The truth is that as many different coaches you have in your life as many different experiences you will encounter. Think of the teachers you had in school. Chances are that all of them had different teaching styles, introduced different learning methods, followed different grading schemes, required different homework activities, and as a whole built different types of energies in the classroom. Well, the same thing is true of coaches. Every coach is a unique combination of personality, experience, style, interests, utilized tools, coaching approaches and methods which all lead to building a unique coaching relationship and synergy. However, there is something shared between all professional coaches and it is the mastering of the core coaching competencies.
The professional regulatory body for coaches – The International Coach Federation (ICF) – has defined the eleven core competencies that every coach should develop and practice in order to deliver professional coaching to clients which are divided in four clusters: setting the foundation; co-creating the relationship; communicating effectively; and facilitating learning and results. In four consecutive posts I’ll discuss the behaviors you could expect from your professional coach and those that are unacceptable in congruence with the affirmed professional standards. I hope this would be helpful for you to better see the beauty of coaching, to understand your coaching relationship on a deeper level, or to evaluate whether you are getting professional coaching. So, let’s get started with the first two competencies that are about setting the foundation of coaching.
SETTING THE FOUNDATION
Competency 1: Meeting Ethical Guidelines and Professional Standards
This first core coaching competence describes the coach’s knowledge of the professional ethics and standards as well as the ability to practically apply these standards and norms in every single situation. On the first hand, a coach is open and honest with the client about his or hers qualifications, expertise, experience, certifications and credentials with ICF. Be aware if a coach misleads you with this type of information. It could be an attempt to justify his tariff or attract you as a client, but it could also be a sign that he is able to neglect adherence to the others too.
Next, a coach should never misrepresent others intellectual property as his own both in his practice and in his research. If during the session your coach uses a model or tool that is intriguing for you, ask where you could find more information on it.
A coach should always be aware of personal issues which might impair, conflict or deteriorate his performance as a coach or his coaching relationship with the client. In such cases the coach is expected to look for professional assistance to determine if he could continue working with the client or it is for the best interest of the client to end the coaching relationship. Here is an example. A client comes to a coaching session with emotional meltdown from the personal loss of her husband. So far she was doing great, achieving her desired goals, and moving steadily forward with her professional life. However, now she seems to be centered on her personal tragedy, struggles with accepting this ending, and seems unable to move forward. Her coach, a woman herself, has just overcome the long-lasting battle with accepting the death of her husband. During the session the coach finds that she is emotionally attached to her client, tends to share her own experience with a problem she considers to be similar to the client’s and instead of coaching she starts delivering advice-giving. In this case the coach ignores one of the main principles of coaching – that each individual has a unique perception and experience of events. The way the coach suffered and overcame her personal tragedy is not necessary the way that the client would take. This is why if the coach is not able to take the coaching perspective again toward the client, she might not be able to be of value to the client. A good sign for the client is when the coach easily shares his confusion, frustration or even personal experience. Remember: the coaching relationship is built on trust and openness which goes both ways. Another promising sign is when the coach notices his own advice-giving or story-telling, and shares it with the client.
Click here if you want to read the full list of the ethical standards professional coaches agree to comply with.
Finally, a coach should clearly understand and communicate to the client the differences between coaching, consulting, psychotherapy and the other support professions. This conversation should be held prior to starting the coaching relationship so that the client is fully aware of what coaching offers and what results could be expected. However, this conversation could be resumed during the sessions if the circumstances call for it. Let’s look at two hypothetical case studies. A client shows up for coaching to address a drinking problem. During the sessions it becomes clear that the client is extremely bored and dissatisfied with his work. Although he is valued and well-paid professional, the long hours, spent on delivering project after project, do not bring meaning in his life. The coach helps the client focus on his purpose in life and what a great life would look like for him. During the sessions the client identifies his dream job and plans a professional transition. With the first successful steps in his designated direction the drinking problem faded away. Another client shows up for coaching with the same stated problem – to address a drinking problem. He shares that it started few months ago when he lost his job and his wife left him. The coach is trying different techniques and approaches to help the client build some goals for the future and move forward. On the third session the coach notices that the client is unable to focus on the present and the future and is talking only about the missed opportunities in the past. In addition he shares that the drinking problem continues. At this point the coach might initiate a conversation where they are going with the client and whether coaching could be the right support for the client at that particular moment. The coach might suggest to the client to refer to a psychotherapist. If the client insists he needs a coaching, the coach might agree that they both would give it a final try if the client commits to doing his homework and coming prepared to the sessions.
Here I want to mention that sometimes the coach could put on the hat of a consultant to give an advise to the client. This approach is introduced by Whitworth, L., Kimsey-House, K., Kimsey-House, H, & Sandahl, P. (2007) in their incredible Co-active Coaching approach.This is possible when few conditions are met. First, the advice is from the area of the coach’s expertise. Second, the coach is truly believes that it would be of benefit for the client. Third, the client gives permission to the coach to put on the consulting hat.
Competency 2: Establishing the Coaching Agreement
This competency describes the ability of the coach to come to an agreement with every single client about the coaching process and relationship. Let’s look at the specific behaviors that describe this competence.
On the first place, a coach understands and effectively discusses with the client the guidelines and the specific parameters of the coaching relationship with the client. It is not enough to have a standard contract sent to the client for signature. The logistics, fees, scheduling, number of sessions, etc. is only part of the coaching agreement. This is the moment the coach should share the ethical guidelines he adheres to, like maintaining strict levels of confidentiality. However, a coach is not required by law to keep in private information shared during the sessions about actions that are against the law. This might be something you need to discuss with your coach on the contracting stage.
Next, the coach reaches an agreement with the client about the boundaries of the coaching relationship which should be done both ways. If the client has some specific requirement in congruence with his culture or religion for example, he should discuss this with the coach on this stage. Also the coach makes clear what he could offer to the client and what he could not. If you have some special needs initiate a dialogue with the coach to see if he can respond to them. Also both parties come to an agreement about the responsibilities of each in the relationship. Again, the foundation of coaching is that it is an open and trusting relationship, so it is of crucial importance that both the coach and the client commit to their responsibilities and do not compromise on them.
Finally, it is very important that a coach is able to determine if there is a match between his coaching method and the needs of the client. As much as we want to be of service to everyone, this is not always possible. For example, a coach could apply a holistic approach toward coaching. This means he believes that every client is a complex individual who plays different roles in life – a child, a parent, a manager, a professional, a friend, a committed member of a non-profit organization, etc. To be able to coach, this coach needs to touch on the main fields of the client life. If the client comes to coaching with the desire to achieve a career growth and is unwilling to discuss anything outside of his work, then possibly he needs to look for another coach. Sometimes a lack of match could not be found on the contracting stage. At a later point, the coach might find out that his approach, style, utilized methods or just personality are not a good fit for the client’s needs. The moment he comes to such an insight, he should share it with the client. And as a client, whenever you discover that you feel disconnected from your coach, initiate discussion to decide whether and how to move forward.
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