By Teresa Peters, Founder of Accelerator Coaching Ltd.
We hear the word coaching a lot in business. But let’s be honest – what does it actually mean?
In today’s fast-paced work world, coaching is more than a buzzword. It’s a structured, thought-provoking process that helps leaders and teams unlock their full potential.
Think of it like this: you’re sitting in a campervan (or company car!) with a destination in mind – maybe improved performance, better communication, or simply the feeling that you’re driving your own life again. Coaching helps you switch on the ignition and move forward with intention.
At Accelerator Coaching, we often use car metaphors to explain the landscape:
The Mentor is your experienced driving instructor. They share stories from the road.
The Therapist helps you understand why you’re hesitant to drive in the first place.
The Consultant brings the manual and gives you the route.
But the Coach? They sit beside you, listen, ask questions, and support you to find your own best driving style – with confidence, clarity, and resilience.
What exactly is coaching?
The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as:
“Partnering with clients in a thoughtprovoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential.”
At Accelerator Coaching, we bring that to life with warmth, encouragement, and a healthy sprinkling of yellow – our way of describing empathic positivity and clarity that builds trust and momentum.
Beyond the driver’s seat: Team and group coaching
Team coaching is where the real shift happens for organisations. It’s not just about individuals – it’s about coaching the team as a system. The coach supports improved collaboration, communication, and leadership – helping the team become greater than the sum of its parts.
Group coaching brings together individuals with similar challenges or goals. It’s often a more cost-effective way to access coaching, while creating shared insight and accountability. When done well, it’s interactive, energising, and deeply human.
Why Invest in Coaching?
Coaching doesn’t just feel goodit works.
According to research by the ICF and PricewaterhouseCoopers:
85% of clients report increased confidence
77% improve leadership effectiveness
72% make sharper, faster decisions
And for those focused on ROI, a Fortune 500 study showed that executive coaching can generate up to a 788% return on investment, driven by improved productivity, retention, and relationships.
Put simply: coaching fuels performance and wellbeing-and helps individuals take the wheel of their own progress.
It can also:
Empower greater ownership
Develop current and future leaders
Boost morale and engagement
Strengthen emotional intelligence
Reveal untapped strengths
We often combine 1:1 coaching, workshops, team pods, and profiling tools like DiSC, StrengthsFinder and the Emotional Capital Report (ECR) to create real, long-term culture change.
Credibility counts
Coaching is an unregulated industry, so it’s essential to work with accredited professionals. Our team includes coaches accredited by the ICF, EMCC, and the Association for Coaching (AC) – three respected global bodies.
True accreditation involves far more than attending a course. It includes hundreds of hours of logged practice, ethical frameworks, professional supervision, and continuous learning. After all, coaching is deep mindset work – and it should be held with care, skill, and integrity.
The journey starts here
There are many wonderful coaches, mentors, and interventions – each with their own style. We lean towards sunshine and structure: empathy, positivity and clear thinking.
So if you’re ready to shift gears, check your blind spots, and take the best journey of your life – maybe it’s time to turn the ignition.
acceleratorcoaching.co.uk