In these modern times it is increasingly common for individuals and businesses to use the services of a business or life coach to help them set and achieve specific targets. The reason thought to be behind the increased use of these practices is a less stubborn attitude which currently prevails in society - in short we have all accepted that we sometimes need a little external help. It has been widely accepted that business or life coaching can really help.

Both business and life coaching involves similar techniques and have existed as professions in their own right since about the early 1990s. Coaching schools are self regulation. No industry wide independent body currently exists to regulate coaching schools.

The idea behind life coaching is that it is a method by which individuals can be helped to set and achieve personal goals. In order to achieve this life coaches will not use psychological analysis as such but rather will use methods from the areas of sociology, mentoring and career counselling.

One of the leading lights in the field of life coaching is a man called Ben Karter who was an ex sports coach who turned into a motivational speaker in the late 1970s and many of the techniques he used are still in use today. The main methods a life coach will use are mentoring, goal setting and behaviour modelling.

With regard to business coaching, even though the role of the business coach has changed dramatically over time, research papers show that many organisations were using some form of internal coaching from the 1930s to 1960s. Business coaching must be viewed as being distinct from mentoring. To be a good business coach you must have the skills of a good mentor but also you must have specific business expertise and experience which is relevant to the person you are coaching.

In common with life coaches, business coaches help businesses achieve success by providing them with a plan to achieve specific, well chosen targets. Both business coaching and life coaching involve giving an individual or a business the correct mindset to achieve their goals.

To learn more about executive coaching go to http://www.the-coaching-academy.com, the website of The Coaching Academy