Coaching: An Emerging Profession

This paper is aimed to outline coaching as an emerging profession, from its historic roots through to current day with the areas and outcomes of the vocation. Other factors discussed will be the typical coachee or client and identifying their needs. It will conclude with the benefits of coaching, along with the importance of the coach’s credentials and the significance of having a mentor. This should give a clear understanding of how coaching is in the world and how it is developing for the future. Furthermore, there is a growing demand for professional coaches, with a strong view that they provide options and models that are goal orientated, and recognize self beliefs and clearly support a client with change.

Coaching has evolved over centuries and can be identified back to ancient Greece when the philosopher Socrates used questions to encourage people to find their own answers. This proved successful in people making life changing decisions. The late Sir John Whitmore confirms this approach when he discusses how Socrates philosophy is part of the substance of coaching and will be around for a very long time (Whitmore, 1992).

With the different areas such as; Executive, business, career and life coaching, this is relevant on who and how these models are delivered. The main purpose of coaching within the business sector was to improve performance. There are several models that a coach can use from Humanist, behavioral and cognitive, through to positive psychology and adventure based, and many more. The coach usually delivers one or two of these models which are best for the clients need. All the different approaches should focus on the same outcome successes, which is well defined with the client during their sessions. The aim of successful coaching is change, with the client/coachee willing to apply these techniques for the positive