The Coach is a Facilitator for Self-Findings

Coaching is not About Teaching People
Gilbert Aubert, Coach, Costa Rica, Member
The coach is like a gardener. She/he prepares and paves the way for plants to grow alone, via coaching techniques.

Coach Shows the Way ..
Valdir Mendes, Manager, Brazil, Member
I see the role of coach as a spiritual mentor who works with psychological techniques so that the person or team moves / stays in the right direction.

The Coach is a Tool, The Coachee Drives
Giovanni, Strategy Consultant, Italy, Member
I'm a coach and not a teacher... I do always remember that a coach is a tool...
The coachee drives...

Coach: the Guide by the Side
Udoy Narayan Ganguly, Teacher, India, Member
My compliments for bringing out the essence so succinctly. I feel a coach is like a 'guide by the side'. S/he facilitates the coachee to discover him/herself.

Sometimes Coaching Support Means Telling...
Philip Smart, Coach, United Kingdom, Member
There are times when a client really cannot find a way forward and needs more than a guide.
It is then the role of a coach to direct him/her when appropriate.

The Facilitator Helps to Maximize an Individual's Learning
miguel, Consultant, Mexico, Member
The facilitator encourages and helps the client, by encouraging their active participation in the process, since the essence of facilitation is awakening opinions and help people decide what they want to do and how they want to do it.
That is, as a facilitator one helps to maximize an individual's learning from their experiences.

Helping your Coachee to see possibilities: PAPA
chin yook kong, PhD, Coach, Malaysia, Member
Coaching is helping your coachee to see possibilities. To coach is to be like a papa:
P - The coach verifies the PURPOSE for coaching and helps the coachee sees what the PERFECT SITUATION (P) is like.
A - Then he helps to identify the gap between where the coachee is now and where he wants to be - the ACTUAL (A).
P - Then he challenges the coachee to surface the different POSSIBILITIES (P).
A - And finally he ensures the coachee follows up with ACTIONS (A) on the chosen path (top ranked possibilities).
Coaching is like PAPA.

Essence of Coaching
Udoy Narayan Ganguly, Teacher, India, Member
@Gilbert Aubert: I agree with the basic concept. However, the saplings need direction to grow and for that, perhaps 'Socratic' method of guiding others find their own solutions through appropriate questions (by the coach), helps the coachee develop independent, deep roots. This, I feel, is the essence of coaching.