Our coaching profession often moves between two distinct approaches: the first, more traditional, starts from the client’s problems and guides them toward finding solutions; the second, more transformative, focuses on the greatness already present in the client, helping them fully manifest it.
As a Master Coach, and as a human being who has undergone my own personal evolution, I have experienced both approaches. I have seen the power of problem-solving and its effectiveness in providing practical answers.
However, I have also witnessed the extraordinary power of coaching that starts from greatness rather than problems.
The Coach’s Mindset: Beyond the Problem
A coach who follows ICF standards does not coach the problem but the person. This means that the coach is not there to fix anything but to partner with clients to allow them expand their awareness and realize their full potential. If we focus on and explore problems, we keep clients fixated on them. But if we choose to look at their greatness, we create the space for them to do the same.
A coach is invited to embrace the mindset that every client is already whole, resourceful, and capable of finding their own solutions. Coaching is not a practice that seeks to fill a void or fix what is broken; it is an art that enables a person to discover their own worth and manifest it in the world.
If we, as coaches, do not believe in our client’s greatness, how can we expect them to believe in it?
The Path of Problem-Solving
In my early years as a coach, my focus was often on identifying clients’ difficulties, helping them understand the causes, and guiding them toward concrete solutions. This method became a secure structure, a way to create immediate value through strategies, action plans, and clear goals.
There was nothing wrong with this: coaching is also a practical process, and providing problem-solving tools helps clients emerge from complex situations with greater awareness and determination.
However, over time, I began to perceive an inherent limitation in this approach. Focusing exclusively on problems meant, in some way, accepting that the client needed “fixing,” that their growth depended only on the ability to remove obstacles. But there was something deeper, something beyond that.
The Leap into the Manifestation of Greatness
The turning point came when I shifted my perspective and started seeing my clients not as people who needed help to overcome difficulties but as individuals already rich in resources, endowed with an intrinsic greatness waiting to be fully expressed.
It was no longer about overcoming problems but about recognizing what was already within them and helping them bring it into the world with clarity and confidence. I witnessed leaders discovering their true voice, entrepreneurs breaking limiting mental patterns, and ordinary people awakening to a new sense of possibility.
—– Concrete Cases: Coaching in Action
I recall an entrepreneur I worked with, stuck in a constant search for solutions to grow his business. Instead of focusing on challenges, we focused on his innate ability to create innovation.
The result? He developed a new business model based on his authentic vision, transforming his company into a benchmark in his industry.
Another case is that of a professional who constantly felt suffocated by external expectations. Instead of helping her “solve” the problem of external pressure, I offered her open curious and impactful questions to empower her to rediscover her value and uniqueness. Today, she confidently leads an international team, inspiring and empowering every member.
My Personal Experience as a Client
Not only as a coach but also as a client, I have personally experienced the power of this approach.
When my coach believed in my greatness more than I could at the time, I felt a radical shift. He never asked me to “fix” anything but encouraged me to recognize what already existed within me and bring it to the world.
That moment was the spark that allowed me to establish my academy and create a space for the growth of other coaches.
Being a Coach Means Choosing
Choosing whether to work on problems or greatness is not a rigid decision but an awareness that guides every coaching conversation. Sometimes clients need to face and resolve a difficulty before they can see their own light. Other times, they are ready to shine but don’t know how. Our role is to flow between these two dimensions with sensitivity and intuition.
Coaching is a declaration of trust in human potential.
It is the recognition that within every person lies extraordinary potential, just waiting to be unlocked. We, as coaches, are there to witness it, to believe in it even when the client cannot yet see it.
And this, perhaps, is the most beautiful challenge: to see potential even before it becomes visible, to believe in the greatness of those before us, and to accompany them toward its full manifestation.
Because it’s not just about solving problems. It’s about awakening the true power that every human being carries within.
If you found this article valuable, I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences on this topic.
Drop me a message or connect with me here
or book a FREE consultation here
