It is a question I often come across. And it is a good one.
For many managers, the two get conflated. You have conversations with your manager, mentors, and colleagues who listen. What does a coach actually add?
The answer is: entirely different things.
What a conversation with your manager is
Ett samtal med din manager handlar om prestation. Om mål, leverans och förväntningar. Det är nödvändigt och viktigt. Men det sker alltid i ett maktförhållande. Din chef har synpunkter, har bedömningar och har ett intresse i hur du presterar. Det påverkar vad du säger – och vad du inte säger.
What coaching is
Coaching is a structured conversation with someone who has no agenda other than yours. No assessment. No stake in the outcome. No function other than to help you think more clearly.
That creates a space that is difficult to create within an organization. Space to think out loud about things you cannot think out loud about with your manager. To explore uncertainties you usually conceal. To address what you know you should address.
What it actually gives you
The managers I have worked with who have invested in coaching describe it in similar terms: they make better decisions. They communicate more clearly. They find it easier to prioritize.
Not because the coach gave them the answers. But because the conversations helped them find their own.
That is the difference. And it is why coaching works in a way that nothing else quite does.
ICC coach certification och vad det innebär
I will start my ICC certification in autumn 2026. The International Coaching Community (ICC) is one of the world’s leading coaching organizations, with certification based on documented competencies and practical experience.
That does not mean I am starting coaching from scratch. It means I am formalizing and deepening a competency I have built over 25 years of working with leaders and organizations.
If you have thoughts, questions, or simply want to talk something through — feel free to get in touch. I am happy to have an initial conversation with no agenda.
Right person. Right place. Everything changes.