When looking at services for either your company or yourself you will see two types: coaching and consulting. Most people these words are interchangeable, however they provide two different services. I like to explain the difference in the following analogy.
Imagine you wanted to walk to the top of a mountain. You can see the mountain so you start walking in that direction. At first it is easy but eventually you come to some woods and it’s not so clear which way you should go. You notice multiple paths all around you. Some look like they lead towards the mountain, and others look like the lead away from the mountain. While you are standing there a coach comes along with a map. You ask the coach the best route get to the mountain. Instead of telling you which path to take the coach asks you questions like “how far do you want to walk?”, “how steep of a climb do you want?”, “how scenic of a view would you like?”, etc. Based on how you answer the coach helps you eliminate certain paths until you decide which path is best for you. You then take that path and the coach follows you to repeat the same process for when you come to an area again with multiple paths.
Now let’s consider the same scenario but instead of a coach that walks up, it is a consultant with the map. You ask the consultant which path is the best route to get to the mountain. The consultant tells you can take paths A, B, and C to get there the fastest. The consultant then tells you the distance and incline of each path. Then leaves it to you take the path you want saying give me a call if you end up off the path.
See the goal of both coaching and consulting is the same; to get you to the mountain. How they help you get there is very different. The coach will guide you, allowing you to you deciding how to get there, and a consultant will give you a direct route there but it may not be the route that fits you the best.
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