Olga Yudina, an ACC ICF certified coach, will help you understand the coaching profession. You will learn what coaching is and why it is needed, who has the right to call themselves a coach, and what work does not apply to coaching.
The words “coaching”, “coach”, “coaching approach” are very popular. Due to their indiscriminate use for advertising purposes, we do not have a clear idea about coaching. Moreover, the reputation of coaching suffers when some unreasonably declare themselves to be coaches and their activities to be coaching. Yes, in English coach means coach in the broadest sense of the word. But in Russian, the word “coach” has acquired a terminological meaning and implies a specific profession. Let's figure out what coaching is as a profession, who has the right to call themselves a coach, how coaching works and when it is no longer coaching.
That is, a coach is essentially the same psychologist?
A coach is a specialist who may be a psychologist in his background, but may also have another education, for example, a specialty as a professional consultant. A coach accompanies a person in solving any problems: professional, personal, related to relationships. This is a certain structured applied work that is aimed at training certain skills.
However, the problem is that such mentoring is often carried out by people without education. Moreover, in the field of coaching today there is no system of standardization and certification of services. The same applies to all types of training. In fact, they can be carried out by anyone who has breakthrough qualities and skills in manipulating people. It is enough to rent a room in a business center or coworking space and interest people with loud “selling” course names. The conduct of such trainings is not regulated in any way by law. In most cases, contracts are not concluded and payment documents are not issued.
This is because today you can work in the field of coaching without a license. The “wild” segment of the Russian coaching market is actively present in the Internet space and uses marketing technologies to promote its products on social networks. At the same time, the competencies of many participants in the coaching movement today not only raise doubts, but also threaten clients with deliberately false attitudes.
Due to the absence of any framework in this area, the niche was occupied by non-professionals, who have already been dubbed “infogypsies.” The introduction of a professional standard will help restore trust. It has been discussed for more than five years, but so far to no avail.
“Coach” translated from English: coach, mentor, instructor.
This word is borrowed and has not found an adequate analogue in the Russian language.
Each of us when we say the word “coach” represents something a little different. In the 80s and 90s, the word “manager” had many meanings that have echoes to this day. A manager is any employee of an organization: a salesperson, a logistician, even a cleaner (“cleaning manager”), while the only possible correct meaning of this word is a manager. So, let's agree that in the context of personal counseling, coaching is the process of helping a client within the framework of his professional activities. A coach is a specialist who has a special education in the field of “coaching” and has a set of knowledge in the field of organizational structure and psychology. Capable of using a variety of psychological tools to help improve the quality of life within the client’s professional activities.
