Is Coaching an antibiotic or a vitamin?

Coaching at one time was for the bad performer or the badgered employee. Today it is often seen as a reward for the high performer. This journey from Coaching is for the bad to Coaching being a badge of honour unfolded in front of me. The first time I was sent to spend time with a coach, was when I hit a rough patch at work. The good news is my coach managed to patch me up and get me back in the game.

The not-so-good part of this was only people who hit a bad patch got access to a coach back then. Today, thankfully this is changing and many organisations provide their high performers access to professional coaching as a way to help them stay at the top of their game. In addition, individuals are starting to invest in getting themselves a coach to improve their performance.

The shift from remedial work to growth and developmental focussed is what’s changed. A lovely analogy I heard was that Coaching used to be prescribed like an Antibiotic earlier, but today it has evolved and is offered as a powerful health supplement. The spectrum of support that coaching offers, therefore, ranges from illness to wellness.

In this context, I often like to compare coaching to exercise. The key to wellness is ‘Emotion and Motion’. Coaching helps exercise the mind and works on the emotional and mental well-being of a person. Exercise helps one stay in good physical shape and have a healthy body. Coaching in that sense is like regular exercise, if you put in the work, it will show.