What is the difference between Organisational and Life Coaching?

So, what is the difference between organisational and life coaching? The main difference is that organisational coaching focuses on helping an individual to excel in their professional life, while life coaching focuses on helping an individual to live a more fulfilling life.

Organisational coaching typically involves working with an individual to help them develop their skills and achieve their goals within their career, while life coaching can involve working with an individual to help them overcome personal challenges, set and achieve goals, and improve their well-being.

Another key difference is that organisational coaching tends to be more structured and goal-oriented, while life coaching can be more flexible and tailored to the needs of the individual. Organisational coaching usually takes place over a fixed period of time, with specific goals that need to be achieved, while life coaching can be more open-ended and ongoing.

All these statements are ‘generalisations’, what happens will depend on what the Client actually wants.  And, so long as it is contracted (agreed) clearly, and you as the Coach knows that this is a realistic expectation, then it is OK.

In my personal experience, I have had Organisational Clients that continue for years in the context of Executive Coaching.  While the engagement may commence with a clear goal or need, once that is met, many clients utilise Coaching as an ongoing process for remaining resourceful and processing learning from experience in the face of challenges.

Likewise, in my experience, personal, or life coaching clients, tend to be self-funded and very goal focussed.  My engagements with them often end when the goal is achieved (usually at 5 coaching sessions).

So, which type of coaching is right for you? If you are looking to improve your skills and achieve your professional goals, then organisational coaching may be the right choice for you. If you are looking for help in overcoming personal challenges and achieving your life goals, then life coaching may be a better fit.

However, it is important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all answer, and the best way to decide which type of coaching is right for you is to speak to a qualified coach who can assess your needs and recommend the best course of action.  If you would like to learn more about coaching, feel free to join in my free online learning, Introduction to Coaching.  Click through here to access it today.. Thanks for reading!