Coach As Consultant

I am thrilled to share with you a recent article I wrote– “Coach As Consultant” that is published in Volume 8, Number 2, Pages 39-40 of Choice Magazine. This article distinguishes similarities and differences in the roles of Coaching and Consulting.  So, are you a coach, consultant, or both? Learn more by clicking here to read the full article.

I sent out the above notice to my mailing list a couple of hours ago and got many responses!  A few are captured here, and I’d love for you to chime into the dialogue in the comment box below!
“Excellent repurposing and marketing!”  ~GS
“Suzi, begrudgingly opened up the Choice magazine to find your article, boy was I psyched. Great job and so very helpful!” ~JR
“Congrats on this article, Suzi. It’s a good one!” ~JS
“Interesting article and right on mark for me. A major decision for me this past year was not to pursue ICF Certification because my style of coaching– that which resonates with my current and target clinets– does not comply with the ICF definintion of coaching.  I suspect there are a lot of ICF-credentialed coaches that fit this bill too.” ~DM
“congrats ! well done” ~MB
“congrats on getting published again!    beautiful article and i found the distinction between coaching and consulting intriguing to consider.   definitely important but i bet many have not considered the differences.” ~SA
“Great article, I agree with you, in fact I sometimes refer to myself as a consultant even when I am hired as a coach.  Thank you ICCO for creating those distinctions for me.” ~SI
“Thank you for the article you wrote, “Coach as Consultant”. It makes me think a little more of how to put myself out in the marketplace.” ~NB
“Interesting question, Suzi, and important to me since I’m one of those “directive coaches.” My clients hire me to be just that, so if I’m doing more than asking questions, does that constitute consulting and make me in violation of my coaching contract?” ~MW
“Great and timely article!!. I would only argue (for self-serving purposes) that some coaches by training and experience have more consulting know-how and formal knowledge about how organizations and their processes work than do those who reduce  everything to intra- and interpersonal relationships.” ~FM
“I look forward to reading your article.  I glanced at it!  I deal with the coach vs consultant every day!” ~AS
“Nice piece Suzi. Well stated and bravo for addressing the ICF ethics controversy.” ~MR
“Love this, Suzi!  I TOTALLY agree.  This view is a more customer-centered view, too.  Sometimes I think we make these finer distinctions as a way to set ourselves off as more important or to show our importance.  I don’t think this is as important to those we serve.  Bravo…and you took a risk as well v. ICF, which I admire.” ~TF
“I really love this article!  Have you read Doug Silsbee’s book, The Mindful Coach?  He lists 7 roles a coach plays.  I really like the way he describes it, because it includes more than just asking questions as a role of a coach.  I don’t believe that the “client always has the answers.”  Sometimes they don’t.  While it’s certainly not the job of the coach to pose as an “answer giver,” sometimes it is helpful to flat out make suggestions.  Well done!  The ICF ruling is a bit unsettling though.  I think that life coaching and organizational coaching are different than sometimes the ICF accounts for.  HBR had a great article on the Wild West of Coaching that talked about the confidentiality issue for example–it being a 3 way design with the hiring manager.  Anyway, as you can see you touched on a hot button!” ~CW
“Congratulations on an excellent article. Good job!” ~JL
“I think this is a great article–glad to see the topic addressed so thoughtfully.” ~KN