea that everyone is naturally creative, resourceful and whole (aka NCRW). In Co-Active coaching, the coach assumes that nothing is wrong with the client, that nothing needs fixing. Nothing’s broken. No diagnosis is needed. This can free up client and coach to go as deep as the client wants. But being held as NCRW also can make it easier for clients to step up to challenges, requests and provocations.
You may find it incredibly empowering to know someone believes in you enough to ask you to believe in yourself and stretch. A coach respects your boundaries and limitations, but doesn’t indulge your inner critic who tells you that you can’t have what you want.
