Integral Coaching vs Business Coaching: what to choose?

A bit more about what I’m doing now...

I’ve noticed that when people hear the word coaching, many immediately picture either self-proclaimed "experts” or some form of corporate performance coaching.

I leave you to judge on the first group. Let’s focus on the second.

The image of coaching in the corporate world is usually about improving your performance at work. You know how it goes: management thinks your results are not good enough, or your relationships with peers and subordinates aren’t ideal. So they “give you a chance to improve.” You get assigned a coach who will help you figure out what you’re doing wrong and how to “fix” it. And often, the only goal of these conversations is how to make you a better corporate employee. Sounds familiar?

There’s even that piece of office jargon — “He’s being coached.” Which usually means “His career is in trouble, but we’re giving him one last shot.”

But the Integral Coaching I practice is very different. It’s not about fixing your work habits or adjusting your office behavior. People are far too complex to be reduced to performance metrics.

In my experience, what shows up at work often mirrors something deeper: tension between your inner self and your environment, or something unresolved within your family. It’s a signal that you’re not fully at peace with yourself.

That’s why you can’t really be assigned to a coach. Starting coaching is a conscious decision — one you make when you’re ready to look inward. Working with a professional coach means building a relationship of trust and honesty. During these sessions, you can (and should) touch on all parts of your life — and begin to transform them.

Integral Coaching is about your whole life — about learning to love yourself, understand your own needs, and shape new patterns of mind, body, and heart. All the answers are already within you. A good coach simply helps you find them.

I like to believe that in the future, in a truly developed society, everyone will have a coach — not because something is “wrong,” but because we all deserve space to grow.