You Wouldn’t Bung It All In – So Why Do That in Coaching?

 

Although this year I’m in Australia at Easter, it’s Spring again in the UK and with the long weekend ahead I hope you get some sunshine, even if it’s not quite warm enough yet to sit out in the garden for long.

Every Easter when I’m in the UK, I make a Simnel cake.

I use the same recipe and measure everything out even though I’ve made this every year for many years.

I could just bung everything into a tin and hope for the best but I don’t.

I still measure everything out and I still follow the steps.

Not because I don’t trust myself, but because I respect the process.

I know it works and It’s a great success every time.

I want to make sure that I have the right high quality ingredients, in the right quantities and cook it for the right amount of time so that the end product can be enjoyed by everyone in the way it is meant to be.

Because you know there’s nothing worse than looking forward to something only to be let down because it isn’t done properly or is overdone or it’s a flop!

Coaching is the same.

 

Respecting the Process

When you’re experienced, it’s tempting to think you can “just have a conversation” and sometimes that works. But if you want coaching that is consistently powerful, ethical and genuinely transformative, it helps to understand the structure that holds it in place.

A great session doesn’t happen by accident.It rests on foundations.

 

The Recipe

You need a tried and tested structure. Not a script or a rigid framework but a clear understanding of what effective coaching requires. What creates safety; what supports thinking;what keeps the centre of meaning-making with the client.

When coaches really understand the ICF Core Competencies in depth, they aren’t constraining. They are liberating. They give shape without suffocating the conversation.

 

The Ingredients

High-quality ingredients in coaching are things like presence, clean listening and thoughtful questions. They are curiosity without agenda. They are the ability to notice when you are attention is wandering and to refocus.

Like good flour and fresh eggs, they matter more than we sometimes realise.

And quantities matter too.

Too much input from the coach and the client’s thinking collapses. Too little focus and the conversation drifts. The balance is subtle. It’s something you refine over time by reflecting, reviewing recordings and being willing to look honestly at your own habits.

 

Timing

There’s also timing.

Knowing when to ask the next question and when to pause. When to let silence do the work and equally, knowing when a session has reached its natural close so that the client leaves with clarity rather than overload.

 

The End Result

When I put the cake in the oven, I know what I’m aiming for.

In coaching, the outcome isn’t about you performing well.

It’s about what the client experiences as a result of the conversation.

Whether that is greater awareness, a  fresh perspective or a shift that feels like it belongs to them.

When coaches come onto my mentoring programme to prepare for their credential, many are surprised by how precise this all is in practice.

 

Consistency Isn’t Accidental

It’s not about ticking boxes. It’s about understanding the process deeply enough that your coaching works consistently, not occasionally.

There’s nothing worse than looking forward to something and being disappointed because it hasn’t quite been done properly.

Coaching deserves the same care as any treasured family recipe.

When you respect the process, choose your ingredients wisely and understand how it all fits together, the result is something others can truly enjoy.

Until next time,

Cath

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