There is a common conversation that happens to me in my role as a coach.

“Oh, you’re a coach. I’m actually looking for some advice on my current project. Can you help me?”

It has made me think deeply on whats the difference between coaching and advising really is.

To start with advising, I feel that the best advice comes from people who have significant experience in a field. For example, you want advice on your taxes from a tax expert, and you definitely want an expert advising you on your shoulder surgery.

The best advice is usually constraint by it’s field. Tax advice from a surgeon is no good.

And sometimes advice seems like “bad advice”. We have all heard some, but in reality bad advice is often good advice with a timing problem, or a problem in how that advice is received.

Whatever the advice, always bear in mind that free advice is free for a reason.

Coaching is different. Good coaching is often a process that starts with lots of questions aimed at understanding you, understanding what you’re saying and understanding what you are going through. All this is in service of making sure that I, as the coach, am sure I’m “getting” it. The process is focused on you.

A good coach will leave you with a clearer state of mind. You can never get too much access to your own best wisdom and insights. You can never be too clear on how your own thinking works, so good coaching is always useful.

Advice is often a one-time deal and can be a great plaster to help move things forward. A coach, on the other hand, is in the business of accessing the breadth and depth of their experience and objectivity to help you see your reality in a new way.

Conor McCarthy is a business coach, entrepreneur, and speaker. Come say hello at conormccarthy.me