Coaching comes in many forms. I have a life coach and a recent visit got me thinking about the subject. Some coaching is obvious and easily identifiable, other forms of coaching can be subtle and hard to appreciate at the time.

In some contexts – such as sport – having a coach is common and it would be viewed as odd if there wasn’t one. Lots of sporting teams of all levels have a coach, whether a professional, semi-professional or a parent or guardian.

Coaching that I put in the less visible category is sage advice from family or friends. If you have people around that offer advice from a place of care and compassion – and not from a place of judgement – then lucky you.

When giving advice to friends or family, you are ultimately doing them a disservice if you don’t honestly tell them what you see from your perspective.

It’s too easy just to simply agree with people. I think a better option is to listen intently, ask questions to get to the bottom of how that person is feeling, and then respond with sincerity and compassion.

In situations where you don’t know the other person that well, such as in a sporting or a work environment, how the message is delivered is crucial.

In these circumstances, the person in the leadership role needs to fully understand what drives their own internal thought patterns before they start providing advice to subordinates.

Otherwise, there is a chance the way the message is perceived is entirely different to how it was intended to be taken.

This is particularly true when the delivery format is via text or email, where it can be difficult determine the tone and expression of messages.

Face to face is by far the best method of communication when context is important. All crucial conversations should be in person.

The person delivering the message needs to be cognisant of how they may react in differing situations, depending on how the conversation unfolds.

These managerial conversations are definitely a form of coaching and, if handled correctly, there should be good outcomes for all parties involved.

Ideally, people in management roles within any organisation would have had coaching and mentoring during their journey. If this has happened, they are much better equipped to provide support to those less experienced.

While coaching comes with the territory within a sporting or work context, some people voluntarily choose to seek out coaching in whatever area of their life they choose.

There are many areas of one’s life that would benefit from guidance.

Coaching in whatever format should be welcomed and embraced. There are opportunities for growth in all spheres of our lives. Being open to honest and forthright feedback will more than likely be a catalyst for growth.