What can you work on with a coach?

It depends on three things:
1. What you want to work on is a coaching need
2. It’s within the boundaries your coach can competently work within
3. It’s not illegal, immoral or unethical

With those caveats in place then the simple answer is anything.

I’ve worked on things like how to talk to my husband about redecorating without it causing an argument, to how to attract clients to my business.

If there is an outcome or goal you want then most of the time coaching can help.

And this is a great thing to talk to a coach about in the chemistry meeting when you’re figuring out if the coach and coaching are for you.

So instead here are some more thoughts on what you can’t work with a coach on:

What you want to work on is a coaching need
These letters will help you work that out:
How do I know if coaching is right for me?
Coaching, mentoring and therapy – what is the difference?

It’s within the boundaries your coach can competently work within
While theoretically you can take anything to coaching, not every coach will feel competent to coach you in everything.

My coaching style is to work with the whole person, even if they came to me because of something at work.

As much as I am trying to learn about the experiences of people that are different to me, I am a white, middle class, cis gendered, married woman.

So before working with someone who has a disability, is a different race, religion, sex, sexual orientation to me or who may be considering, going through or gone through gender reassignment we would need to talk about whether I I have enough contextual knowledge or sensitivity to effectively help them.

In it’s purest form and coach should be able to help anyone but in reality we all have biases.

It’s not illegal, immoral or unethical
This is really up to the coach.

As an accredited member of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council I practice in line with their code of ethics.

I can be reported to them for breaches and they can strip me of my accreditation. But as coaching is not a protected profession I’d be able to keep coaching.

It’s really my own sense of right and wrong that keeps me and most coaches from working with these topics.

I once had to stop a coaching session because the Thinker was in a situation where they were lying to their employer and wanted to think through how to keep it up.

Drop me a line if you want to know anything more and if you have a question about coaching you want answered then click the link and let me know. It will be featured in a future letter.

You can also see what other’s have asked and vote for one most interesting to you. I’ll start with the most popular first.