Are business coaching and consulting really just the same thing with two different names? Absolutely not – though if you’re puzzled at the difference, you’re not alone. Today, I want to quickly explain the critical differences between the two.
Business Coaching: A Personal Touch
One of the key things that separates coaching from consulting is the depth of the personal relationship between the coach and the client. It’s a more intimate dialogue – a relationship centered around the individual being coached and the way they do business.
Where consulting usually looks to solve one specific problem, coaching is about developing the client into a problem-solver: Identifying their own personal strengths, weaknesses and goals as they pertain back to the business.
Really, it’s about answering three questions:
- Who am I?
- How did I get here?
- Where am I going?
As a business coach, I help my clients turn inward to find the answers to these questions. From there, we start looking outward again, putting plans into action to help that businessperson present their best self.
Business coaching is centered on the person doing business – not just the business itself. It’s about personal growth in business as much as it is about bottom lines and efficiencies.
Consulting: Projects, Products and Processes
Part of the reason people get wires crossed on consulting and coaching is because consulting sometimes comes with a component of coaching. Both consulting and coaching consider an overarching goal, but with consulting, there’s usually a more specific project attached – something larger than the individual.
In consulting, we may be looking to accomplish something like a product revamp, an improved corporate culture or a streamlined process. As part of that large objective, there may be pieces that require the personal touch of a business coach.
Good News – We Do Both!
Perhaps your business is evolving and you could use a seasoned guide – or maybe you’re looking to develop yourself or your team personally as professionals.
From individual mentorship to great big goals, we’re ready to help take you and your business to that next level of success. Contact us.
See our video on this topic by clicking here (new window).
