Two coaching tenets I reject
There are a couple of tenets every coaching program insists on, and today I'll admit I flout one regularly and disagree with the other. One is that the coach is a facilitator, an elicitor, a steward of process, not an advisor. Worth noting: coaches in almost every other context are directive. The other is that coaching is a methodology almost anyone can learn, and that it doesn't require subject matter expertise to be effective. That's the one I disagree with.
Coaching programs get around this by letting people specialize in coaching types or frameworks. The intent, I think, is to make up for gaps in content expertise with sophisticated methods that help clients interrogate their own processes and resources. Cool. I don't think that's enough.
People look for some sort of experiential symmetry in a coach: that you've had similar life experiences or been successful under similar conditions. That you've been in their shoes. Not every obstacle an experienced leader faces is philosophical, process based, or located in their own behavioral patterns. Sometimes they've just never done this thing before and want to hear from someone who has, someone they trust. They could do research, but YOUR specific coloring, perspective or value system resonates more deeply. So punting their questions back to them in three different, creative ways is just obnoxious. An effective coach needs the facility to toggle between coach and advisor, coaching conventions notwithstanding. That's the tenet I flout.
Here's why experience matters. I've coached a number of athletes, but on business, not sports. Imagine I coached them at the height of their career without ever having played. I can be a student of the game, but I'd miss the emotional experience you only understand if you've been in it. If I've never wrestled, I'll never know what weight cutting truly feels like. If I've never played professional basketball, I'll never understand how back-to-back games feel in your body and mind, or how locker room dynamics affect performance on the court, the field, in the arena, in the fight. That's why I coach the transition: it's where my experience applies. The same is true in the boardroom. If you haven't navigated the behavioral friction of a hyper-growth tech environment or felt the pressure of co-founder conflict, it's incredibly hard to guide a leader through it.
Being present and resourceful in someone's hardest professional moments takes empathy. Leaning into the tactical takes experience, because experience shapes the caliber of your execution. That is why subject matter expertise is not incidental. I have operated in many professional environments at a high level and intentionally put myself in the shoes and mindset of the people I coach. Beyond the credential, that's the foundation of my work. If you're at a professional crossroads and curious what it might be like to work with me, athlete or not, find a slot in my calendar.