Releasing a person's potential

One of the basic differences between the two fields is that training is more classroom based, while a coaching process takes place in real life and real job situations. Unlike training, which normally takes no longer than two to three days, a coaching process is usually much longer.

"Business coaching is a one-to-one relationship, lasting over six months and it requires frequent one-to-one contact, where the focus is on developing individual's capabilities," explained Andrew Atter, a one-to-one business coach.

While Atter says that international corporations and global companies long-ago realized the value of coaching, Polish companies are just starting to do so.

"There is a demand for coaching in Poland. I don't think the demand is satisfied. Polish leaders see their managers oversees or they bring in coaches from UK or the Netherlands and this is very expensive," Atter said.

He says that there are still only a handful of professional coaches operating in Poland. "The demand at the moment is met by trainers, sales or management consultants filling the gap even if they are not fully qualified to do this job," he added.

Within his scope of activities Attler provides several different levels of coaching. Board coaching is about coaching board director about strategic directions of a company, and mergers and cooperative structures. Executive or CEO-level coaching is the most popular form of coaching that Atter offers. Then there's hyperextension coaching where he will prepare somebody to take over a certain position in a company within a few months time.

The coaching process is all about individual guidance, with a coach watching his or her student and instructing them what they are doing right or wrong.

"Before starting to coach somebody it is vital for me to see that person at work for a few days," Iwona Majewska-Opiełka explained.

This takes place in real job situations, so that skills being learned are immediately applied in real life situations.

"In this way coaching is similar to apprenticeship," Piasecki said. He says a lot of conversation and  dialogue is involved because the coach helps their subject set goals, work on the skills necessary to achieve those goals and implement them in the real-work situation under the coach's guidance.

In essence Piasecki explains a good coach should be able to provide model knowledge, model skills, but he doesn't show the subject how to do something - it is the student who must acquire those skills for himself.