What is Coaching

What is Coaching in modern personal and professional development

Understanding what Coaching is has become essential for anyone seeking personal growth, leadership transformation or a new professional direction. Across life, business, sports, and organizational contexts, Coaching is now recognized worldwide as one of the most effective methods to unlock human potential, improve performance and create measurable change.

ICF defines Coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”

At Vira Human Training, we embrace globally recognized standards inspired by the International Coaching Federation (ICF). These principles guide every professional interaction and help establish clarity, ethics and professionalism.

The essence of Coaching

A partnership that empowers growth
Coaching is a structured and collaborative partnership designed to support a person in achieving clear, meaningful and measurable goals. It is future-oriented, action-driven and centered on expanding awareness, choice and responsibility.

According to internationally recognised standards and the ICF definition of Coaching, Coaching is based on core principles such as presence, active listening, powerful questioning, ethics and continuous learning.

What it is not

To avoid confusion, it is useful to clarify what Coaching does not do:

• It does not give advice.
• It does not solve problems in place of the client.
• It does not analyse the past or treat emotional disorders.
• It does not provide ready-made answers.

Instead, Coaching supports the client toward understanding themselves more deeply and taking effective, intentional and aligned action.

How Coaching works

A professional process follows a clear structure that also shows how a Coaching conversation works, and typically includes:

• defining the overall goal of the professional journey
• setting specific objectives for each session
• exploring obstacles and opportunities
• activating internal and external resources
• identifying actions, strategies and commitments
• evaluating progress and celebrating achievements

This structure adapts to individual needs and to the context in which Coaching is applied, whether personal, business or sports.

Where Coaching creates impact

Life Coaching: personal clarity and transformation

Individuals turn to Life Coaching when they want to:

• improve confidence and self-awareness
• strengthen decision-making skills
• navigate transitions
• build healthier habits and routines
• increase motivation and personal fulfillment

A Life Coach supports clients in observing patterns, redefining priorities and taking aligned action. For example, someone feeling stuck in their career may use Coaching to clarify strengths and values before making a strategic change.

Business, Executive and Internal Coaching: growth for organizations

Organizations rely on Coaching to increase performance, leadership quality and workplace culture. It is used with professionals at all levels: employees, managers, executives and internal coaches.

Typical benefits include:

• improved leadership and emotional intelligence
• higher team engagement and productivity
• clearer communication and conflict management
• better decision-making under pressure
• alignment between personal values and organizational goals

For example, an Executive Coaching program may help a senior leader improve delegation, strategic thinking and presence during key meetings. Internal Coaching, increasingly common in international companies, trains selected employees to use Coaching skills within the organization to support colleagues and teams.

Sport and Mental Coaching: performance under pressure

Athletes use Coaching to refine focus, maintain consistency and develop a resilient mindset.

Sport and Mental Coaching often address:

• managing pressure
• building winning routines
• strengthening concentration
• overcoming performance blocks
• maintaining motivation through long seasons

A tennis player, for instance, may work with a Mental Coach to develop pre-performance rituals that stabilize emotional intensity during competitions.

Team Coaching: collective intelligence and collaboration

Teams use Coaching to improve alignment, roles clarity, shared goals and communication.
Typical outcomes include:

• increased trust
• more effective collaboration
• improved problem-solving
• shared accountability
• stronger cultural identity

Team Coaching is especially powerful during organizational changes or when new teams are formed.

Why Coaching works

A method based on awareness and responsibility
Coaching helps individuals and groups access new levels of clarity. Through powerful questions and reflective dialogue, clients see possibilities they had not previously considered. They become more responsible for their decisions and more intentional in their actions.

A safe and ethical environment
Inspired by ICF’s Code of Ethics and Core Competencies, professional Coaching ensures:

• confidentiality
• respect for the client’s autonomy
• non-judgment
• cultural awareness
• clear agreements and boundaries

These elements protect both the client and the Coach, ensuring a transparent and professional partnership.

What makes Vira Human Training different

As an international School of Professional Coaching, Vira Human Training stands out for its commitment to high-quality training and ethical standards.
Our educational approach integrates:

• theoretical and experiential learning
• structured practice with peers
• mentoring with active and seasoned professionals
• professional supervision
• continuous feedback and support

This combination ensures that every future Coach develops not only technical skills, but also a professional identity grounded in presence, integrity and global best practices.

Our vision is simple: contribute to shaping a new generation of Coaches who act with competence, humanity and awareness.

Key insights: what you should remember

Before starting an internationally recognised Coaching journey, it is helpful to keep in mind the essential principles described in this article.

Frequently asked questions

Understand What is Coaching

If you want to understand Coaching in its most authentic, ethical and transformative form (or if you are considering becoming a Professional Coach) explore the international training programs of Vira Human Training.

Our team will guide you step by step in discovering the path best aligned with your goals and aspirations.