Differentiating Teaching, Consulting and Coaching


During my years as a middle school principal, I believed I was coaching my teachers and leadership team, and most of my principal colleagues would have agreed with me.

My executive coaching training introduced me to some valuable language to help understand the difference between what I was doing and what the coaching world means by coaching. According to the International Coaching Federation, I actually was teaching and consulting, not coaching. I have learned in my own work that knowing the difference and being able to match the right approach to the right growth area is critical to developing leaders.

» TEACHING occurs when a manager models, guides practice, observes practice and gives performance feedback. Teaching is appropriate when someone has a skill deficiency or knowledge gap.

» CONSULTING takes place when guiding questioning, giving advice and co-creating. Consulting is appropriate when someone needs a thought partner to help solve problems.

» COACHING means supporting someone to uncover her or his internal obstacles and replace deeply ingrained self-limiting mindsets and behaviors with productive new mindsets and behaviors.

As a principal, I mostly taught — by modeling, practicing and giving feedback on a skill — and consulted — by giving advice and co-creating. This didn’t help when my staff members had mindset obstacles under the surface. Strong managers who coach know that when someone hits a wall with technical skill development, there’s a deeper obstacle to growth that we can’t see. That’s when they shift to coaching.


— MATTHEW TAYLOR