I am a Kolbe Consultant and a Life Coach, though consulting and coaching are not the same thing. Two years ago, I saw the clearest distinction between them.
Consultant
Provides solutions to client problems
Hired for subject matter expertise
Takes in work which is meant to yield consultant-influenced outcomes
Provides information
Generally short-term and project-oriented results
Coach
Provides support for client challenges or opportunities
Hired for the ability to help the client change and grow
Expected to support the client in yielding client-desired outcomes
Promotes self-discovery
Occurs over a period of time and focused on long-term results
Since I am both a consultant and a coach, which camp do I fall into? A little of both. When I consult or coach, I keep moving forward and believe that everyone has their own answers. Thankfully, I ask really good questions to help you get to where you need to be. As a client pointed out to me last week, it helps to coach when I know how that person works naturally, which is what the Kolbe Index is for. There are four different modes to solve problems or create solutions, and I cater my coaching to how you naturally do this. The client is with me due to their own challenging situation. It makes more sense for me to work with their natural grain instead of how I think things need to be done.
I start off as a consultant and, as I gain tools (Kolbe results, Opgig results), I start coaching to your specific needs.
Cheers,
Gail
