Dr. Ujjwal Bikram Khadka


Leadership is something that permeates all areas of our lives. But there is confusion among the general public about few key terminologies centered around this topic. And this is a very common question that I get asked a lot in my leadership training sessions: Questions like, “What is the difference between Leadership and Coaching? How does coaching differ from counseling? How is coaching, as a profession,  regulated? What are the career prospects? “

So, in this article, I will try to clarify few key terms. Leadership isn’t related to politics. And it isn’t related to a branch of discipline which is studied under some business subjects like management alone, though that could be a case too. But leadership is something that touches everybody’s lives. 

Anytime a student aspires to become something–a doctor, engineer, pilot, banker or what have you–he is, in essence, setting himself on a path to self-motivation and leadership. That journey is a journey in leadership. It is a positive move, something that fosters success and happiness. 

Whenever a political or organizational leader–CEOS, managers and aspiring managers or HR personnel–sit down and delineate or try to formulate common agendas that could take their Nation or organization to a whole new level, they are displaying leadership or walking that path, that road. Again, to bring about desired success. 


Every time a youngster who’s lost his way…lost his way through addiction or failed and missed educational opportunities toils to get hold on his life or foster footing in his life, he’s trying to employ leadership to pick himself up (through his bootstraps, if that’s how bad his current situation is). 


Leadership helps people get back up, to breathe new zest and passion into their lives. Whenever such folks earlier found themselves faltering in their ambitions, they knew that leadership was the missing link, the impetus that could help them excel in life, despite former adversities and challenges.  And many successful people in the World haven’t always been that–successful–they’ve had to pick themselves up. For example, Oprah Winfrey, the TV superstar of The Oprah Winfrey Show, was raped as a thirteen-year-old, and hers is a life that was fretted with challenges and adversities earlier on. Abraham Lincoln, the U.S President, who’s regarded as the greatest President ever primarily for his role in the abolition of slavery in America, was unsuccessful for the most part of his life: in marriage, business, an earlier career in myriad areas. Yet, he later picked himself up and persisted. But those earlier failures didn’t define him; he excelled through those adversities, through those failures. That life is an example of leadership in action.

What is Coaching?

Coaching is an act where leaders act as change agents, facilitator or catalysts to bring about change, success and prosperity. My mentor and World’s number one Leadership trainer and Executive Coach, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith defines Coaching as: “It is a process that helps successful leaders get more successful”. So, Marshall’s definition of Coaching and leadership emphasizes the point that even successful leaders need coaching.

Simply, coaching is when the student, political leader, and the addicted person in earlier examples find their way and success in the World: Often through self-motivation but also through seeking professional help of coaches.

And there are different types of coaching. Some employ Behavioral Coaching–something Dr. Marshall Goldsmith is a World authority in, and which along with mindfulness is my own personal brand of leadership. 

Then there is strategic coaching, where technical management skills and education are dealt with. Dr. Dave Ulrich is an expert in strategic coaching.

A newer and emerging area is Coaching in the line of soft leadership. My friend and mentor International Leadership Guru, Professor M.S Rao, is a renowned name in the subject. 

We also have Leadership coaching, which basically means that this mode of coaching basically deals with various aspects of leadership. Which is not indistinguishable from aforementioned terminologies. 

Spiritual coaching is when coaches train people to align their physical, mental or emotional and higher or spiritual self. Here, the idea is to help clients or trainees attain success and happiness through understanding their complete Self. 

How is the profession of Coaching regulated?

 There exists the 10,000 hour rule in the field–where if a person dedicates 10,000 hours of his life in any worthwhile branch of studies or specialty he’s deemed an “expert”, unofficially yes but an expert all the same–and there are many coaches in the World who are highly regarded in the field of coaching based on their informal research and writings or speaking or training experiences alone. Tim Ferriss and Robin Sharma are perfect examples. 

Yet, some advanced Nations like U.K emphasizes the need for the profession to be regulated and the International Coach federation (ICF in short) is the accrediting body that grants accreditation in the field of Coaching in the form of credits sometimes called CCEUs. To work as a Coachee in these countries, one needs to be professionally certified in the field. 

So, an aspirant can either incorporate Coaching through gaining experience and training, or they could join a Coaching school itself. It can work either way. But the best idea to succeed in the field is to carry on working hard (through reading, learning, training, writing and above all, teaching leadership) , and not to depend on instant successes and short-cuts. Like every worthwhile endeavor the adage “Success is not an accident” applies here too. 

How Coaching and counseling differ.

Counseling is  branch of field that works along broader disciplines. For example a psychologist or counselor in the field of psychology, generally works with a Psychiatrist (if required) to aid the client in coping with his problems. Likewise a spiritual counselor analyzes deeper issues–like lack of meaning and self-worth–in their clients. They–the counselors–need to be professionally certified and work under strict guidelines and regulations. 

The career prospects:

External coaches work independently. They bring about change by setting up workshops and seminars or speaking and training sessions in a timely fashion. They are hired in a temporary fashion. 

Internal Coaches stay with an Organization and work with the Human Resources department in usual cases. They too run seminars and workshops as part of the training.

Coaching is a multi-billion dollar industry. Everyone from athletes, movie-stars and celebrities to commoners seek the help of coaches at some point in their lives. Seeking the help of coaches is not a sign of weakness. It is a taboo that needs to be expelled. As described by Dr Goldsmith earlier, “Even Successful leaders need training or coaching”. Some coaches like Tony Robbins have become highly rich and influential due to the sheer number of people that they have trained. 

It is not about the profession, but your passion in the field–and in life–that will help you succeed.


Dr. Ujjwal Bikram Khadka, Dr. Marshall Goldsmith Certified Executive Coach and Leadership trainer and author of Amazon best-seller, Pull of Your Soul.

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