| July 2021 |
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CAREER COACH, AN EXECUTIVE COACH, A BUSINESS COACH AND A LIFE COACH?
How do I identify which one I need?
WRITTEN BY: Laura Biggs
There seems to be a Coach for every situation and subject these days. So, what do each of them do and how do you identify which one can help you best?
“THERE IS VERY OFTEN OVERLAP BETWEEN THE AREAS THAT A COACH CAN COVER”
A career coach focuses primarily on how to decide on, and / or advance, your career whether internally or with a new employer. They are focused on you having clarity on your career goals and giving you practical steps to achieve them.
An executive coach focuses more in the business space, offering expert advice on how to become a better leader, how to make the right strategic decisions, developing key relationships and increasing productivity. This is mostly done on a one-on-onebasis. It can include what may be holding you back from furthering your career.
A Business Coach tends to be someone who works closely with a business owner at a strategic level in their business. Business coaching, and more specifically the Coach, hold you accountable to your business goals. A Business Coach often have domain or industry expertise that they can bring to the sessions.
A Life Coach works with an individualon how to gain a fulfilling life. They focus on helping you to identify what someone wants in life and suggest strategies and tactics that will take you from ‘where you are now’ to ‘where you want to be’. The focus tends to be on personal growth.
There is very often overlap between the areas that coaching can cover. What is most important for you is to clearly identify with a potential Coach what outcomes you would like to achieve and for you to understand their expertise in supporting that to happen.
Good tips are to look at area Coach’s background (experience, skills and qualifications) and testimonials. Ideal backgrounds for career coaches, depending on their specialisation, are recruitment / professional development focused roles as well as experience in a leadership / management role. There are specialised Career Coaches that focus on career change so commonly they will have experienced this themselves or in transitioning into executive roles
“What is most important for you is to clearly identify with a potential Coach what outcomes you would like to achieve and for you to understand their expertise in supporting that to happen”
so they will usually have experience in GM / CEO roles. Career or Executive Coaches can undertake a number of different qualifications from University Master degrees or Graduate Diplomas through to obtaining accreditation with a career development association or federation.
A Business Coach is likely to have a business consulting or leadership roles within business in the past and to have transitioned into coaching / consulting. It may be useful to understand the industries they have operated in and the level of positions and scale of operations they have led to ensure the right fit. LinkedIn can be a useful tool for to look at a potential Coach’s background.
There are a multitude of Life Coaching courses and qualifications with varying levels of depth. A Life Coach is not a psychologist and therefore does not have mental health training nor are they regulated. A Life Coach focuses on creating a new life path with a focus on achieving goals and should refer clients onto psychologists if need be.
Aside from a Coach’s background it is also important to make sure you and the Coach have good rapport. You need to feel that you can be open with them, and that they will be supportive but also make you accountable. A good way to do this is to have an initial consultation.
At Empowered Decision we focus on career coaching and executive coaching. We understand our role in this process and draw on our experience in recruitment, leadership, training and coaching. For more information email connect@edecision.com.au .
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A CAREER COACH, AN EXECUTIVE COACH, A BUSINESS COACH AND A LIFE COACH?
How do I identify which one I need?
WRITTEN BY: Laura Biggs
There seems to be a Coach for every situation and subject these days. So, what do each of them do and how do you identify which one can help you best?
A career coach focuses primarily on how to decide on, and / or advance, your career whether internally or with a new employer. They are focused on you having clarity on your career goals and giving you practical steps to achieve them.
An executive coach focuses more in the business space, offering expert advice on how to become a better leader, how to make the right strategic decisions, developing key relationships and increasing productivity. This is mostly done on a one-on-onebasis. It can include what may be holding you back from furthering your career.
A Business Coach tends to be someone who works closely with a business owner at a strategic level in their business. Business coaching, and more specifically the Coach, hold you accountable to your business goals. A Business Coach often have domain or industry expertise that they can bring to the sessions.
A Life Coach works with an individualon how to gain a fulfilling life. They focus on helping you to identify what someone wants in life and suggest strategies and tactics that will take you from ‘where you are now’ to ‘where you want to be’. The focus tends to be on personal growth.
There is very often overlap between the areas that coaching can cover. What is most important for you is to clearly identify with a potential Coach what outcomes you would like to achieve and for you to understand their expertise in supporting that to happen.
Good tips are to look at area Coach’s background (experience, skills and qualifications) and testimonials. Ideal backgrounds for career coaches, depending on their specialisation, are recruitment / professional development focused roles as well as experience in a leadership / management role. There are specialised Career Coaches that focus on career change so commonly they will have experienced this themselves or in transitioning into executive roles
“What is most important for you is to clearly identify with a potential Coach what outcomes you would like to achieve and for you to understand their expertise in supporting that to happen”
“THERE IS VERY OFTEN OVERLAP BETWEEN THE AREAS THAT A COACH CAN COVER”
so they will usually have experience in GM / CEO roles. Career or Executive Coaches can undertake a number of different qualifications from University Master degrees or Graduate Diplomas through to obtaining accreditation with a career development association or federation.
A Business Coach is likely to have a business consulting or leadership roles within business in the past and to have transitioned into coaching / consulting. It may be useful to understand the industries they have operated in and the level of positions and scale of operations they have led to ensure the right fit. LinkedIn can be a useful tool for to look at a potential Coach’s background.
There are a multitude of Life Coaching courses and qualifications with varying levels of depth. A Life Coach is not a psychologist and therefore does not have mental health training nor are they regulated. A Life Coach focuses on creating a new life path with a focus on achieving goals and should refer clients onto psychologists if need be.
Aside from a Coach’s background it is also important to make sure you and the Coach have good rapport. You need to feel that you can be open with them, and that they will be supportive but also make you accountable. A good way to do this is to have an initial consultation.
At Empowered Decision we focus on career coaching and executive coaching. We understand our role in this process and draw on our experience in recruitment, leadership, training and coaching. For more information email connect@edecision.com.au .
