Coaches are usually passionate about learning, and that includes learning about their client. Sometimes coaches can become so interested in what the client presents as the topic they want to focus on, that the coach gets bogged down in the...
Category: ICF Core Competencies
When a Question is not a Question – precision in coaching language
One of the most powerful coaching skills we have available to us as coaches is asking a question that has the potential to be powerful for the client. This may seem strange, but not every coach seems to know what...
Are you missing an ethical issue?
After listening to hundreds of coaching sessions in my roles as an active ICF Assessor, and as mentor to coaches preparing for their MCC, PCC or ACC credential, I am constantly surprised by how many times a coach misses an...
Why a Coach Cannot Create Awareness for the Client
I was delighted to be invited by the International Coach Federation (ICF) to write an article for the November 2013 issue of Coaching World. That article came out today, so I thought I'd share it with you! "In my years...
Who is Holding Who Accountable?
The purpose of any coaching session is to support a client to find their way to closing a gap between where they are now and where they want to be. The natural output of the coaching process is discovery, which...
What Bikram Yoga Teaches Me About Coaching
Since early 2008, I’ve been a regular participant in Bikram Yoga classes which is a series of 26 yoga postures practiced in a room heated to a minimum of 105F with 40% humidity. Each class is 90 minutes. It’s not...
Coaching Presence is a Way of Being
As a mentor coach I’m often asked by coaches if there are some clients who aren’t ready to be coached on a deeper level or the “Who.” My response is that it isn’t even a question for me to consider....
Partner with your coaching client
At its essence, coaching exists to serve a client to clarify and move toward the greater success they desire to attain, and to help them clear any obstacles in the way. The role of the coach is to expertly apply...
Clients Don’t Need Advice
As coaches, we are hired to support our client to achieve their desired outcomes. Coaching is a partnership where the client brings knowledge about themselves, their circumstances, their strengths, hopes, fears, beliefs, mindset, and their life in general. The client...
What Managing Progress and Accountability Really Means
ICF core competency #11 – Managing Progress and Accountability – is an often misunderstood competency. There are two parts to this competency: 1. Managing Progress The first part of the ICF definition of this competency relates more to Managing Progress;...