What is Coaching?

People often ask me "what is coaching?"  I've answered all different ways, sometimes making sense and sometimes not.  But that comes with the territory, like a lot of things, you have to experience it in order to really understand it.  But a fun way to talk about coaching is to use the analogy of learning how to ride a bike.  Here's the situation:  You are having a mid-life crisis and realize you never learned how to ride a bike.  If you ask a therapist how to ride a bike, they might answer with questions like "Why didn't you ever learn?" or "Is there some fear involved with this?" or "How does it feel that your parents never taught you?"  If you ask the same question to a consultant, they might answer with "Sure, I can show you how to ride....in fact, here are some step-by-step instructions on how to do it effectively."  But....if you ask the same question to a coach, they will automatically assume you have the ability to do it.  They will put you right up on top of the bike, and cheer you on while you're riding down the street!