Post by Jana Feranová

“But you don’t know our sport.” “You’ve never worked in our industry.” These are some of the first things I often hear when speaking to a potential client. And my response is always the same: that’s exactly where my strength lies. I’m not part of your environment. I’m not influenced by “the way things have always been done” or by assumptions about what is supposed to be right. I don’t come with ready-made answers or advice on how to run your business or coach your athletes. I come with questions. Because I’m not immersed in your day-to-day reality, we often uncover perspectives and topics that might otherwise remain unexplored. To me, that’s the real power of coaching: not knowing, not judging and not advising, but being a thinking partner. Trusting that the client already has the potential to find the answers that are right for them. Perhaps that’s why, when choosing a coach, it’s worth looking beyond their industry background and paying attention to how they coach and the professional standards they follow. For me, those standards are defined by the ICF, where coaching is built on partnership, respect for the client and the belief that lasting solutions are discovered by the client—not provided by the coach.