Edward Macdonald, MCC, went from planning to get a GED and build a log cabin in Alaska to earning a bachelor's degree in two years and launching a coaching career. He argues coaching differs from teaching or mentoring because it's a partnership where the client is the expert on their own life, not a top-down expert telling them what to do.
I went from not knowing what I wanted to do with my life— my plan was to get a GED and move to Alaska and build a log cabin— to receiving coaching, getting a bachelor's degree in 2 years, finding my career, building a network of friends and peers and colleagues. Coaching changed my life. I could talk for hours on how coaching changed my life. After receiving coaching, it changed my life so much I wanted to be a coach. If you want to help people, you can be a teacher, you can be a mentor, you can be a counselor, you can be a consultant. There's so many ways you can help people with what you do, but those are all top-down. I know something you don't know, and I'm going to help you get better. Coaching is the only thing out there that pairs someone who is an expert at the process of coaching with someone who's an expert on their life, and they walk together down the road to help that person achieve their goals. If you focus on strengths, values, beliefs, opportunities, your love for someone, your common mission, mission or vision, those things become permanent and pervasive because what you focus on grows.
Susan’s ICF Educator Award | The Heart Behind the Impact Katy Montgomery, PCC
