Coaching 101: Understanding the Difference Between Coaching Goals, Outputs, and Outcomes
Muhammad Adithia Amidjaya, S.Si., M.Sc., PCC
Professional Certified Coach™
How are you?
One of the great strengths of coaching lies in its ability to bring clarity, progress, and transformation. But it’s important to recognise that not every result from coaching is immediate or visible within a single session.
To make coaching more focused and impactful, there are three key terms we need to understand, each distinct yet interconnected:
🔹 Session Goal 🔹 Coaching Output 🔹 Coaching Outcome
Equally important: each has its own measure of success.
Let’s explore them one by one.
1. Session Goal: What the Client Wants to Achieve Today
A session goal is the specific result the client aims to reach by the end of a coaching conversation. It’s usually concrete, actionable, and directly relevant to the situation they’re currently facing.
Example: “Today, I want to figure out how to respond constructively to conflict with my colleague.”
How is success measured? By how the client evaluates whether the goal has been met.
For instance: “I know what I want to say and how to say it calmly,” or “I feel more prepared and confident to talk to them this week.”
2. Coaching Output: What Is Produced During the Session
A coaching output refers to the tangible result generated during or after the session. This may vary depending on the topic or client need, and could include:
An action plan,
A decision made,
A new insight or perspective,
A framework or even a written document co-created during the session.
Outputs are important because they give the client something concrete to take away from the session.
Examples: a step-by-step plan, a personal reflection, or key language the client will use in a meaningful conversation.
Measure of Success: The output itself is the measure.
If the session goal was to make a decision, the decision becomes the output. If the client creates a three-step action plan, that becomes the measure of success from the output perspective.
However, not all signs of success are visible outputs. A sense of calm, renewed clarity, or improved focus may also indicate a successful session, even if no “product” is created.
3. Coaching Outcome: The Long-Term Impact
The coaching outcome is the longer-term change in the client’s life or work that emerges over time, as they apply what they’ve gained from their coaching sessions.
Examples:
Increased confidence in leadership,
Better stress management,
Improved workplace relationships,
A successful career transition.
Measure of Success: Outcomes are evaluated through behavioural or mindset changes and longer-term results.
For example, the client receives positive feedback from their team, feels more composed when making tough decisions, or adapts successfully to a new role.
Outcomes are not always immediately visible, but they can be tracked over time through reflection, pattern recognition, or measurable achievements.
Why This Distinction Matters
Understanding the difference between a goal, an output, and an outcome, and knowing how to measure each, makes the coaching process:
More structured,
More valuable from the client’s perspective,
And more impactful in the long term.
As a coach, you can begin with simple yet powerful questions:
“What would you like to achieve today?”
“What would make this session a success for you?”
“What are you taking away from this session, and how would you like to apply it?”
And remember: the highest value of coaching is not just what happens in the coaching space but what changes in the real world as a result.
Feel free to share this post with your network. 🙏
M. Adithia Amidjaya, S.Si., M.Sc., PCC
Feel free to share this post with your network. 🙏
M. Adithia Amidjaya, S.Si., M.Sc., PCC
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