Introduction

It is impossible to see work happening in a vacuum, and so is the case with growth. Coaching and feedback are vital elements when it comes to personal and professional development and, hence, deserve attention from business leaders and managers. The two may sound similar and they are closely linked, however, both the terms are different and are not interchangeable. Understanding Feedback vs. Coaching or the similarities/differences between them is critical when it comes to navigating the dynamics of the two.

In the previous blog, we looked at how to give constructive feedback. In this article, we will look at coaching and explore the nuances between Feedback and Coaching.

Understanding Feedback

Feedback is defined as a process wherein information is exchanged between two or more individuals. It can be both positive or negative and thus helpful or unhelpful. Feedback can be given either verbally or nonverbally. Feedback has to be timely, accurate, and precise.

While giving feedback, it is vital to avoid making assumptions and focus on the behavior, instead of the individual. It is also important to keep in mind that the objective of helping the individual is to improve their performance. Keeping this in mind, avoid giving critical views which can be hurtful, personal, or unnecessary. Rather, focus on giving constructive feedback, which will allow the person to learn and grow.

Understanding Coaching

Coaching is defined as a process that allows individuals to identify and achieve their professional and personal objectives. Coaches help their clients clarify their goals and develop a road map or action plan to carry out the required changes to achieve success.

In a sense, coaching can be called a partnership between client and coach, wherein the latter relies on active listening, posing questions, and following other techniques to help people reach their goals. Coaching is a different affair when compared to any therapy of counseling, which deals with addressing all past problems or fixing emotional issues. Rather, coaching deals more with helping people move forward with their particular goals.

Coaching is helpful when it comes to helping people who are struggling with making good changes in their lives including embarking on a new business venture, dealing with key life transitions, or changing careers. It also allows people to gain success and also helps them take their lives to the next level.

Types of Coaching

Below are few types of coaching:

• Career Coaching: It is a skill improvement program, which is used to guide people in their careers.
• Life Coaching: It helps in harnessing your full potential thus allowing you to achieve your dreams with life coaching.
• Skill Coaching: It provides people with additional knowledge to enhance their skill sets thus giving them a competitive edge.
• Leadership Coaching: It helps people in shaping and improving their leadership skills.

Feedback Vs. Coaching: Understanding the Difference

If we look from the perspective of professional development, it is vital to know the difference between the two.  Both are important tools for witnessing good growth and improvement. However, both differ in terms of their purpose and ideas. Let’s check how the two differ from each other.

• • Coaching is a Preparatory Process, & Feedback is a Corrective one

When it comes to coaching, it happens to be a preparatory process that helps anyone identify and achieve their objectives. On the other hand, feedback is a corrective process that offers information regarding a person’s performance. While coaching helps people learn and grow, feedback often helps them make adjustments to improve their performances. Although the two are important, they also offer different purposes and must be employed accordingly.

• • Coaching Focuses on Possibilities, Feedback focuses on Adjustments

Coaching relies more on belief, which everyone has the competence to enhance and grow. Feedback focuses more on what requirements to adjust or change. Although both approaches remain useful, coaching is based on lasting change. The reasons are obvious: Coaching allows individuals to check their potential and find their solutions instead of only telling them what they are required to do differently. Thus, coaching empowers people to carry out lasting changes in their lives instead of making a few temporary adjustments.

• • Coaching is for the Future, while Feedback is for the past

Both feedback and coaching are vital tools that help individuals enhance their performance at the workplace. Both deal with rendering information to people about their behavioral changes; however, there are some vital differences between them.

Coaching focuses more on helping people change their future behavior. It also helps in setting up goals and objectives and thus offers guidance and support only to allow someone to reach their objectives. On the other hand, feedback talks about rendering information about the past or even current behavior. This can be positive or negative. However, its core idea is to support people in understanding the way they do things and identifying areas where they might require changes.

Thus, both feedback and coaching can be useful when it comes to improving work performance. However, it is vital to understand the difference between the two so that each can be used effectively.

• • Coaching is Inquiry, Feedback is a Scrutinized Process

Coaching is inquiry-based, which means it focuses on posing questions and exploring different possibilities instead of giving away directives or advice. On the contrary, Feedback is scrutiny-based, which means it focuses more on finding problems and areas for improvement. Although both coaching and feedback are useful, they act in different ways. Coaching helps people develop, while feedback deals with correcting errors and thus improving performance. They require different approaches altogether.

Conclusion

Thus, it is vital to understand the difference between feedback and coaching and focus on both, if you aspire to be a competitive leader. Coaching helps you reach your set goals, while feedback is getting information about your performance. The two go in hand-in-hand and remain important tools to master for any leader who aspire to create a high performance team.